Central Michigan University
5-8, 1-4
Kennesaw State
5-9, 3-3
Late Kennesaw State Surge Dooms CMU
4/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Lacrosse
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State scored five of the game's final six goals Friday to pull away from Central Michigan and hand the Chippewas a 13-9 Atlantic Sun Conference women's lacrosse loss.
The Chippewas slipped to 5-8 overall, 1-4 league. Kennesaw State is 5-9, 3-3.
The Owls are tied with Mercer for fifth place in the league standings. The top six teams make the conference tournament. CMU sits in seventh place with a game at Mercer (6-9, 3-3) on Sunday (1 p.m.).
CMU closes the regular season at home next weekend with conference games against Howard and Old Dominion.
Olivia Hokanson scored four goals to lead Kennesaw State, which broke an 8-8 tie on an Emily Hallberg goal with 12 minutes, 30 seconds to play.
Logan Halvorson scored with 9:34 to left to draw CMU within one, 10-9, but the Owls scored three goals in the final 5:25 to pull away.
"Late in the game we made some uncharacteristic mistakes, people we usually trust with the ball and trust in situations and we were really unable to execute," CMU coach Sara Tisdale said. "I don't if it was the pressure of the situation or mental errors.
"When you're right there and the game's within your reach and you're physically capable, that's a tough one to take."
Riley Huda and Summer Abdalla scored three goals apiece for CMU, while Anna Schoonover and Jocelyne Lemay added one each. Huda finished with two assists.
Dominique Hamman made four saves in goal for CMU.
Kennesaw State outshot the Chippewas, 22-14, and held a 27-24 edge in ground balls. Central Michigan controlled 17 draws, while Kennesaw State controlled seven. The Chippewas turned the ball over 24 times, the Owls 20 times.
"No doubt, we'll reflect on this and we'll look to learn from our mistakes," said Tisdale, whose roster comprises 24 freshmen and one sophomore. "Give credit to Kennesaw State. They had a game plan and they executed it for 60 minutes.
"For us it's a matter of getting back to work and continuing to build and correct mistakes. We'll be good in the long run, but that doesn't make it any easier now. Every win or loss is a learning opportunity."
