Chippewas Head South For Two
4/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Lacrosse
Zach Libby, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Erase the period of lacrosse opponents feeling overconfident when circling Central Michigan on their calendars.
A team comprising entirely underclassmen is midway through its first varsity season, and the Chippewas have proven that they are capable of standing up to veteran programs.
Following the Chippewas' non-conference loss to Cincinnati a month ago, Bearcat coach Gina Oliver has sent praise of CMU throughout the country, lauding the Chippewas' toughness and their ability to hold their own for 60 minutes.
That pattern has continued leading up to Central Michigan's Atlantic Sun Conference game at Furman (6-5, 1-1) in Greenville, South Carolina, on Friday at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3. CMU will play at Presbyterian (2-10) in a non-league game on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Despite the fact that the Paladins have previously acquainted themselves with some of the top-ranked programs nationally, including No. 21 Johns Hopkins, they won't be looking past the first-year varsity program.
That's based on how CMU (3-5, 0-1) has fared in its latest contests with Robert Morris and Detroit, two seasoned teams. While both ended in a loss, the Chippewas scored 14 and eight goals, respectively, for their highest goal totals in a loss this season.
"Frankly, when people see that we've played Robert Morris and Detroit the way we did, I don't think anyone is getting overconfident heading into games against us," CMU coach Sara Tisdale said.
Central Michigan comes into Friday's game having lost three straight, as 25 days have past since its last win, over Virginia Commonwealth at home.
Morale is not down, however, with the Chippewas and Tisdale knowing how reasonably well they've competed in the first half of the inaugural season of women's lacrosse at CMU.
"For the most part, I would say that we're getting the same level of excitement and energy," Tisdale said. "From a player's and program perspective, competing in these games is I think above and beyond."
The Palandins are playing their opponents to a near draw in total goals, goals per game, turnovers, shot percentage and shots per game.
Tisdale said Furman compares favorably to Robert Morris in terms of game tactics.
As an isolation-friendly offensive unit, less than a third of Furman's goals have been unassisted (the Paladins have recorded just 36 assists in 11 matches.
Central Michigan prefers to utilize a team-focused defense, meaning that sliding to pick up the open attacker or double teaming when necessary has been the mindset when preparing for teams who crash to the net.
It's been the favored style of defense for the Chippewas, who are allowing 11.38 goals per game. A contributing factor is turnovers, a sore point throughout much of the season.
"If our offense learns to control the pace a little bit better, I think it'll allow our defense to be a little more effective," Tisdale said. "I think from here on out, you'll see a much more intentional approach to the pace we set on offense."
On the other side of the field, expect Central Michigan to continue its pick-and-choose style of attack, as the program ranks in the bottom half of every offensive category in the conference. That hasn't affected CMU negatively in goal scoring though, as it has notched double-digit goals in three games this season.
Freshman Jocelyne Lemay continues to be the leader offensively, as she tops CMU in shots (30), goals (17) and points (18).
Along with Lemay, six other players have reached the double digit mark in points, including both Summer Abdalla and Sydney Wright, who have recorded 11 and nine goals, respectively.
Furman is notably a fast-breaking team, owing to its effectiveness in controlling the ball from the draw. The Paladins are an Atlantic Sun-best plus-23. Central Michigan, meanwhile, is eighth in the conference with 79.
