Central Michigan University Athletics
Field Hockey Hosts Louisville, Plays Columbia On Sunday
9/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - A watched pot never boils.
The requisite growing pains of a young team can be trying, and there are few, if any, shortcuts.
Such is the lot of the Central Michigan field hockey team as it gets set to play host to Louisville on Friday at 3 p.m. at the Central Michigan Field Hockey Complex.
The Chippewas are 1-3 after a 2-1 overtime victory over Quinnipiac last Saturday. Louisville is 4-0 and ranked seventh. The Chippewas will play Columbia (1-1) on Sunday (noon) at Michigan State's Ralph Young Field.
"Our learning curve is about where I expected it to be," second-year CMU coach Molly Pelowski said. "I think our fitness is ahead of the curve. I think we're doing some things on the field, in terms of passing, that are ahead of the curve, but we still have elements of our game that we have to catch up on.
"I think that comes down to just on-field awareness. That's where we're focusing and learning. I'm pleased in a lot of areas of our progress, being ahead of where I think we should be, but there are a few areas where we just need to tighten up the nuts and bolts."
Translation: It's a matter of gaining experience. And the only way to do that is to play.
"Everyone feels better winning," Pelowski said. "It certainly lifts the morale for our team and our program, getting a win in September, moving towards conference play.
"We've seen what it takes to win and we've fought through the adversity to get there."
Saturday's win, which came on a Maude Stalars goal, came in the fourth game of the season. Last year, the Chippewas started 0-12.
Quinnipiac outshot CMU, 20-13, and had 15 penalty corners to the Chippewas' seven.
"Quinnipiac had a lot of opportunities, but we, as a group, capitalized more," Pelowski said. "I think that's the biggest takeaway for us. We know what it takes to put the ball in the back of the net -- or even keep the ball out of the net."
The Chippewas have defended relatively well, considering the numbers. They have been outshot 82-42 on the season and outscored 12-4. Seven of those goals came in a loss last week at Michigan State.
"We have done a decent job defensively," Pelowski said. "We've got some youth in the backfield, so every day we're learning. That was our theme of the week, individual defense and team defense. We just have to play great defense all over the field."
Taking into consideration the relative youth of the Chippewas, Pelowski said the focus is internal.
"Every opponent that we play might as well just have a grey shirt on because it's really more about what Central Michigan has to do rather than the opponent," she said. "We're not really fixated on the opponent too much."
