Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
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Robert Morris
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Chippewa Lacrosse Finishes 1-1 Road Trip
2/18/2017 12:00:00 AM | Lacrosse
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
PITTSBURGH - Robert Morris finished with a 38-14 advantage in shots on goal Saturday in handing Central Michigan a 21-6 loss in a nonconference lacrosse game at the Colonials' Joe Walton Stadium.
CMU finished 1-1 on its season-opening road trip that started Thursday with a 20-10 win over St. Francis (Pa.). The Chippewas play Marquette (0-3) in their home opener on Thursday, Feb. 23 (2 p.m.) at the CMU Lacrosse-Soccer Stadium.
"We saw players unable to handle pressure," CMU coach Sara Tisdale said. "We backed off and didn't step up to the challenges that were presented. We didn't handle the pressure and we didn't handle contact.
"Back to the drawing board on Monday. We need to practice with great intensity and compete with great intensity. Teams are going to come out and get us, look for weaknesses, and exploit those weaknesses."
Mackenzie Gandy scored five goals and Annie Sachs had four for the Colonials (1-2), who outscored the Chippewas 11-1 in the second half.
Freshman Shannon Doyle scored three goals to lead CMU, while Riley Huda, Tyra Prince and Emma Hamilton added one apiece. Prince and Emily Krause had two assists each.
CMU goalie Dominique Hamman surrendered 19 goals and registered 15 saves in taking the loss. Hope Murray allowed two goals and made two saves in relief over the final 4:33.
The Chippewas, who are in their second year of varsity competition with a roster comprising almost entirely freshmen and sophomores, will look to rebound as they head into Thursday home game with Marquette.
"Four days, and with us we've got to take away those outside distractions and we have to play from within," Tisdale said. "We have to compete at the level we want to be at. I understand it's tough because we are young, but my expectations are high.
"And we as coaches need to create a better atmosphere in practice to make sure that they are put in that position to succeed on game day."
Tisdale said Huda and Doyle, in particular, stood out in their play on the weekend, which included a wild swing in an opener played in snow and temperatures well below freezing and Saturday's game, played under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 60s.
"Great play and leadership from Huda and Shannon Doyle she never stops competing," Tisdale said. "She played almost a full 120 minutes this weekend. She came out and competed today and she wasn't scared.
"We know how to prepare, we can do the job preparing, but it's a matter now of bringing that intensity game in and game out moving forward."
