Chippewas Surge Past Wofford

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Central Michigan used two big first-half surges on Friday in posting a dominant 19-9 Southern Conference lacrosse victory over Wofford at the CMU Lacrosse/Soccer Complex.

It was CMU's third-consecutive blowout victory – it beat Delaware State and Howard last weekend by a combined 39-2 – and it sets the stage for a showdown on Sunday (11 a.m.) when the Chippewas welcome Furman for a SoCon game.

Furman dropped to 1-1 in league play on Friday when it fell at Detroit Mercy, 14-12. The Chippewas are 6-7, 2-1. Mercer leads the league at 3-1, while the Chippewas and Detroit Mercy are tied for second at 2-1.

CMU defeated Furman last season en route to the SoCon regular-season title. The Paladins eliminated the Chippewas from the league tournament in a semifinal game.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Natalie Karlen scored three of her four goals as the Chippewas seized a 7-0 lead before the game hit the 15-minute mark.

After Wofford scored four consecutive goals to draw to 7-4, the Chippewas tallied five straight goals for a 12-3 halftime lead.

Wofford never got closer than eight goals in the final 30 minutes.

"I think with our offense, we're running our sets with higher efficiency, as well as playing nice and fast," CMU Coach Sara Tisdale said. "The games we've lost, it was a lot of standing around, a lot of waiting for someone to make a play.

"From an offensive perspective, we run our sets (well), we like where we're at, and we're excited for Sunday."

LEADERS
Shannon Doyle and Karlen finished with four goals apiece to lead the Chippewas, while Jessica Schuchardt had a game-high six points (three goals, three assists).

Jocelyne Lemay, Tyra Prince and Anna Schoonover added two goals each.

"We talk a lot about mental toughness, and our mentality," said Doyle, whose four goals were a season high. "It shouldn't matter who we're facing, whether it's the toughest or the easiest team we've played all year. We need to focus on us and do what we do best, and start strong from the beginning of the game, and just keep rolling throughout."

IN GOAL
All three Chippewa goalies – Hope Murray, Dominique Hamman and Clare Laughery -- saw playing time for the third straight game. Murray and Laughery each had two saves. Murray, the starter, earned the victory.

CMU finished with a 32-14 advantage in shots on goal.

TEAM CHEMISTRY
Tisdale said one key to the Chippewas' recent success -- their three-game win streak is their longest of the season -- is in emphasizing and celebrating their successes.

"One thing we forget to do, which is actually impressive if you're able to do it, is celebrate," she said. "I stopped them 10 minutes into practice (on Thursday) because they weren't celebrating and being excited for each other. You have to celebrate it, like it's a big deal, or like you won the championship every single time because you're going to miss the moments along the way."

SURGING
The Chippewas' last loss came on March 31, at Mercer, 19-12. Despite falling in that game, it may have been a turning point in the season.

"I think the energy has changed a lot during practice these past couple of weeks," Schuchardt said. "After our loss at Mercer, we wanted to come together and build that team chemistry. We're taking those risks, we're trying to get the looks to each other and trying to see what we can get away with."

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Team Stats

Shannon Doyle

Natalie Karlen

Jessica Schuchardt

Jocelyne Lemay

Players Mentioned

Shannon Doyle

Dominique Hamman

Natalie Karlen

Clare Laughery

Jocelyne Lemay

Hope Murray

Tyra Prince

Anna Schoonover

Jessica Schuchardt

Players Mentioned

Shannon Doyle

Dominique Hamman

Natalie Karlen

Clare Laughery

Jocelyne Lemay

Hope Murray

Tyra Prince

Anna Schoonover

Jessica Schuchardt