Field Hockey Falls In Home Finale

Tuesday, April 20

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

1 p.m.

Central Michigan University

(5-5, 3-4MAC)

Longwood

(6-5, 4-5MAC)

LONGWOOD

Central Michigan

Photo by: Emma Hug

4/20/2021 4:58:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan field hockey team dropped a Mid-American Conference game to Longwood, 2-1, on Tuesday at Cristy Freese Field.

It was the home finale for the Chippewas, who are 5-5, 3-4 MAC, and close the season with a two-game series at Kent State this weekend. Longwood is 6-5, 4-5.

Longwood scored just over two minutes into the second quarter and then added an important insurance goal with just over five minutes remaining in the game.

Twenty-two seconds after Longwood scored to make it 2-0, Alice O'Hagan scored with an assist from Taryn Damm to pull CMU to 2-1. It was O'Hagan's third goal of the season and it gave her a team-leading 10 points on the season.

Longwood finished with a 19-6 advantage in shots including a 13-3 edge in shots on goal. The Lancers also finished with a 15-4 upper hand in penalty corners.

Despite the wide discrepancy in numbers, the Chippewas remained in the game throughout.

"I thought that was some of our best hockey in the second half that we've played all season," CMU coach Catherine Ostoich said. "I thought we really did a good job in the second half. We dominated for a good chunk of the second half.

"I felt like we were really pushing and we had momentum. When they got that second goal, normally our heads would go down and it would be like, 'It's over.' But we got up the field, we ran a corner, and we scored. So we were right back in it.

"It was just a bummer that we didn't get a chance to (remove) our goalkeeper and that's what I would have liked. It was a learning experience. We've got to realize game-clock management. Other than that I'm really proud of how we played, how we came back. We came out and fought in the second half."

Chippewa freshman goalkeeper Katie Maxim made 11 saves.

It marked the Chippewas' third game in four days – they split a weekend series at Cristy Freese Field with Ball State – and they are scheduled to play at Kent State on Friday, April 23, and on Saturday, April 24. Both games are slated to begin at 5 p.m.

"Three games in four days after 14 days off and they put up a good fight today," Ostoich said. "It wasn't our best hockey in that first half and we could have played a little bit better. I said at halftime, 'We're down only one goal so all we need is one opportunity; let's start over and make it count. We've got 30 minutes left, last home game, and they did that.

"I'm proud of them. It's a bummer we didn't get the result we wanted, but I'm proud of what we did today. it just shows the progress we've made this season and how we're really developing as a program."