MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan head coach Cristy Freese announced the 2012 field hockey schedule Thursday, one that will look a little different than in years past.
The Chippewas will play each conference opponent just once beginning next fall, compared to the home and away format that has been used in the past.
The home conference schedule will include visits from Miami on September 21, Ohio on October 19 and Kent State October 27. CMU will play road conference games September 30 at Ball State and October 6 at Missouri State.
The Maroon and Gold will open the season at Robert Morris on August 25 and will play Radford on the trip as well the next day, followed by a trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., to take on Delaware on August 31 and Maine September 1.
A non-conference neutral site game will be played between the Chippewas and Stanford on September 3 at Michigan State before they travel back to East Lansing for the MSU Tournament, September 14-16, which includes Louisville, American and the host Spartans.
The Chippewas' first home game will be played against Miami before they host Iowa September 23 to complete a two-game home stand.
A pair of non-conference neutral site games versus Pacific at Michigan State and Indiana at Northwestern as well as a road matchup at national power Northwestern will be a part of a five-game road trip prior to the Chippewas coming home for their final four games of the regular season.
In addition to their home conference matchups versus the Bobcats and Golden Flashes, CMU will play Michigan State at home on October 21 and Michigan October 28.
The 2012 MAC Tournament at Miami will also feature a new format as the first round has been eliminated and just four of the six conference teams will qualify for postseason play.
CMU is coming off a 9-11 season which included going 5-5 in conference play to finish tied for second with Kent State. The Golden Flashes ousted the Chippewas in the semifinals of the MAC Tourney, 4-1.
