OXFORD, Ohio — Two Miami goals in a three minute span snapped a 1-1 tie and sent the Central Michigan field hockey team to a 3-1 setback on Friday.
The loss drops CMU to 1-2 this season and 0-1 in the Mid-American Conference.
The RedHawks controlled play for most of the first half, outshooting the Chippewas, 11-2, and owning a 3-0 advantage in penalty corners. Despite the statistical output,
Melinda Curran's goaltending kept MU off the board for most of the opening frame.
"Mel really kept us in the game in the first half," head coach
Cristy Freese said. "We had a rough first half and she made several big stops to keep us close before halftime."
Katie Brightwell got Miami on the board in the 30th minute off a pass from Christina Brightwell to make it a 1-0 contest going into halftime.
The Chippewas’ picked things up significantly in the second half. The Maroon and Gold closed the gap in shots (9-7 Miami) and held a 5-3 edge in penalty corners in the final 35 minutes.
"We made some adjustments defenisvely in the second half," Freese said. "We moved people around and found a lineup that was productive for us. However, I still wasn't pleased with our execution on penalty corners, especially late in the game."
Brooke Sihota finally evened the score in the 45th minute when she fired a shot through traffic for an unassisted goal, her first of the season.
The contest went back and forth for most of the second half until Mary Hull fired home a rebound to put MU back on top, 2-1, with 5:33 remaining.
Christina Brightwell capped the scoring with 2:26 left when Kate Snyder set her up for a point blank shot.
Curran played a steady game in goal, turning aside nine of the 12 shots that came her way.
The Chippewas are back in action on Saturday afternoon when play a neutral-site match against Northwestern at 1 p.m.
Courtesy: Robert Barclay/CMU
