Field Hockey Wins In Johnstone's Debut

Friday, August 26

East Lansing, Mich.

3 p.m.

Central Michigan University

(1-0)

Saint Louis

(0-1)

Saint Louis

Central Michigan

Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw

8/26/2022 6:50:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

By: Katherine Schultz, CMUChippewas.com

EAST LANSING, Mich. – A fantastic start under the leadership of Jennifer Johnstone.

The Central Michigan field hockey team opened its season on Friday with a 2-0 win over Saint Louis in a nonconference, neutral-site matchup at Michigan State's Ralph Young Field.

"It's great that we got the win today," said Johnstone, who was named to head the program in February. "I think a lot of it comes from the preparation and focus that the players have had from the start. A lot of it comes from their work and what they've been doing on the field to get better and help write a new chapter for Chippewa field hockey."

Sophomore Kaitlyn Bowker and senior Alice O'Hagan delivered the goals, while junior goalkeeper Katie Maxim saved all five of the Billikens' shots on goal. The Chippewa offense delivered eight shots on goal, co-captain O'Hagan leading with three.

A skilled pass from Kate Biglin in the third quarter allowed Bowker the goal in the 34^th minute. O'Hagan scored from BobbiMarie Parker's penalty corner in the fourth with an assist from Caroline Beairsto.

"I think we really put an emphasis on valuing possession," Johnstone said. "It was a huge piece of the puzzle for us, and it was something that got better as every quarter went on. Once we got that first goal, there was a sense that they were finally able to show all the hard work that they had put in for the first 30 minutes of the game.

"The exciting part for me as a coach is watching them play together and come together to play unselfishly. That is the type of hockey that wins championships and that is the type of culture that we are trying to create here."

CMU will return to East Lansing on Sunday, Aug. 28 (11 a.m.) to play American in a nonleague game. The Eagles were scheduled to open their season Friday evening against host Michigan State.

"The game plan is always for us to play the best hockey that we can," Johnstone said. "We want to control what we can control and a lot of that comes down to making good decisions when we're on the ball and if we get any attacking outcomes, really making sure we're executing on those,
"I think to start with a win and a shutout in our first game definitely is a really positive way to start the year, and I'm hoping that we can build off of some of that momentum and some of that push we saw in the fourth quarter when we start against American on Sunday."