It would have been difficult for the Michigan field hockey team to underestimate the importance of its game against Central Michigan yesterday, at Ocker Field.
After disappointing losses to Iowa and Northwestern this past weekend, the Wolverines (1-4 Big Ten, 6-6 overall) desperately needed a victory to bounce back.
And it was quite a bounce they took, as Michigan blasted the visiting Chippewas, 4-0. The shutout was the second of the season for Michigan goalkeeper Amy Helber, her first coming earlier this season against William & Mary, 2-0.
"(The shutout) feels great," Helber said. "I felt like it was a long time in coming, and it was a real good pick-me-up. We were able to work out a lot of kinks (Monday) in practice and were able to pull together (against Central Michigan)."
In addition to their defensive efforts, the Wolverines came out yesterday with an offensive attack that wasn't there over the weekend.
Attacker Julie Flachs opened the scoring for Michigan, putting a shot past Central Michigan goalkeeper Kristin Novinger, just over one minute into the game.
Michigan took Flachs' score and ran with it, keeping intense pressure on Novinger throughout the first half.
The Chippewas' offensive efforts weren't helped by the Wolverines' strong attack, as Central Michigan was barely able to penetrate Michigan's half of the field in the first period.
The Wolverines set the tone in the first half, outshooting the Chippewas, 12-2, in the period.
The Wolverines' dominance in Central Michigan's zone resulted in another quick score, as Michigan attacker Aimee Remigio came off the bench to put the Wolverines ahead, 2-0.
Remigio's shot was quite an interesting one.
The junior floated a shot skyward at Novinger. When the ball finally came down, it slipped behind the head of the Central Michigan goalkeeper - leaving the Wolverines in celebration and the Chippewas scratching their heads.
Nevertheless, Central Michigan battled on and was able to muster a lone penalty corner in the first half. But much like many earlier plays, the Chippewas mishandled the incoming pass, adding to their slew of mistakes in the first half.
The period ended with an excited Michigan squad and a dejected Central Michigan team. Central Michigan coach Cristy Freese was so disappointed with the efforts of her of her goalkeeper that she pulled Novinger in favor of sophomore netminder Carole Ewert.
Unfortunately for Freese, the change did nothing for her squad.
Michigan came out in the second half with the same energy that fueled it from the start. On the point of attack for the Wolverines was senior attacker Michelle Smulders, who finally put the Chippewas out of their misery with two goals in the period.
Smulder's inspired play in the second half was exactly the type of kickstart Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz was expecting from her seniors following a disappointing weekend.
"We need strong leadership from those girls," she said, "not so much verbal but by their actions on the field."
Five minutes into the half, Smulders, set up beautifully by teammates Selina Harris and Meredith Franden, darted a shot past Ewert, giving Michigan a 3-0 lead.
With the game well in hand, Pankratz emptied the bench, as Ashley Reichenbach, Shelley Johnson, Erika Lorenson and Jamie Robbins all slowly entered the game.
While Central Michigan only mustered four shots for the game, 10 different Wolverines contributed to their gaudy total of 29.
Despite the mass exodus of reserves, Smulders remained in the game to give the final blow to the overmatched Chippewas.
Her second goal, the Wolverines' final tally, typified the type of day it was for Central Michigan.
The play started like most others in the game - Smulders rifling a shot towards a Central Michigan goalkeeper. However, Ewert was able to make a seemingly nice play, by trapping the ball.
A nice play in ice hockey, but in field hockey, an illegal one. The ensuing penalty shot gave Smulders her team-leading ninth goal of the season.
JOSH BIGGS/Daily
Michigan attacker Michelle Smulders (right), who scored twice, chases down a Central Michigan defender in the Wolverines' 4-0 win, yesterday.