Field hockey cruises into game with CMU

After firmly establishing its position at the top of the Big Ten standings, the No. 7 Michigan field hockey team will take a break from conference action today to face in-state rival Central Michigan.

The Wolverines are coming off of a successful weekend, in which they handed then-No. 3 Iowa its first loss of the season and defeated rival Northwestern, 2-1. Their confidence level is high after proving their merit in the tough conference schedule.

"It was a great weekend," senior captain Ashley Reichenbach said. "Coming out Friday (against Iowa) and playing like we did was awesome. Anytime you sweep in the Big Ten it's a great accomplishment."

Junior forward Courtney Reid agreed.

DANNY KALICK/Daily Sophomore forward Laura Stinson and the rest of the Michigan field hockey team will travel to Central Michigan today to face the unranked Chippewas.

"We're glad we could sweep the weekend, especially Iowa," she said. "We're still in the running for the Big Ten championship, so that's good."

The team needs to carry this momentum into today's game in Mt. Pleasant. The Chippewas are 2-9, with a 2-3 record in the Mid-American Conference. Michigan has won the last nine matchups against Central, dating back to 1990. Last season, they dominated the game, winning 11-0.

Despite this recent success against the Chippewas, the Michigan stickers recognize the need to avoid complacency.

"We have to be ready for them," Reid said. "Any team can beat any team on any given day, so we just have to go out and play well."

Central Michigan's poor won-loss record is deceptive, as it is a strong team, and players and coaches alike believe that this game may be a close one.

"Going up to Central is always difficult," Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. "Any time you're playing a team on the road, they're emotionally going to be up for it, and they're trying to seek revenge from last year's game. We have to be focused and on top of our game to really play well."

The Chippewas are led offensively by junior Brianne Tallinger, who has six goals and 13 points on the season. Another key member of the team is senior Cheryl Eglin, who is eight points away from tying the CMU record for career points.

A loss to the unranked Chippewas would be devastating to the Wolverines' hope of maintaining their top-10 national ranking, so Michigan has to make sure not to overlook this game.

"Central is unranked," Pankratz said. "We have to play our best hockey against them because they could be really dangerous."

While this game is important for the Wolverines, it also provides them with a good opportunity to practice their strategy in a game situation.

"This is a good chance for us to work on our game plan and to really focus on the things we've been working on in practice," Reichenbach said. "The offense has got to shoot more and the defense has to keep on doing what we're doing."

Today's game serves as a good precursor to Sunday's Big Ten matchup against Michigan State, and players are looking forward to the contest.

"This is a great building block for Sunday," Reichenbach said. "So hopefully things go well."

10-13-99