CMU field hockey closes out season with loss to Miami (Ohio)

Central Michigan field hockey team high-fives before the game against Bellarmine University at Cristy Freese Field, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (CM-Life | Ali

The final installment of the 2026 Central Michigan University field hockey season ended with a 7-0 defeat against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, the No. 11 team in the country.

Miami came into the game leading the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in corners by a wide margin. They attempted 11 more on Friday afternoon to make it 179 total on the season.

With just over eight minutes to go in the first quarter, Miami was already attempting their third corner of the game. Justina Intzes came in as a substitute and capitalized off the assist from both Bet Gifra and Kylie Coughlin , opening the scoring for the RedHawks.

“We knew they were going to be deadly under attacking penalty corners,” CMU Head Coach Kelly Terwilliger said. “It’s tough when you have a drag flick coming at you.”

Slightly over two minutes later, Miami scored again thanks to MC Wolz’s first career goal.

Malena Sabez made it three goals in the first quarter for the RedHawks when she scored off a corner with 13 seconds remaining in the quarter. It was the first time this season that CMU allowed more than one goal in the first quarter.

Miami scored only once in the second quarter. Bet Gifra scored off an assist from Sloane Wearren . Gifra was Second-Team All-MAC last season and now has eight goals this year.

The RedHawks came out strong in the second half. With 13:12 left in the third quarter, Sabez was assisted by Gifra and Coughlin . Sabez was First-Team All-MAC in 2025. She is tied for third in the MAC in goals this season with 15 total.

Intzes , who also has 15 goals this year, added two more for Miami in the third quarter. CMU kept Miami out of the net in the fourth quarter, but the Chippewas were also unable to score.

“We had Bri [Eckenroth] , who was willing to sacrifice her body, and that changed the game for us,” Terwilliger said. “Once we’re willing to do that and take one to the chest, we were able to save some goals.”

Judith Van Aartsen started her third straight game at goalkeeper for CMU. The freshman had seven saves.

Lola Pardo attempted the only two shots of the game for CMU. One of them was on goal.

This was Miami’s 11th straight win vs CMU. It was the third ranked opponent CMU played this season. The RedHawks are in position to make their 10th straight NCAA Tournament.

Last year, Miami won the MAC Field Hockey Championship and made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, their deepest tournament run in program history. They will look to start their run next week during the conference tournament.

The top six teams in the conference qualify for the tournament, so CMU will not make the field. The Chippewas will finish 9th in the conference in the first year of Coach Terwilliger’s tenure.

Despite a final record of 4-14, Terwilliger knows what she liked this season and where she wants to see improvement.

“They were extremely connected,” Terwilliger said. “Different people stepped up in different moments. But putting it all together is our focus for next year. For us, there’s a lot of learning that happened this year when it comes to tactics, and I feel like our underclassmen, and even our upperclassmen, really committed to that.”

Hailey Bainer , who has been a staple of the program for the last three years after spending her freshman year at Lindenwood University , will be returning as a 5th year senior. She has started in every game each of the last two years for the Chippewas.

18 of the 27 players on CMU’s roster this season were underclassmen. Terwilliger has a young team to work with and mold for the future after her first career season as a Division 1 head coach.

“I learned that culture is really important,” Terwilliger said. “How the players interact with each other, what they expect from each other, and we learned that, for us, our standards drive our culture. This team wants it. They had everything put together. Now this offseason’s about building that.”