Hoosiers reach end of road, season in loss to Spartans

IU's most successful field hockey program saw its postseason hopes dashed with a tough 2-1 loss to two-time defending Big Ten tournament champions Michigan State Friday. \nHoosier sophomore Morgan Miller scored the first goal of the game within the first seven minutes. Passes from sophomore Lydia Schrott and freshman Meredith Brown set up IU's only goal of the game.\nThe Spartans answered just three minutes later when junior Maggie Giddens tallied a goal assisted by fellow classmate Michelle Huynh-Ba. \nIn the middle of the first half, senior Veerle Goudswaard would put in State's go-ahead-goal unassisted on a breakaway. \nMichigan State took more than three times as many shots as the Hoosiers, as the lone Hoosier shot on target was Miller's score.\nIU coach Amy Robertson saw IU compete differently in the two halves of the game. \n"In the first half, we did a good job of attacking and controlling the ball," Robertson said. "We did a great job of sticking to our game plan. In the second half, we were a little out of sync. We kept knocking on the door till the very end of the game."\nIn the program's five-year history, 2004 is the first winning season recorded by the Hoosiers at 12-8. \nSenior goalkeeper Katie Kanara got two saves in the loss, playing what her coach would describe as the best game of her career.\n"Katie played fantastic today," Robertson said in a statement Friday. "She did a great job of keeping us in the game by making key stops."\nThe end of this season will mean the end of Kanara's collegiate career. The fifth year senior has started in 31 games for the Hoosiers, including every game this year. Kanara was the first Hoosier ever named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team and has been consistently named to the conference's All-Academic team. \nThe Hoosiers broke many records during the 2004 season. Most notably, Schrott breaking the single-season assist record with 11 and freshman Frederique Meeuwsen broke the single-season goal record with 10.\nFifth-ranked and third-seeded Michigan State lost to No. 14, second seed Iowa in the next round of the tournament in overtime.