Hoosiers set for Davidson, No. 3 Wake Forest

The IU field hockey team faces two very different opponents this weekend in unranked Davidson and No. 3 Wake Forest.

The team will play the Davidson Wildcats at 3 p.m. Saturday and the Demon Deacons at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Hoosiers will use this game to improve on their strengths and fix their flaws.

“Regardless of the outcome, we just want to improve on the weaknesses we’ve seen in the previous matches,” said IU field hockey assistant coach Kelly Doton.

Currently, the team is 3-1 with wins against American University, Richmond and Louisville, and a loss to Ohio University.

Last Tuesday, the Hoosiers earned a No. 18 ranking for their two upsets against then-No. 14 American on Aug. 28, and then-No. 13 Louisville on Sept. 6.

The past two weeks, IU field hockey had won Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week by junior goalkeeper Alex Mann and junior defender Mutsa Mutembwa.

The Hoosiers will try to learn more about the Wildcats.

“We don’t know too much about the Wildcats, but we are looking to learn more by playing them,” senior forward Alina Valenti said.

Davidson has an all-time record of 16-23 in the NorPac Conference.

Last year the Wildcats ended the season 6-12 and a conference record of 1-5.
Davidson has some young talent that leads its roster.

Last week, freshman midfielder Annie Evans won the NorPac East Division Rookie of the Week.

In the Wildcats’ first week of play, freshman midfielder Finley Amato won the same award as Evans.

IU will have to stop these freshmen standouts in order to come away with a victory in North Carolina.