Hoosiers split 2 games in weekend stint

IU field hockey’s weekend was full of ups and downs, ranging from a loss to unranked Ohio  to a win over No. 13 Louisville.

The Hoosiers came into Athens, Ohio, with two wins, one from a ranked American University team.

The game started off slow but picked up when Ohio junior forward Katherine Ballard scored the lone goal of the game at the 31:17 mark.

The shot came from five yards out on the right side of the field.

“We didn’t execute our attack corners well enough to give us a victory,” IU field hockey coach Amy Robertson said.

The Hoosiers had 21 shots against the Bobcats, compared to only eight shots from Ohio.

Ohio’s 6-foot, 1-inch junior goalkeeper Courtney Seiders had 13 saves.

The players said they could improve from this loss because it happened so early in the season.

“It was a good game for us to learn and grow from, since it was our first loss,” junior defender Mutsa Mutembwa said.

The next game was against the No. 13 Louisville Cardinals, whom the Hoosiers beat 4-1 in a pre-season game.

“If we work as a team, we can beat any opponent,” senior back Lucy Ireland said.

In the first half, neither team made a goal despite four shots from the Hoosiers and six from the Cardinals.

Five minutes into the second half, IU senior forward Alina Valenti scored off the goalkeeper’s rebound.

At the 46:47 mark, the Cardinals came back with a goal off a tipped penalty corner shot from junior midfielder Karah Nall.

Some of the players took the negatives from the Ohio loss and turned them into positives when playing the Cardinals.

“I didn’t work harder in this game, I was just smarter with how I played,” freshman forward Morgan Fleetwood said.

Less than two minutes later, the Hoosiers scored their second goal from Valenti off an assist from Fleetwood.

During the next 22 minutes, the Hoosiers held off the Cardinals to earn their third win of the season and second win against a ranked opponent.  

The win against Louisville will give the Hoosiers momentum for games against ranked opponents.

“This win was important for us because it gave us our confidence back,” Valenti said.

The Hoosiers travel to North Carolina Saturday and Sunday for matches against Davidson College and No. 2 Wake Forest.