Team heads to Ohio for 5th matchup with Bobcats

On Friday, IU field hockey takes on the Ohio University Bobcats for the teams’ fifth all-time meeting.

“We are trying to play some regional match-ups that test our skills,” IU field hockey coach Amy Robertson said.  

The teams have split two wins a piece against each other.

The Bobcats won by a score of 2-1 in last year’s game, and they also won the 2007 game, with a total of three goals for and one goal against.

IU won its first two matchups against Ohio in 2005 and 2006 with a total score of five goals for and one goal against.

“These early games will help us as a team as the season moves on,” co-captain and senior midfielder Meg O’Connell said.

The defense will be one of the key factors if the team wants to come out of Ohio with a win.   

IU junior goalkeeper Alex Mann was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

In the wins against then-No. 14 American University and the University of Richmond, Mann recorded 14 saves with a save percentage of 82.4 percent.

The offense was also on-point in the second game against when they came back from a 0-2 deficit.

In the second half, O’Connell scored two goals and freshman forward Brooke Borneman had her first goal as a Hoosier.

The Hoosiers want to fix the negatives from the last two games so they can be prepared for the Bobcats.  

“We don’t know too much about Ohio, but we will mainly focus on what we need to do to get better for the game on Friday,” senior forward Haley Funk said.

Last year, Ohio had an overall record of 11-12, with a 6-4 record in the Mid-American Conference.

They have started out the season 0-2, with losses to the University of Maryland and Northwestern University.

The Bobcats return 10 letter-winners and six starters from last year’s roster.

After the Ohio match on Friday, the Hoosiers head to Louisville to face the Cardinals, who they defeated 4-1 in the pre-season.