IU field hockey advances to 2nd round of Big Ten tournament

The No. 3 seed Hoosiers beat the No. 6 seed Northwestern Wildcats 4-2 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

IU earned the first goal with a score from freshman forward Morgan Fleetwood on a pass from sophomore forward Corey Brautigam in the 11th minute.

“Our strategy was organized in the first half,” junior midfielder Kelsey Kiper said.

The Hoosiers scored again with a goal from freshman forward Brooke Borneman from an assist by senior midfielder Meg O’Connell.

“We moved the play around and stayed composed throughout the game,” IU field hockey coach Amy Robertson said.

Just before halftime, midfielder Stephanie Fortson scored when forward Courtney Plaster sent a ball her way at the 29th minute.

“Our attack was good throughout the game,” junior defender Mutsa Mutembwa said.

At the 46:40 mark, Fleetwood scored her 13th goal of the season with an assist from Kiper, putting the Hoosiers 3-1.
 
The Hoosiers brought their lead to 4-1 with another goal by sophomore back Brenna Moeljadi in the 53rd minute.

IU would keep the Wildcats at bay and finish the game with a 4-2 final score.
“Our defense stayed tough against a lot of pressure from Northwestern,” Robertson said.

IU will play No. 7 seed Penn State at 2 p.m. on Friday.