Team heads to west coast for first road test

Ranked for the first time this season, No. 19 IU travels to the west coast to face No. 16 Stanford and UC Berkeley.

Toting a 4-0 record, the field hockey team has been a powerhouse this season, outscoring opponents 14-3.

However, all four wins have been at home, so IU will have its first road games of the season.

“We’re typically very comfortable on the road. There’s not a different preparation except for the fact that we have to know what we’re packing,” IU Coach Amy Robertson said. “We get a lot of rest in the hotel, (the) team’s together, (there’s a) lot of chemistry, opportunities to use video and have some communication that we don’t usually get to have.”

Both opponents will be tough tests for the Hoosiers since the only loss between these two teams came when Stanford fell to No. 4 Connecticut earlier this year.

Senior forward Katie Griswold, who assisted the four goals against Missouri State last weekend, is one of four Hoosiers from California, making this weekend a mid-season homecoming.

“It’s exciting for me especially, because both Berkeley and Stanford coaches are coaches that I’ve played for,” Griswold said. “Actually, it’s even more exciting for me to go home than to play against coaches that I used to play for. At the same time, a game is a game, and it doesn’t even really matter who the opponent is. It is just about us coming out and playing IU hockey.”

Griswold is part of the Hoosier attack that has been so potent to start the season.
In last weekend’s games, IU had 52 shots, scoring eight goals.

In addition, the defensive side has been just as effective. Senior back Brenna Moeljadi recorded her eighth defensive save last weekend, an IU record. Moeljadi was also named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week.

Freshman back Stefani Day, a key piece of the defense, works to treat the defensive unit as one to stop opponents.

“We’ve been really focusing on communication, and I think that’s a big thing,” Day said. “Just the shifting and telling each other where the ball is going and working on getting it out.”

The Hoosiers will face Stanford at 7 p.m. Friday and California at 3 p.m. Sunday.
After these two matchups, the schedule will certainly test the Hoosiers, as five of their remaining games will be against currently ranked teams.

“Every day there’s something to work on, something to improve upon,” Robertson said. “So if you’re satisfied you get complacent. You feel good about a win and you don’t try to keep learning, then you’re not going to get better and really, we want to be improving, improving, improving — hit the Big Ten season and continue improving.”