Hoosiers can’t complete comeback, fall to Buckeyes

After a hard 70-minute fight, the Hoosiers came up empty handed. IU lost to Ohio State, 3-2, on Friday after its second-half two-goal comeback fell just short.

The Hoosier defense struggled early, allowing two goals in the 11th and 14th minute. Those goals were the only scores in the first half and the Buckeyes held a 2-0 lead at halftime. The Buckeyes defense was dominant in the first 35 minutes, limiting IU to only one shot on net and zero penalty corners.

Things changed in the second half. In the 51st minute, junior Morgan Fleetwood’s deflected shot found the net, cutting the lead to one. The Buckeye’s responded quickly, getting a goal just 42 seconds later and putting Ohio State up 3-1. IU continued to fight, and scored its second goal in the 68th minute off the stick of freshman Audra Heilman.

That would be the final score of the game as the Buckeyes held on, winning by a goal.
 
Goalie Maggie Olson, who was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week last week, had a decent outing, allowing three goals and making just two saves. The Hoosiers had five second-half penalty corners, matching the five corners made by the Buckeyes.

IU returns home to play Penn State at 3 p.m. Friday at the IU Field Hockey Complex. The Nittany Lions have had a solid season thus far, starting their Big Ten season 2-0 with an overall 8-3 record.