IU defeats Kent State, Vermont during weekend

The IU field hockey team started its regular season on a high note, winning two contests during opening weekend.

IU defeated Kent State 5-3 Friday. The team beat Vermont 3-0 Sunday to jump to an early 2-0 record.IU Coach Amy Robertson said team play impressed her the most from opening weekend.

“We’re moving the ball well, and our defense is well organized,” she said. “We have a lot of threats and have a very versatile team that has a lot of different people that we can put in different places.”

Robertson said she was happy with sophomore midfielder Gaby Olshemski’s consistent play during the weekend.

“I’m really pleased considering the minutes and the time she has been in that she has been very productive,” Robertson said.

Olshemski scored two of five goals in the win against Kent State. She said the goals were a product of her teammates’ play.

“My teammates pretty much gave me the perfect passes,” she said. “They set me up very well.”

The team defeated Vermont 3-0 in a neutral site game in Kent, Ohio. Sophomore forwards Nicole Volgraf and Audra Heilman and senior forward Morgan Fleetwood scored goals.

Volgraf, who scored in both games, said the team has a high confidence level following the opening weekend success.

“The confidence level is really good,” she said. “We were really tested against Vermont because we didn’t start out as strong as Friday’s game, but it was important to see the team turn it around and control the second half.”

Robertson said the key to regulate the team’s confidence is in the training.

“We will have a practice on Tuesday, as if we are preparing for a game,” she said. “We have to compete hard against each other. By no means is the starting lineup set in stone, so the players know they are competing for position.”

Volgraf said the biggest takeaway from the weekend was not to overlook the
opponent.

“I have learned to not underestimate any of the opponents,” she said. “We went into both games taking them as if it was the biggest games of our careers.”

Junior back Danielle McNally said she noticed the team’s improvement on the defensive side of the ball against Vermont.

“Our team definitely stepped up on defense,” she said. “We put pressure on them immediately, and they didn’t have many attacking chances.”

Though the team is 2-0, Robertson said the team needs to perform better in circle play.

“The goalkeeper had 18 saves, so we need to make sure we are capitalizing on shots better,” she said. “We will work more on circle play, a lot of repetition and goal scoring. The team needs to play more relaxed and purposeful in the
circle.”