IU upsets No. 22 Golden Bears in shootout

On Saturday the IU women’s field hockey team had its second consecutive game end in a shootout after three scoreless overtime periods.

This time, though, the Hoosiers snagged the victory, defeating No. 22 Cal Golden Bears 2-1 in three overtime periods.

IU Coach Amy Robertson said she was pleased with the fight and fortitude her team showed.

Although the Golden Bears tied the game late, she said she wasn’t too
concerned.

“I am absolutely thrilled that we showed the strength to battle an entire game and come out with the win,” Robertson said. “I never felt nervous, even when they tied it up with a few minutes to go. That can be a heartbreaker for most teams, but we just play minute by minute.”

Senior forward Morgan Fleetwood said her team was confident going into
overtime.

“We had a sense of confidence because we had been in that place before,” Fleetwood said. “We knew what it was like to win but also what it was like to lose, so (we) just (had) the confidence that we could get
the W.”

Fleetwood was the first to score, finding the back of the net 11 minutes into the game.
She had the lone goal until the Bears scored in the 67th minute of the game.

After three overtimes, the teams were still neck and neck heading to a sudden death shootout.

The Hoosiers made their next four shots, and sophomore goalkeeper Maggie Olson made the final save to clinch the game.

Olson said nerves play a role in any overtime game, but this time she felt more at ease.

“I felt more confident coming into this overtime than any other overtime period that we’ve played.” Olson said.

“Everyone was really composed, and it was a vibe around the team, like ‘we are going to take this game,’ and I’m glad we did.”

Robertson expressed her satisfaction with her team for the way they kept their composure in the shootout.

“I’ll tell you, that is the scariest thing you will ever have to do, all that pressure, and they stayed cool the entire time,” she said. “I couldn’t be more proud of this team right now.”

Robertson said she is just happy with the win, and it doesn’t matter whether the opposing team is ranked or not.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not caught up with who’s ranked,” she said. “I think Cal is absolutely a great team whether they’re ranked or not. I just feel really good about our
performance against another really good team.”