IU to endure first back-to-back of season

The IU field hockey team will have its first back-to-back of the season beginning Friday against the No. 9 Northwestern Wildcats, who are 12-2 on the year. Then on Saturday the Hoosiers take on the Central Michigan Chippewas, who are currently on a three-game winning streak.

IU Coach Amy Robertson said it will be a challenge to build off of recent success and apply it to the upcoming game.

“We’ve got to feed and build off some of the things we have done well in the past two games,” she said. “It came to losing some confidence and forgetting what we know, but we’ve got back on the horse and there’s nothing to lose for us.”

Senior forward Morgan Fleetwood said the challenge for the Northwestern game is the mental attitude, which starts with being more consistent.

“I think it’s a mental block for us, knowing that they are 12-2 and they are a very strong Big Ten team,” she said. “Just getting over that and playing how we know how to play because we are also a very strong team, we just need to be consistent.”

Robertson also said that her team has an advantage because their opponent is in a fairly new position, being the team to beat. She said her team may be the underdog, but that doesn’t bother her at all.

Junior forward Emily Bowker agreed with her coach and elaborated on how being the underdog can work to her team’s advantage.

“Maybe they aren’t thinking we are the underdog, because we did perform against Iowa and gave them a run for their money,” she said. “I don’t think they think it will be an easy game, but if they do, it will be their loss because we are going to come out hard.”
Robertson said the team won’t have much time to prepare for Central Michigan because of the back-to-back situation. She said it comes down to fundamentals, being organized, and playing as a team.

Bowker said the team will approach the game against Central Michigan in the same way as the other games, and that they have a one-game-at-a-time mentality.

“Hopefully Friday we’re coming out with a win, and we will go into that looking for another win, and we can come out of this weekend 2-0,” she said.

Robertson said the success of the weekend will be based on more than just wins and losses.

“If we come away with the (win), that’s success in one aspect,” she said. “But for us, it is ‘Are we stepping up to the plate like we need to?’”