Hoosiers complete upset against Wildcats

The IU field hockey team avenged its loss to Northwestern earlier in the season by defeating the Wildcats 4-0 and advancing to the semifinal round in the Big Ten Tournament.

As the No. 7 seed in the tournament, the Hoosiers came in as underdogs to the No. 2-seeded Wildcats. Despite what the numbers said, IU was able to complete the upset and register its first Big Ten win of the season.

IU took a 2-0 lead into halftime behind goals from sophomore forward Nicole Volgraf and junior forward Mariella Grote. IU Coach Amy Robertson said the message at halftime was to keep attacking and remain confident.

“We weren’t going to sit back and try to protect our lead,” Robertson said. “We had to go out looking for more goals and more attack going. The spirit and energy of the team was great to see, they never doubted themselves.”

During the second half, the Hoosiers stayed true to the message. Senior forward Morgan Fleetwood found the back of the net in the 46th minute. Grote also found the back of the cage for a second time, making the score 4-0.

The defense completed the shutout despite the Wildcats’ shot opportunities. Although the Wildcats outshot the Hoosiers 17-6, IU still managed to make the most of its chances by making four goals.   

Thursday’s win allows IU to remain undefeated against Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament, bringing the tournament series record to 3-0. The win marks the first Hoosier postseason victory since 2009, when they beat the Penn State Nittany Lions 3-1 in the semifinal round. This win led them to play Michigan in the championship game. They would lose the match 3-2.

Robertson said the win may have served as a revelation to the team, and the win displayed their true potential.

She said the team has a lot of momentum going forward.

“We can really do this,” Robertson said. “We ended up advancing with a 4-0 win, and they know it is not a fluke.”

The Hoosiers’ next contest will be Friday against the Michigan Wolverines. Robertson said she initially thought her players would be happy with just a win, but she noticed a difference in their demeanor after the win that gives her hope.

“I thought we would be satisfied just to win today, but when I looked in our team’s eyes, they looked determined to take this all the way,” she said. “We’re happy about the performance, but there is more work to be done.”

Robertson said her team was looking forward to playing Michigan after losing 4-3 when they played Oct. 19. She also said while they weren’t trying to get ahead of themselves, she said she believes they can do great things.

“I honestly think we can go all the way,” Robertson said. “The belief is there like never before, and now they know they can get the win, that they can play, and I like the momentum we have headed into the semifinals.”