Field hockey faces Iowa, Pacific this weekend

Despite the Hoosiers’ recent three-game losing streak, IU field hockey Coach Amy Robertson said the team still has a positive outlook and are still striving to win the Big Ten this season.

“We met with some of the team leaders this week to discuss what we can do to get back on track,” Robertson said. “We asked for their input, and they gave us some insightful feedback on what we need to implement during games in order to be successful for the remainder of the season.”

IU faces a tough set of road matches this coming weekend. They play their third conference game of the season against Iowa on Friday and then face the Pacific Tigers on Saturday.

The 21st-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes are off to a 6-5 start and are currently 0-2 in Big Ten
play.

The Hawkeyes are averaging 4.73 points per game. Iowa’s leading scorer is Natalie Cafone, who has 23 points this year, including 10 goals. She has a 24-percent shooting percentage, with 66 percent of her shots being on goal.

Cafone is the Big Ten’s second leading scorer, and she averages just over two points
per match.

Iowa is allowing only 1.73 points per game. Iowa senior goalkeeper Kelsey Boyce has 39 saves this season, which ties her for fifth in the Big Ten.

Robertson said decision-making will be important against Iowa on Friday.

“We create turnovers, but we aren’t giving ourselves the advantage that we need,” she said.

It helps that the Hoosiers have junior forward Audra Heilman, who ranks third in the Big Ten in points per match with 1.82 and fourth in assists per match with 0.55

The Hoosiers’ Saturday opponent, Pacific, has a record of 3-8 through the first part of the season, including a 1-2 Pac-12 conference record.

The Tigers’ offense averages 1.5 points this season while allowing 3.48 goals per match.

Though Pacific doesn’t have the same high-scoring offense that Iowa does, Robertson believes they will provide a tough challenge, something that her players are looking forward to.

Robertson said the Hoosiers’ freshmen are going to continue to have a big effect, especially this weekend.

“They are getting more comfortable and are contributing more at this point of the season,” she said. “We really need their effort.”

Follow reporter Dan Matney on Twitter @Dan_Matney.