Field hockey to play Northwestern and Rutgers this weekend

With the Hoosiers still pursuing their first Big Ten win of the season, IU Field Hockey Coach Amy Robertson said the team is continuing to find ways to improve.

“Our team is really coming together,” Robertson said. “It’s fun coaching this team right now. To say that after our struggles in the last five games, really says something about our team.”

Junior Hoosier midfielder Caitlin Bearish said defeating Pacific gave the Hoosiers momentum heading into this weekend’s set of matches.

“We feel pretty good,” Bearish said. “I think that the win over Pacific gave our team a lot of confidence.”

The Hoosiers will have another chance at earning their first conference win Friday when they take on Northwestern at 3 p.m. at the IU Field Hockey Complex.

The last time the two teams faced off, IU knocked Northwestern out of the Big Ten tournament by a score of 4-0.

Northwestern is off to a good start, posting a record of 11-3 including a 2-1 record in the Big Ten.

Northwestern has also defeated five nationally ranked teams this season.
The Hoosiers will need to contain Northwestern’s leading scorer, senior forward Nikki Parsley. Parsley has 22 points this season, including 10 goals and two assists.

“A big thing to the game on Friday is how we stop their very skilled players in Parsley and Puffenberger,” Robertson said. “They are very skilled and aggressive players. We need to be able to shut those players down defensively.”

Sunday, the team will take on future Big Ten school Rutgers in Bloomington.

The Scarlet Knights have started their season with a record of 8-5, including a thrilling double overtime loss to Duke on Sept. 8.

The Hoosiers will make it a point to shut down Rutgers’ leading scorer junior midfielder Sophie Wright, who has accumulated 17 points this year. She has eight goals and one assist with a shooting percentage of 26 percent. Wright has also recorded 20 shots on goal.

IU senior forward Emily Bowker said if the Hoosiers are able to find their flow and stick to their game plan, they have a good chance at winning this weekend.

“We need to wait for our opportunities and not force anything,” Bowker said. “We need to get the ball into the circle so that we can get some scrappy play in front of their goal keeper.”

Robertson said game management is going to be important, especially against two quick teams like Rutgers and Northwestern.

“We need to pass the ball and get them moving early,” Robertson said. “They put a lot of pressure on the backfield. When we get our chances, we need to be smart about getting good position.”

Follow reporter Dan Matney on Twitter @Dan_Matney.