Indiana field hockey will be back on the road to play the University of Louisville at 6 p.m. in Trager Stadium. Before the matchup against Louisville, Indiana got a bounce-back win after suffering its first loss of the season.
Indiana field hockey defeated Bellarmine University 3-0 Monday afternoon. The game Monday marked Indiana’s first home game since Oct.18, 2019.
The Hoosiers saw their biggest crowd of the season as 271 fans attended the matchup. They seemed to feed off of the energy from the crowd, and it showed in the box score. The team took a quick 2-0 lead, and after the game, head coach Kayla Bashore said how the excitement and energy affected the team.
“It was really nice to have a home game — that added to the team's enthusiasm to play again,” Bashore said. “I think that determination to just say, ‘that's behind us, let’s go after it again today’ showed in their ability to score and defend.”
Indiana's defense was on display again Monday as the team posted another shutout win. They held Bellarmine to one shot on goal, marking the third time Indiana posted a shutout win in the 2021 season.
“Our strength is in our defense and in our press,” Bashore said. “That's something that we really try to emphasize is our ability to be strong on the defensive end so we can generate attacks. ”
Senior midfielder Mary Kate Kesler said part of the reason the Hoosiers started the season so well is the team's chemistry. The Hoosiers only lost two graduating seniors with most of the team returning in 2021.
“Last year, we got really tight since we were on the road every weekend,” Kesler said. “Also, the freshmen have come in and are so easy to work with and they fit right in.”
Louisville comes into the matchup with a 4-0 record on the season, outscoring its opponents 15 to three. The team finished the 2020 year with a 14-6 record and was ranked No. 6 in the country.
The team’s motto is “defend twice as hard as you attack”.The Hoosiers will need to rely on their defense to go against a strong offensive-minded Cardinals squad. The pair of four-win teams will battle it out on the pitch. The team will look for their fifth win against Louisville, a tough Atlantic Coast Conference matchup, at 6 p.m. Friday in Louisville, Kentucky.
