Indiana field hockey split a pair of games over the weekend with a 3-1 win over No. 16 Ohio State and a 2-1 overtime loss against No. 24 Kent State University.
In the opening minutes of Friday’s game, Ohio State answered first with a goal off a rebound to put them in the lead 1-0.
The Hoosiers responded with six shots and four penalty corners. The offense’s aggressiveness put pressure on the Buckeyes defense and the Hoosiers were able to capitalize.
Freshman midfielder Kira Curland scored the equalizer off a set piece penalty corner in the 11th minute. The goal was Curland’s team-leading fifth goal of the season.
The goal was one of two penalty corner goals for Indiana, and head coach Kayla Bashore was impressed with the team’s execution Friday.
“It was really neat to see how we are performing in critical moments in the game,” Bashore said. “Having the composure and the ability to execute them under pressure is a really neat thing to see your team do.”
Going into the break, the score remained tied at one a piece thanks to two saves by Indiana freshman goalkeeper Arabella Loveridge.
In the closing minutes of the third period, freshman defender Yip Van Wonderen zipped a backhand shot to the right corner of the goal to give the Hoosiers a 2-1 lead.
In the fourth period, Ohio State pulled its goalkeeper for an extra defender to create an advantage on the offensive end. Indiana freshman midfielder Maggie Carter stole the ball and took it the other way for a third and final goal that gave Indiana the 3-1 win.
Indiana’s freshman scored all three goals and two assists. Bashore said the team’s versatility is improving across the board.
“It shows that we are threatening in all regards and it says something about the depth of our team,” Bahsore said.
The win erased a two-game losing skid, and Bashore said she was pleased to see how her team responded to adversity.
After the upset win over Ohio State, Indiana shifted its focus to Kent State.
In the first period of the game, Indiana was able to execute on a penalty corner when sophomore forward Meghan Dillion found the back of the net to give Indiana the early lead.
Defense then took over for both teams. Through the next two periods of play, neither team could score, and the game stuck at 1-0.
Indiana faced eight total shots after the first period, and Bashore said she felt the team was under pressure the whole second half.
In the 58th minute, Kent State broke through, scoring off a penalty corner and sending the game to overtime.
The Hoosiers were unable to find any offense in overtime. Four minutes into extra time, the Golden Flashes scored off another penalty corner to give the Hoosiers another overtime loss.
Bashore said after the game the loss along with Indiana not getting the benefit of penalty calls stung.
“It was a hard pill to swallow,” Bashore said.
The loss put the Hoosiers back at a .500 record of 7-7. Despite the loss against Kent State, Bashore said she thought the team played a good brand of field hockey over the weekend and the team is on a good path.
“We are playing really good hockey, and because things don’t turn out with a win doesn’t necessarily mean that you are doing the wrong thing,” Bashore said.
Indiana has a pair of Big Ten games this weekend against Michigan State at 3 p.m. Friday and against Michigan at noon Sunday. Both games will be played at IU Field Hockey Complex.
