Indiana field hockey split its weekend slate with a loss on the road against No. 4 University of Louisville on Friday and a win at home over Miami University on Sunday.
What started off as a potential upset against a top-five team ended in a shutout loss for the Hoosiers. The Cardinals handed the Hoosiers’ their third ranked loss this season, two of which were shutouts.
[Related: Indiana field hockey snaps five-game win streak against No. 5 Iowa]
While Indiana hasn’t had success against ranked opponents, it’s been able to clean up against nonconference foes. After Sunday’s 2-1 win over Miami, Indiana sits at a 7-4 record. Of the Hoosiers’ four losses, three have come against ranked opponents, and they have been outscored 9-1.
Heading into Friday night’s matchup against No. 4 Louisville, Indiana had momentum. The Hoosiers had won six of their last seven and had a real chance to take down a juggernaut. Despite the 0-2 loss, Indiana’s defense looked strong. Only allowing two goals to a top five team in the country is something to build off of, even if the outcome was less than ideal.
In the first period alone, Louisville took five shots but had zero goals to show for it. The offensive firepower was there for the Cardinals, but Indiana sophomore goalkeeper Arobella Loveridge had a phenomenal start to the match.
In total, Loveridge ended up with six saves. Later on, Indiana junior defender Sydney Keld recorded her ninth defensive save of the season, the most in all of NCAA D-I.
The score was tied 0-0 entering halftime — a great start for Indiana and its defense. While the Hoosiers had flashes of success in the first half, things quickly changed after halftime.
In the 38th minute, Louisville freshman forward Jane Ramsay found the back cage to give the Cardinals their first lead of the match. Minutes later, Louisville responded with another goal with Ramsay scored her second goal of the night.
After Friday, Indiana came back home for a Sunday matchup against Miami. With a 6-4 record going into the game, Indiana aimed to bulk up its record as it wrapped up nonconference play.
Sunday's matchup brought a different outcome than Friday’s. In just the fifth minute, Keld tallied her fourth goal of the season off of a penalty shot. She rifled the shot in the lower corner of the cage, putting Indiana up 1-0.
Just a few moments later, Miami junior midfielder Claudia Negrete-Garcia tied it up off of a penalty corner to close out the first period. After Negrete-Garcia's goal, Indiana sophomore defender Yip van Wonderen created space, found room for a goal and put Indiana up 2-1 — a lead that it would keep until the final buzzer.
In total, Miami took 14 shots, compared to Indiana’s seven. Offensively, the Redhawks had more firepower, but the Hoosiers prevailed to pick up the win.
Indiana will host Rutgers for a 3 p.m. matchup this Friday. To close off the weekend, Indiana will take on Penn State at 11 a.m. for a Sunday game.
