The weekend started off in similar fashion to the rest of the season for Indiana field hockey: a loss against a ranked Big Ten opponent. This time it was the No. 15 Penn State Nittany Lions on Oct. 27.
The game looked to be getting out of hand early after a penalty stroke goal in just the second minute of the game. Right after was a backhanded goal from the edge of the arc by senior forward Sophia Gladieux in the second quarter to put Penn State up 2-0.
Gladieux’s goal was a dagger for the Hoosiers, who controlled possession for the majority of the quarter, outshooting the Nittany Lions 4-1, but were unable to convert any of their first half opportunities. The Hoosiers were able to get on the board with a long-range goal of their own from junior back Yip Van Wonderen to start the second half. This was Van Wonderen’s third goal of the season, good for a tie for second on the team.
However, the Hoosiers' run stopped there, as they could not reign in the Nittany Lions offense, who scored another goal in the third period via a deflection off a penalty corner. This is where the Nittany Lions asserted their dominance, as they won the corner battle 9-2.
That was all the scoring the Nittany Lions needed, taking a 3-1 victory. This marks another Big Ten loss for the Hoosiers, marking a winless conference record and 1-15 mark in the last two seasons.
After a tough loss to start out the weekend, the Hoosiers bounced back on senior day in thrilling fashion due to a walk-off goal to beat Kent State University in overtime Oct. 29. The game started with a bang, as both teams scored a goal within the first three minutes of the game, cashing in on their first shots of the game.
The Golden Flashes added to the goal column off a penalty corner deflection in the third quarter to grab the lead. Just six minutes later, Kent State relinquished the lead with another deflected goal, this time from the Hoosiers’ junior midfielder Maggie Carter.
After a defensive fourth quarter, the game headed to overtime. Sophomore back Emma Thompson drove past the defense and tightrope the endline to secure the game-winning goal, capping off the season and sending the seniors out on a high note with their first victory since Oct. 8, snapping a six-game losing streak. Indiana closed out with an overall record at 6-13, three wins fewer than last year’s record at 9-10.
