After subbing in to start the second quarter last game against the University of Maine, Indiana field hockey’s sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Canelli has held her own in between the pipes.
Last season’s Big Ten All-Freshman team honoree stopped all seven shots on goal to shut out Drexel University on Thursday and lead Indiana past the Dragons 3-0. The Hoosiers played their most complete game to date and picked up their first win at home this season.
Freshman forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo produced another two-goal performance for Indiana. The Santander, Spain, native scored the first two goals to start the contest. Senior midfielder Anna Mozeleski added the last tally for her second goal of the season. Sophomore forward Mijntje Hagen kept her three-game assist streak alive after adding another in the second quarter. She surpassed her assist total from last season — which was two — with her total now standing at four.
Indiana started the game by quickly attacking Drexel’s defense. In the second minute, a pass from the center line by junior midfielder Inés Garcia Prado reached an open Arroyo Cabezudo inside the scoring circle. Arroyo Cabezudo faked to the right, then went back left and put the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Halle Geiger.
The Hoosiers’ defense gave up three penalty corners to the Dragons in the first quarter. However, Drexel could not muster up any shots on goal off corners, and only one on goal in the first frame.
Canelli stopped a Drexel offensive chance in the 19th minute. A shot by senior midfielder Natali Foster went into the air, but Canelli swatted it down to keep Indiana up 1-0.
The Cream and Crimson scored their second goal of the game in the 23rd minute. Hagen drove in from the right side and passed to Arroyo Cabezudo in front of the goal. A quick shot by her put Indiana up 2-0.
The Hoosiers kept on attacking a reeling Drexel defense. Mozeleski had Indiana’s next shot on goal in the 26th minute. Another pass up the field by Garcia Prado found Mozeleski at the center line. She went around one defender and placed the ball past the outstretched legs of Geiger to give the Hoosiers a 3-0 advantage.
In the second half, Indiana slowed the game down. The Cream and Crimson only put one shot on goal, compared to the Dragons’ four.
Drexel junior forward Valentine Van Hellemont — who was on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American Second Team last season — and freshman forward Fleur Hamers gave Indiana two scares in the third quarter. But their shots on goal were both knocked away by Canelli.
The Hoosiers gave away two penalty corners to the Dragons in the fourth quarter, but Indiana’s defense was able to stop any chances put forth by Drexel and saw out the rest of the contest with a 3-0 victory.
Deborah Tobias Field will be busy this weekend, as it hosts Drexel against the University of Louisville in a neutral-site matchup Saturday, before Indiana plays the second part of its six-game homestand at noon Sunday against the Cardinals. The Hoosiers’ game will be streamed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
