Exiting halftime, Indiana field hockey was tied 2-2 against the University of Louisville. The Hoosiers needed offensive momentum after being outshot 4-1 in the second quarter.
However, Louisville had other plans as the Cardinals dominated the third period to blow open the game. Goals by senior midfielder Chloe Cuzzupe and redshirt sophomore midfielder Aubreigh Uba pushed Louisville’s lead up to 4-2.
The Cardinals held onto their lead and handed the Hoosiers their second loss this season. Indiana tried to make it close at the end, scoring two late goals, but the Cream and Crimson did not have enough time in a 4-5 defeat.
“In a game, it’s a long one, and it can always shift in momentum,” Indiana head coach Kayla Bashore said postgame. “I think what really let us down today was our discipline in our defensive circle. Allowing a lot of corners, allowing some goals in [defensive penalty corners], and that was ultimately what cost us the game.”
Indiana was dominated by Louisville in all aspects of the game Sunday. The Hoosiers were outshot 7-17, but only eight of those were on goal for the Cardinals compared to Indiana’s five. Penalty corners opened the game for the Louisville offense. The Cardinals drew 10 of them over the course of the game — eight were in the second half — while Indiana only saw their first corner in the 59th minute of the game.
“We didn’t really have great footwork,” Bashore said. “The balls came in, and they were bouncing, and just the focus and intent to trap the ball and clear it with good intention. That just wasn’t there today. It was very disappointing.”
The Cream and Crimson started the game off on the right foot. A high-arching pass by junior back Hannah Riddle found sophomore forward Charlotte Glasper behind the Louisville defense. Glasper then scored her first goal of the season to give Indiana a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute.
The Hoosiers gave up their first penalty corner in the 11th minute, and Louisville capitalized. Cardinals junior back Annabel Sep shot from the middle of the shooting circle. The ball then deflected into the air off an Indiana stick and into the back of the goal.
The game was tied 1-1 to start the second quarter, but the Hoosiers struck quickly. Good ball movement found freshman forward Molly Stutte in front of the net. Louisville redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Emily Young did get some of her padding on the ball, but Stutte’s shot was powerful enough to score. Indiana regained a 2-1 lead only 44 seconds into the new frame.
Miscommunication on the Indiana defense allowed Louisville to tie the game in the 27th minute. Louisville redshirt sophomore forward Gigi Edwards was behind the Indiana defense and put one into the bottom left corner.
Even though the Cardinals lost to Drexel University on Saturday, tired legs did not catch up to Louisville, as they got stronger in the second half.
In the third quarter, the Cardinals had four shots while Indiana had a lone attempt. Louisville also drew four penalty corners. The fourth corner did the damage, as Cuzzupe scored to put Indiana down 2-3.
Only 15 seconds later, Uba drew a penalty kick after an Indiana turnover. An easy shot into the left corner put Louisville up 4-2 in the 41st minute.
The Indiana defense gave up four more penalty corners in the fourth quarter. Louisville kept attacking the Hoosiers, and they got their third consecutive goal in the 51st minute. Senior midfielder Izzy Bianco scored off a corner to increase the Cardinals’ lead to three.
Forcing a takeaway, Indiana responded only 50 seconds later. A falling shot by senior midfielder Anna Mozeleski gave the home fans something to cheer about. The Hoosiers reduced Louisville’s lead to 5-3.
In the 55th minute, Bashore removed sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Canelli so the Hoosiers could bring in an extra attacker. Indiana did give up a penalty corner, but great defending by junior midfielder Inés Garcia Prado did not let the Cardinals score.
“[Garcia Prado] has been great defensively, attacking, and we utilize her so much,” Bashore said. “It’s nice to see other people scoring, and she’s able to do other work that you might not see how much she’s impacting when you don’t see her on the stats.”
Garcia Prado then scored her first goal of the season in the 59th minute. She found a scoring lane through the defense to reduce the Hoosiers’ deficit to 4-5.
“I think [the goal scoring] was there all along,” Bashore said. “We just didn’t utilize it. There was moments in the first half where we could have attacked with more gusto. We just lacked the ability to do that.”
However, the Cream and Crimson had less than two minutes on the clock. Louisville stalled out the game to extend its all-time series winning streak to 11 games.
Indiana will now rest up this week. The Hoosiers are back in action at Deborah Tobias Field at 1 p.m. Sept. 12 against Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania - Lock Haven.
“We got to be better defensively,” Bashore said. “Not allowing those easy corners, and giving up those defensive goals. We just have to be better all around.”
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
