Indiana field hockey started its season with two games, 1,200 miles away, against tough opponents.
The Hoosiers responded to the challenge by losing a close match to No. 8 Boston College 1-2 on Saturday on a last-second goal. They bounced back the next day, defeating the University of Maine 4-3 in front of a large Labor Day home crowd at the UMaine Field Hockey Complex in Orono, Maine.
The freshman class stepped up big in both games for Indiana. Goalkeeper Kai Killian made huge saves in the second half against Boston College to keep Indiana tied with the Eagles.
The Hoosiers went down early in the first quarter. Boston College’s freshman forward Caroline Chisholm scored almost eight minutes into the affair. Indiana tried to create offense, but the Eagles’ stellar defense limited Indiana to no shots in the first half.
Senior midfielder Anna Mozeleski tallied Indiana’s only goal against Boston College. Her score came just over four minutes into the third period and was assisted by sophomore forward Mijntje Hagen.
The Hoosiers could only muster up three shots the whole game, with only one being on goal. Boston College hounded Killian in the fourth quarter. The Eagles had six shots — four on goal — in the final frame.
Boston College’s last shot of the game came from a penalty corner with zeros showing on the clock. The extra play saw Boston College junior defender Madeline Leigh slide the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
Indiana played from behind early again against Maine on Monday. Olivia Geniti and Saylor Kuefler scored two consecutive goals in three minutes for the Black Bears, just under 14 minutes into the game.
The Hoosiers were able to open their offense up more against Maine than they did against Boston College. Indiana shot 18 times with 12 of those chances on goal.
Indiana’s first breakthrough came with less than a minute left in the first quarter. After a penalty on Maine, freshman forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo stepped up to the penalty spot and easily put the ball into the back of the net.
The Hoosiers brought in sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Canelli to start the second quarter. They kept their momentum as less than a minute into the second frame, Arroyo Cabezudo scored for the second time.
Indiana’s defense grinded away at Maine’s lead. The Hoosiers did not give up a shot to the Black Bears in the second quarter. After an early goal, they could not capitalize on any of their chances and entered halftime locked into a 2-2 contest.
Indiana had opportunities to score in the third quarter, but Maine graduate student goalkeeper Rozárie Mrázová saved four Indiana shots on goal. However, the Hoosiers found holes in the opposing defense and drew four penalty corners, compared to only one for Maine.
Those corners were helpful for the Hoosiers in the fourth quarter. Less than three minutes into the final quarter, a shot by Hagen, from a penalty corner, deflected off a stick into the goal to give Indiana a 3-2 lead.
Indiana extended its lead just over two minutes later, after a foul on Maine set up the Hoosiers inside the 25-yard line. Indiana set up freshman forward Molly Stutte from the left side, and she placed the ball past the goalkeeper.
Canelli was able to stop three of Maine’s shots on goal out of their five attempts in the second half. The Hoosiers’ defense only gave up one penalty corner in the fourth quarter to the Black Bears. Maine was able to capitalize on the opportunity after Geniti scored her second goal of the game. Indiana was able to hold the Black Bears’ offense for the remaining five minutes for a 4-3 victory.
Indiana will look to keep the winning momentum into the second week of its season. The Hoosiers return to Bloomington to take on Drexel University at 3 p.m. Thursday and the University of Louisville at noon Sunday. Both games will be played at Deborah Tobias Field and will be streamed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
