The last time Indiana field hockey played Rutgers at Deborah Tobias Field, the Hoosiers won with a 62nd-minute goal by then-sophomore midfielder Inés Garcia Prado in a 4-3 overtime thriller on Oct. 6, 2024.
However, 369 days can change a lot. That was true on Friday, as Indiana only produced four shots on goal and got shut out in a 4-0 loss to the No. 14 Scarlet Knights.
The Hoosiers got six penalty corners throughout the contest and 12 total shots, but Rutgers capitalized on more chances in the scoring circle. The Scarlet Knights finished the contest with six shots on goal, while only drawing one penalty corner.
“It’s got to be better when it’s coming in the circle,” Indiana head coach Kayla Bashore said. “We’ve got to do a better job. We’re not generating enough to put a goal in.”
Garcia Prado took one shot during the game, but her chance in the 18th minute was blocked. Coming off a three-goal performance last Friday against the University of California, Davis, sophomore forward Mijntje Hagen accounted for three shots on goal for Indiana. Freshman midfielder Georgia Rottinghaus was the other Hoosier with a shot on target.
Rutgers drew a penalty corner in the fifth minute and capitalized on the opportunity. Graduate student back Puck Winter took the corner and deflected the ball into the back of the net after a shot by graduate student back Paulina Niklaus.
Indiana got its first penalty corner in the sixth minute. Sophomore forward Charlotte Glasper inserted the ball into play and found Hagen. Rutgers redshirt freshman goalkeeper Emily Nicholls — who leads the Big Ten in saves this season — saved Hagen’s shot on goal.
The Scarlet Knights got two more chances to score before the end of the first quarter. A takeaway in the 11th minute saw Rutgers freshman forward Olivia de Zwaan’s deflection go just wide of the goal. A shot in the 14th minute from junior forward Olivia Fraticelli was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Canelli.
Indiana drew a penalty corner in the 18th minute. Freshman forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo took the corner, but Garcia Prado’s shot was blocked by Rutgers.
“I think that we were pretty aggressive in the first half, but just not generating enough,” Bashore said. “It’s just a matter of circles, you got to win the circles. We cannot defend our goal, and we also didn’t put it in.”
The Scarlet Knights were back on the scoreboard to double their lead in the 22nd minute. Freshman forward Júlia Viñas Nieto scored the first goal of her collegiate career after being set up by senior forward Dani Gindville.
Both teams produced three shots in the second quarter, but Rutgers was able to turn them into goals. The Scarlet Knights took a 3-0 lead in the 27th minute after freshman back Martha Goodridge assisted Fraticelli for the goal. Indiana received a penalty corner in the 27th minute, but Glasper’s shot was wide.
Down three goals, the Hoosiers were more aggressive in the second half. The third quarter saw Indiana outshoot Rutgers 5-0 and receive three penalty corners, while the Scarlet Knights had none.
However, Indiana could not score on its chances. Only two of those shots were on goal, and Nicholls, plus a defensive save from Winter, did not allow them into the back of the net. The Cream and Crimson had chances off penalty corners, but good defense from Rutgers shut down any opportunities.
With Rutgers trying to run out the clock in the fourth quarter, Indiana did not have a corner and only two shots. Rutgers blocked freshman forward Molly Stutte’s shot in the 47th minute and Rottinghaus’s shot in the 52nd minute was saved.
Rutgers slid another goal past Canelli — who started for the first time since a 3-1 loss to Iowa on Sept. 21 — in the 57th minute. Fraticelli scored her second goal of the game and her team-high eighth of the season.
With a 5-6 overall record, Indiana will compete in its last nonconference game of the season Monday. The Hoosiers travel to Oxford, Ohio, to face the No. 18 Miami University RedHawks at noon.
“Playing in the 25 (yard lines), we played really well,” Bashore said. “We defended well, it’s when we get to the circles. We’ve got to do a better job of shutting it down on corners and breakaways, making better decisions.”
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
