Indiana field hockey started Big Ten play in the wrong direction. The Hoosiers lost 3-2 to then-No. 11 Iowa on Sept. 19 and 5-0 to No. 1 Northwestern on Sept. 26. With an 0-2 start in conference, Indiana will look to win its first Big Ten game Friday when the Hoosiers play No. 14 Rutgers at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington.
The Scarlet Knights enter the showdown with a 7-5 overall record and a 2-1 Big Ten record. Rutgers split its games last weekend after defeating Michigan State 5-0 on Friday before losing to then-No. 12 Michigan 2-1 on Sunday.
After the game against Rutgers, Indiana gets two days to recover before heading to Oxford, Ohio, to play No. 18 Miami University (Ohio) on Monday. The RedHawks will enter the matchup coming off a road game at James Madison University on Friday. Miami has a 7-4 record this season, with a 3-1 win over Big Ten opponent Michigan State on Sept. 21. But the RedHawks suffered losses to No. 1 Northwestern 5-1 on Sept. 14 and then-No. 15 Iowa 3-1 on Sept. 12.
Indiana and the RedHawks should be familiar with each other, as the teams played a preseason exhibition in Ohio on Aug. 20.
Meet the Scarlet Knights
In addition to Michigan State, Rutgers' other Big Ten win was an overtime victory over Ohio State 2-1 on Sept. 26. Freshman back Martha Goodridge had the game-winning goal in the 68th minute. She has four goals this year with only six shots on goal.
Eleven Scarlet Knights have at least one goal this season, with seven players having at least two scores. Sophomore forward Sophie Kuiper and junior forward Olivia Fraticelli lead the team in goals with six each. Kuiper also leads the team with 35 shots and 25 shots on goal.
Freshman forward Olivia de Zwaan has the third-most goals for Rutgers with five. She scored the Scarlet Knights’ lone goal last game against Michigan in the 39th minute.
Defensively, the Scarlet Knights are led by redshirt freshman goalkeeper Emily Nicholls. She has started all 12 games this season and owns a 1.29 goals-against average, which ranks her fifth-best among goalkeepers who have played over 100 minutes in the conference. She leads the Big Ten with 74 saves, and her save percentage of 83.1% is second best in the conference.
Meet the RedHawks
Miami split its games last weekend with a 7-0 win against Appalachian State University on Friday and a 2-1 overtime loss to then-No. 7 Wake Forest University.
The offense has clicked for the RedHawks this season. They lead the Mid-American Conference in goals with 48 and shots with 197.
Miami also scored seven goals in a victory over Kent State University on Sept. 26 and a season-high 11 goals against Bellarmine University on Sept. 19.
Indiana and Miami have Saint Francis University and the University of California, Davis as common opponents this season. The RedHawks won 6-1 over the Red Flash on Aug. 31, while the Hoosiers won 5-1 on Sept. 14. Both teams also picked up wins against UC Davis, as Indiana defeated the Aggies 5-0 last Friday, while Miami won 4-0 to open its season Aug. 29.
Two Argentine freshman midfielders have led the scoring output for the RedHawks, also leading all NCAA freshmen in goals scored this season. Malena Sabez has a team-high 11 goals, while Justina Intzes closely follows her teammate after scoring 10 goals.
Miami has seen 14 players score at least one goal this season. Graduate student back Berta Mata has recorded a team-high 10 assists, and junior midfielder Sloane Wearren stands at seven assists for the season.
Senior goalkeeper Nicky Sjouken has started all 11 games for Miami. The Netherlands native gave up 16 goals in the net. She owns a 1.46 goals against average and a 66.0% save percentage.
Indiana notes
The Hoosiers moved to 5-5 this season after their shootout win over UC Davis last Friday. Three goals by sophomore forward Mijntje Hagen helped Indiana win and earned her Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week. The last time an Indiana player won the award was then-senior forward/midfielder Maddie Latino in 2017.
That performance moved her up to a team-high 18 points — five goals and eight assists — and matched the third-most points for a single game in program history. Hagen is fifth in the Big Ten for points this season.
Freshman forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo still has a team-high six goals this season, but Glasper and Hagen have the second-most with five scores. With 37 team goals, Indiana ranks first in the Big Ten for goals scored this season. The Hoosiers are fourth for total shots and third for shots on goal.
With classes out on Friday, the game will have an earlier home start time at noon, streaming on Big Ten+. Monday’s contest will also be played at noon.
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
