Coming off a 5-0 loss to No. 1 Northwestern, Indiana field hockey fell under .500 for the first time since its opening 2-1 loss to then-No. 8 Boston College. However, the Hoosiers return to Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington for a matchup against the University of California, Davis on Friday.
UC Davis and Indiana both enter the matchup with 4-5 records this season. The Aggies have played one Big Ten opponent this season. UC Davis lost its Sept. 12 showdown against Michigan 0-2 after two third-quarter goals. The Hoosiers will play the No. 12 Wolverines on Oct. 31.
The Aggies are coming off a five-day rest, most recently playing the University of California, Berkeley on Sept. 28, when redshirt junior forward Karly Redman’s 56th-minute goal could not overcome a three-goal deficit in the Aggies’ 4-1 loss. UC Davis will get a chance to avenge its loss Oct. 24 at the Aggie Field Hockey Facility in Davis, California.
Due to UC Davis playing in the two-team Mountain Pacific Sports Federation — with the University of Delaware — the Aggies can play a wide variety of opponents. However, most opponents have come on the road, as UC Davis has not played at home since a three-game homestand Sept. 5-12 against Ball State University, Ohio University and Michigan. The Aggies only have five home games throughout the whole season.
Meet the Aggies
UC Davis is tied for 48th in the NCAA for goals per game at two. Junior midfielder Ella Franken and Redman have led the offensive effort this season. Franken only scored one goal last season but now has a team-high seven scores. The Netherlands native produced two-goal performances in three separate games this season. She earned MPSF Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after scoring two goals in a 6-1 win over Long Island University.
Redman has seen her playing time grow this season after starting only one game last year. She has started in all nine of the Aggies’ games, and the decision by head coach Austin Pile has paid off. Redman has the second-most goals for UC Davis with five. She has also scored in the Aggies’ last two games, with a two-goal performance in a 5-4 win against Ball State on Sept. 5, highlighting her season.
Senior midfielder Beth Munro-Morris has the third most shots on goal this season for UC Davis with seven, but her contribution has been in the assist category. She and junior forward Katie Kim lead the Aggies in assists with four each this season. The Wales native started all 17 games last season and has continued that streak into the nine games this year.
UC Davis had to rebuild its goalkeeping after then-senior Sarah Lopez left the team and then-sophomore Emma Giesting transferred to the University of Virginia. Three freshmen were brought in, but Addy Collingwood has been the only one to play this season. Her 2.268 goals against average ranks her 55th in the NCAA after giving up 21 goals. The Collegeville, Pennsylvania, native has recorded 39 saves for a save percentage of 65%, which ranks her tied for 66th in the nation.
Indiana notes
The Hoosiers’ recent struggles in the net continued against Northwestern. After freshman goalkeeper Kai Killian gave up five goals, Indiana decreased its save percentage to 56.9%, falling to last in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have also given up the second-most goals against average at 2.44 in the Big Ten.
Indiana is still tied with Iowa for first in the Big Ten for goals scored this season with 32. However, after only four shots on goal last game, the Cream and Crimson fell to second in the conference behind Ohio State for shots on goal.
The zero-goal performance also hurt freshman forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo’s statistics. With six scores, she was tied for first nationally in goals for freshman, but Miami University (Ohio) duo of Justina Intzes and Malena Sabez both overtook her with nine goals this season.
However, the Hoosiers performed better in their seven nonconference games compared to their two Big Ten opponents. Indiana had 19.1 shots per game, which was reduced to 10.5 per game against Iowa and Northwestern. The Cream and Crimson scored 30 goals, while only giving up 14 goals against. Indiana has given up eight goals in Big Ten play and has only scored two.
With the NCAA releasing its first Rating Percentage Index rankings this season, UC Davis enters the showdown ranked 63rd, while the Hoosiers are 34th. Coverage for the 3 p.m. game will be on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
