It has been a tale of two seasons for Indiana field hockey in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers started 0-3 in conference play before a four-game win streak helped secure a berth in the Big Ten Tournament.
Last time out, Indiana lost to then-No. 14 Michigan 3-1 on Oct. 31 to close out the regular season. The defeat dropped the Hoosiers from the third seed to the sixth seed in Big Ten standings with a 4-4 conference record.
The loss to the Wolverines gave Indiana a tough matchup in the quarterfinals. The No. 18 Hoosiers will play third-seeded No. 9 Iowa (12-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) at 5 p.m. Thursday. Indiana will have a home crowd behind it at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington, but the Hawkeyes won both matchups this season.
Meet the Hawkeyes
Indiana lost the first contest 3-2 on Sept. 19. Iowa went up in the 26th minute, but Indiana responded with a goal by sophomore forward and midfielder Charlotte Glasper in the 33rd minute. The Hawkeyes then scored two unanswered goals before sophomore forward Mijntje Hagen was able to score in the 57th minute.
Even though both teams play in the Big Ten, their Sept. 21 matchup was not counted in the conference standings. Indiana fell into an early hole again after Iowa scored in the second minute. The Hawkeyes finished the game scoring three goals, while the Hoosiers could only muster one score by freshman forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo in the 56th minute.
Iowa has scored the second-most goals this season in the Big Ten, with 56. The Hawkeyes are outshooting opponents 16.1 to 11.2 per game this season. Their 257 shots rank third in conference, and 155 shots on goal is fourth.
The Hawkeyes are led offensively by junior midfielder Dionne van Aalsum. She finished the regular season with the most goals, points, total shots and shots on goal in the Big Ten. Van Aalsum’s 26 goals scored were eight better than second place. A three-goal performance against Ohio State on Oct. 31 rewarded her with the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week awards.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Mia Magnotta has started all 16 games between the pipes for Iowa this season. Her 1.6 goals-against average is fifth best in the conference among goalkeepers with over 100 minutes played. A 74.8% save percentage also ranks fifth in the Big Ten.
Future opponents
If Indiana were to defeat Iowa, the Hoosiers would play the winner of No. 11 Maryland (10-7 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) and Ohio State (7-9 overall, 3-5 Big Ten). The Cream and Crimson needed extra time to win against both opponents during the regular season.
Indiana defeated then-No. 10 Maryland 2-1 in a penalty shootout on Oct. 17. The Hoosiers let in a goal only 23 seconds into the matchup, but sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Canelli turned in a stellar performance to keep Indiana in the game. Canelli finished the contest with seven saves and did not allow the Terrapins to score a goal in the shootout.
The 2-1 victory over then-No. 18 Ohio State on Oct. 24 was also a close win for Indiana. The Hoosiers took the lead from a goal by Arroyo Cabezudo in the 18th minute, but the Buckeyes responded with a score in the 21st minute. It took until the 65th minute for Indiana to get the game-winning goal by Hagen.
It is Northwestern’s conference to win, as the No. 1 seed and No. 2 team in the country finished the season 8-0 in the Big Ten and 16-1 overall. The Wildcats will face the winner of fourth-seeded Michigan (9-6 overall, 4-4 Big Ten) and fifth-seeded Rutgers (9-8 overall, 4-4 Big Ten).
Indiana notes
Indiana head coach Kayla Bashore said before the season that her Hoosiers would play with a team-oriented mindset. That unselfishness was seen this season, as 11 Indiana players have scored at least one goal, and four have seven or more scores.
“Our style of play is very team-first,” Bashore told the Indiana Daily Student on Aug. 27. “We share the ball. There's not just two people dribbling all the time.”
Arroyo Cabezudo leads the team with eight goals, but Glasper, junior midfielder Inés Garcia Prado and freshman forward and midfielder Molly Stutte all have seven. Hagen and junior forward and midfielder Theresa Ricci are right behind with six goals.
The stellar play from Canelli in the net over the past three weeks has also helped the Hoosiers win games. She dropped her goals-against average from 2.32 to 1.85, which ranks eighth in the Big Ten among goalkeepers with over 100 minutes played.
All quarterfinal games will be broadcast on Big Ten+. If Indiana were to advance to the semifinals, the Hoosiers would play at 4 p.m. Friday on Big Ten Network. The championship game will be held at noon Sunday on Big Ten Network.
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
