Entering Friday’s game, Indiana field hockey was riding a four-game win streak into its final regular season contest. That momentum did not carry over to this matchup, as Indiana's offense was shut down for most of the game, and the Hoosiers lost 3-1.
The Cream and Crimson got eight shots — half coming in the fourth quarter — and three shots on goal. The Indiana defense gave up 15 shots and 10 shots on goal throughout the game.
Junior midfielder Inés Garcia Prado led the way for the Hoosiers on offense. She produced three shots, with only one on goal. Junior forward Theresa Ricci scored her sixth goal this season, and Indiana’s only goal during the game, in the 52nd minute.
Michigan only had one more penalty corner than Indiana through the contest, yet it capitalized on their nine corners. The Wolverines almost scored in the 14th minute, as freshman midfielder Manouk Saal was open in front of the goal. She took two shots, both of which hit the post.
The Wolverines gained another penalty corner in the 14th minute, and this time they were accurate with their shots. Junior midfielder Abby Burnett scored her first goal this season to put Michigan up 1-0.
Indiana’s defense gave up another penalty corner in the 16th minute, when a shot from graduate forward Abby Tamer was blocked by freshman midfielder Sydney Meltzer.
The Hoosiers gained offensive momentum for the first time after drawing three corners in the 22nd and 23rd minutes. Ricci inserted all the attempts, and Garcia Prado’s shot was blocked and saved by graduate goalkeeper Caylie McMahon, who started her first game this season. On the last attempt, the ball trickled past Indiana, and the Hoosiers could not get a shot off.
Indiana’s deficit only grew larger in the second half. The Hoosiers went down 2-0 in the 33rd minute after a goal by junior forward Esmée de Willigen. The goal was the only score for Michigan in the third quarter, though the Wolverines outshot Indiana 7-1 and received three more penalty corners.
After the second goal, sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Canelli — who finished the game with six saves — stood firm in the net. Michigan received a corner in the 38th minute, and Canelli stopped a shot from graduate back Claire Taylor. Canelli was also able to stop two chances in the 41st minute after the Wolverines received three corners.
The only offense for the Hoosiers came late in the quarter. Sophomore forward Charlotte Glasper’s shot in the 42nd minute went wide, and Indiana drew a penalty corner in the 45th minute. However, with only six seconds left before the buzzer, the Hoosiers did not have enough time to attempt a shot.
That offensive momentum for Indiana continued into the start of the fourth frame. The Hoosiers received two penalty corners in the 47th minute, when a shot from sophomore forward Mijntje Hagen was saved by redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Hala Silverstein, and junior midfielder Javi Baeza’s attempt was blocked.
Junior back Hannah Riddle’s shot off a corner in the 52nd minute was also blocked. It took until its fourth penalty corner for Indiana to finally break through, as Ricci scored to reduce the Hoosiers deficit to 2-1.
Indiana head coach Kayla Bashore decided to be aggressive in the 55th minute, as she pulled Canelli to bring on an extra offensive player. The action did not pay off for Indiana, as the Hoosiers couldn’t produce a shot attempt before the final buzzer.
Michigan extended its lead to 3-1 in the 59th minute from a goal by Tamer. Sophomore back Eva Bernardy took the first shot off a penalty corner, and her shot was blocked by Garcia Prado, but the rebound was cleaned up by Tamer.
With a 4-4 record in the conference, Indiana received a six-seed in the Big Ten Tournament on Nov. 6-9 at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington. The Hoosiers are matched up against No. 3-seeded Iowa for a 5 p.m. game Thursday. Indiana lost both contests against the Hawkeyes earlier this season.
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
