Indiana field hockey enters a four-game road stretch riding a two-game winning streak at home.
The Hoosiers will begin their road trip at 1 p.m. Friday against Cornell University in Columbus, Ohio.
Indiana is coming off back-to-back dominant home performances against the University of New Hampshire and Central Michigan University. The Hoosiers defeated New Hampshire University 4-0 on Sept. 4 and beat Central Michigan University 5-0 on Monday.
While Indiana has found its footing, Cornell enters the matchup looking to bounce back from consecutive losses.
Cornell opened its season with a 5-0 victory over La Salle University but has dropped its last two games. The Big Red fell 3-1 to Bucknell University on Sept. 6 before losing 2-1 to Lafayette College on Monday.
Despite the recent skid, Cornell remains a potent opponent after going 11-4 last season. The Big Red tied for third in the Ivy League and finished among the nation's top 12 in assists per game, points per game, shutouts per game and winning percentage. Cornell also led the country with 10.53 penalty corners per game.
The Big Red return much of last year's roster, including junior forward Uma Käding, who earned third-team All-American honors last season after leading Cornell in goals, points and shots. Käding also tied for the Ivy League's regular-season lead in goals. She has already scored twice this season.
Cornell also retained starting junior goalkeeper Martha Broderick, who missed the entirety of last season. Broderick is a two-time All-Ivy League selection and set a Cornell freshman record with 12 wins in 2023.
Cornell is coached by Andy Smith, who’s been with the team since 2019. In 2023, he led the Big Red to a program-record 12 wins and a No. 17 National Field Hockey Coaches Association ranking. That year, Smith and his staff earned NFHCA Mideast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
Indiana’s recent performance has been led by three players. Sophomore forward/midfielder Molly Stutte is coming off a two-goal performance against Central Michigan, helping the Hoosiers to a 5-0 victory. She now has three goals and four assists on the season.
Sophomore forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo has also been a key contributor, recording four goals and one assist this season. She has been efficient, posting a .400 shooting percentage.
Junior goalkeeper Sadie Canelli has recorded two consecutive clean sheets and has 12 saves on the season.
Head coach Kayla Bashore said that Indiana will need to keep executing on both ends of the field during their time away from home.
“At the end of the day, executing in both circles, how do we take care of it on the attacking side and corners, and, you know, I’m happy to see us get a goal from the corner execution, and then defensively, how do we shut that down and make sure we’re reducing the number of opportunities for the opponent?” Bashore said after the Central Michigan game.
Friday’s matchup will give the Hoosiers its first opportunity to prove if its recent success can translate away from home. The two teams will face off at 1 p.m. Friday at Buckeye Varsity Field in Columbus. The game will be streamed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Jack Davis (@JackDavis0006 and jjd5@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
