Indiana field hockey moved up one spot to No. 12 in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll Tuesday, while sophomore back Lily Freeman earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after scoring game-winning goals in both of the Hoosiers’ wins over the weekend.
Freeman scored Indiana’s only goal in a 1-0 win over Michigan State on Oct. 2. She also helped the Hoosiers’ defense hold the Spartans to five shots. The win gave Indiana its first 3-0 start to conference play in 20 years.
Two days later, Freeman scored again in Indiana’s 2-1 win over Ohio State. With the game tied 1-1 in the final quarter, Freeman scored off a penalty corner to give the Hoosiers the lead and win.
Freeman also helped Indiana limit Ohio State’s offense. The Buckeyes did not record a shot in the first half and finished the game with four shots total.
Freeman is the second Hoosier to win Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Junior goalkeeper Sadie Canelli was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week after Indiana’s win over Michigan on Sept. 29.
The Big Ten had five teams ranked this week. Northwestern remained No. 1 with a 12-0 record, while Maryland stayed at No. 2 with an 11-0 record. Iowa remained No. 6 after moving to 11-1 on the season. However, Michigan dropped four spots to No. 19 with a 5-5 record after losing to Northwestern and Iowa last weekend.
The Hoosiers’ next contest is against Ohio University at noon Sunday at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington. Coverage is available on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Jack Davis (@JackDavis0006 and jjd5@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
