No. 11 Indiana field hockey fell 4-1 to No. 2 Northwestern on Friday at Deborah Tobias Field. The defeat marked the Hoosiers’ first home loss of the season.
The Wildcats applied pressure from the opening whistle, but Indiana created opportunities throughout the first quarter. The Hoosiers earned a penalty corner with just over 12 minutes remaining but could not convert. A few minutes later, senior midfielder Inés Garcia Prado put a shot on goal that Northwestern junior goalkeeper Juliana Boon saved.
Northwestern earned a penalty corner of its own with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter. Senior back/midfielder Ilse Tromp converted the opportunity off assists from senior forwards Olivia Bent-Cole and Ashley Sessa to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats earned two more penalty corners with just seconds remaining in the quarter, but junior goalkeeper Sadie Canelli kept the ball out of the cage.
The Hoosiers responded early in the second quarter, as junior forward Mijntje Hagen scored with 13:33 remaining to tie the game at one.
Northwestern regained the lead less than three minutes later, scoring off another penalty corner. Junior midfielder Laura Salamanca found the back of the cage with 11:10 remaining in the second quarter off an assist from Tromp to put the Wildcats ahead 2-1.
Northwestern began to control possession as the quarter progressed, keeping the ball near Indiana's circle and limiting the Hoosiers' offensive opportunities. Indiana earned another penalty corner with just over three minutes remaining in the second quarter, but sophomore forward/midfielder Molly Stuttes attempt was blocked. Canelli and the Hoosiers' defense kept Northwestern from extending its lead before halftime.
But the Wildcats extended their advantage in the third quarter. Sessa scored with just under 12 minutes remaining for her 11th goal of the season, putting Northwestern ahead 3-1.
Northwestern added another goal with 2:54 left in the third quarter. Canelli saved the initial shot off a penalty corner, but the ball bounced around in the circle before freshman forward Raquel Hofmeister scored. Officials reviewed the play but upheld the goal, giving Northwestern a 4-1 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Indiana's attempt to mount a comeback in the final period was thwarted when Boon saved a shot from sophomore forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo around the six-minute mark. The Hoosiers could not find the back of the net, and Northwestern secured the 4-1 victory.
Indiana head coach Kayla Bashore said the Hoosiers competed well against the second-ranked Wildcats but needed to do a better job defending penalty corners.
“We said going into this game, ‘If we're going to win, we have to limit the number of corners and defend the corners well,’” Bashore said in a postgame interview. “And, you know, we let three in, so that's the game right there.”
Despite the loss, Bashore said she was encouraged by Indiana's ability to build its attack and press Northwestern, adding that the final score did not fully reflect the way the team competed.
“I don't feel too discouraged by it, and it's always good to play good competition, and you can continue to get better from that,” Bashore said.
Indiana will look to bounce back when it hosts Penn State at 3:00 p.m. Oct. 23 at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington. Coverage will be available on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Jack Davis (@JackDavis0006 and jjd5@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
