No. 12 Indiana field hockey returns home Sunday for its final nonconference matchup of the regular season when it hosts Ohio University at noon at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers enter the matchup coming off a successful road weekend, defeating Michigan State 1-0 on Oct. 2 before taking down Ohio State 2-1 on Oct. 4. The two wins moved Indiana to 8-3 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play, and the Hoosiers now return home to continue their undefeated streak on home turf.
Indiana also moved up one spot to No. 12 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll following the weekend games. The Hoosiers have now appeared in the rankings for three consecutive weeks and have won three games in a row.
The Bobcats enter Sunday's matchup with a winning streak of their own. Ohio is 6-5 this season and has won four straight games, most recently defeating Mercyhurst University 14-0 on Oct. 4. The Bobcats will face a different challenge against an Indiana team that has held every opponent to two goals or fewer this season.
Ohio is 0-2 against ranked opponents this season, falling to then-No. 7 Wake Forest University on Sept. 6 and then-No. 6 University of Massachusetts on Sept. 18. The Bobcats also faced one Big Ten opponent earlier this season, losing 3-1 to Michigan State in Athens, Ohio.
Ohio's offense is led by sophomore midfielder Tori Cisney, who has scored six goals in 10 games despite starting just five. Junior back Deborah James leads the Bobcats with 15 points, recording four goals and seven assists.
The Bobcats' primary goalkeeper is junior Molly Schreiner, who has started nine of Ohio's 10 games. She has made 57 saves with a .704 save percentage and is averaging 2.67 goals against per game. Schreiner will face an Indiana offense that has scored 28 goals through 11 games this season.
Indiana leads the all-time series 9-7, but Ohio won the most recent meeting in September 2023, defeating the Hoosiers 3-2 in Athens, Ohio.
The Bobcats are led by head coach Ali Johnstone, an Ohio alumna who was named to the position in November 2017. Johnstone was named Mid-American Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 2023 after leading Ohio to the postseason.
Before returning to Athens, she spent six years on Northwestern's coaching staff, including four as associate head coach, and helped the Wildcats win two Big Ten titles.
Sunday's matchup is Indiana's final nonconference test before a crucial stretch of Big Ten play. Indiana will face No. 1 Northwestern on Oct. 16. before taking on No. 2 Maryland on Oct. 25.
Indiana hosts Ohio at noon Sunday at Deborah Tobias Field, with coverage available on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Jack Davis (@JackDavis0006 and jjd5@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
