No. 13 Indiana field hockey looked poised for its third straight 1-0 victory after taking an early lead Sunday at Buckeyes Varsity Field in Columbus, Ohio. But Ohio State fought back in the second half, forcing the Hoosiers to battle for a 2-1 win and their fourth consecutive Big Ten victory.
The action started quickly for the Hoosiers. Indiana earned a penalty corner less than two minutes into the game, before sophomore forward/midfielder Molly Stutte’s shot was saved. The ball fell to sophomore midfielder Sydney Meltzer’s stick, who put it past Ohio State junior goalkeeper Maddie Stevens for her first goal of the season.
The early goal set the tone for an Indiana defense that kept the Buckeyes from generating much offense throughout the first half. Ohio State did not record a shot through the opening 30 minutes as the Hoosiers pressured the Buckeyes to pass the ball to their backs, forcing turnovers.
The Buckeyes’ defense also settled in after the goal, limiting Indiana’s chances and keeping the Hoosiers from adding to their lead.
Ohio State came out with more pressure in the third quarter, earning a penalty corner with just over 13 minutes remaining. The Buckeyes recorded their first shot of the game, but it missed wide.
Indiana continued to create opportunities of its own. The Hoosiers earned a penalty corner with 9:50 remaining and another moments later after a video review determined the ball had made contact with an Ohio State player. But senior midfielder Inés Garcia Prado’s shot on the ensuing corner went wide.
The Buckeyes continued to push as the quarter went on, and their increasing chances finally paid off. Ohio State earned another penalty corner with under six minutes remaining, and Canelli saved the initial shot. The Buckeyes earned another corner a little over/under two minutes later, and junior back Maddie Bogle scored to tie the game at 1-1.
Ohio State continued to push Indiana after the goal, earning another penalty corner less than a minute later. Indiana’s defense held strong and stopped the opportunity to keep the game tied heading into the fourth quarter.
Indiana regained some of its offensive pressure that had helped the Hoosiers earlier in the game. The Hoosiers eventually earned another penalty corner with 7:27 remaining, and senior Lilly Freeman scored her second goal in two games to put Indiana back in front 2-1. Meltzer assisted on the goal.
Ohio State pulled its goalkeeper two minutes after the Freeman goal to add an extra attacker, but Indiana’s defense held. The Hoosiers cleared the ball out of their circle with under a minute remaining and denied the Buckeyes’ offense.
Freeman said the Hoosiers focused on taking the game one quarter at a time, regardless of the score.
“We always just say we try and play quarter to quarter,” Freeman said postgame on Big Ten+. “It doesn't matter if it's 1-0, 2-0, 0-0. We decide every quarter, let's just keep going, and keep playing our game. We don't need to change anything.”
The Hoosiers will have a week off before playing their final non-conference game against Ohio University on Oct. 11 at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington. 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.
