192 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/07/11 2:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When a team starts a season 2-7, there is normally reason to worry. The IU water polo team has begun its 2011 season with such a record, going 1-3 on each weekend of its young season.However, IU’s strength of schedule is strong. After nine games, IU has played five of the top six teams in the nation.The Hoosiers began the weekend with a 15-13 overtime victory against the No. 16 UC Davis Aggies.“The win at UC Davis was a quality victory for us to start the trip,” IU coach Barry King said.IU went on to the Stanford Invite, where it took on the No. 2 USC Trojans Saturday. IU fell 9-1, with senior utility player Lauren Wyckoff tallying the Hoosiers’ lone score. Later that day, IU played No. 5 Hawai’i and hung tough with the Warriors during the first half, trailing 4-3. Hawai’i pulled away in the second half though, winning 8-3.Sunday morning, IU dropped a pair of games, falling to No. 4 UCLA 9-4 and No. 9 San Jose State 10-6.“There were moments during the Stanford Invite where we showed our capabilities against some of the best teams in the nation,” King said. “But we can’t have lapses against teams like that and hope to win.”
(02/04/11 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The final score of 14-1 did not tell the whole story.IU’s loss to No. 1 Stanford on Jan. 23 was not all negative, IU coach Barry King said.Despite the score, King took some positives from the contest and said that was the best game the Hoosiers had played in the young season.“We were much more mobile offensively,” King said. “We were much more two-sided in our attack. In the first couple contests, the ball stayed on the same side of the pool. We drew 11 exclusions and a penalty against the No. 1 team in the country. By far the best offense we played — we just didn’t finish.”The Hoosiers will look to continue that trend when they travel to California to take on UC Davis on Friday and compete in the Stanford Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.Senior attacker Nicole Redder said she agreed with her coach’s evaluation.“Our last game against Stanford was probably the best one we’ve played,” she said. “A lot of our shots last weekend were just unlucky: hitting the bar and posting out. We’ve been shooting a lot more in practice. That was a big thing coach said: ‘We can’t just shoot the ball. We need to score the ball.’”King said that there is not yet any need to make adjustments.“We went back and looked at our film and saw that we were doing really good things up until the finish,” King said. “We’re going to stick with what we normally do and continue to generate the opportunities because the finishes will come.”— Micah McVicker
(02/01/11 2:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Jakie Köhli said she has always felt most comfortable in the water.The pool is where Köhli has swum since she was 6 years old, and the pool is where she now lights up the scoreboard in college.The junior attacker established a new IU single-season record as a sophomore, scoring 80 goals for the IU water polo team. Also during her sophomore campaign, Köhli scored her 100th career goal. However, her dreams have always gone beyond Bloomington.Growing up in Burnaby, British Columbia — about eight miles east of Vancouver — Köhli said she aspired to be an Olympian.“It was more of an ambition to go to the Olympics,” Köhli said. “When I was in about grade nine or 10, that was when college recruiters started coming to see other girls on our team play. They saw me and I (thought), ‘I guess I can go to college.’”Köhli, who began playing water polo at age 7, may have never committed to play for IU coach Barry King had it not been for senior attacker Kelsey Campbell, who played on the same Canadian club team as Köhli.Köhli said Campbell was instrumental as the recruiting procedure progressed, as was her mother, who helped guide Köhli through the paperwork.“She helped me out with a lot of stuff when I came here for my recruiting trip even though I was already signed,” Köhli said. “She showed me around, said that I could come to her for anything. She had a huge impact.”Last season, Köhli said her success on offense came early.“I got a lot more confident when we had our first tournament, and I scored a bunch of goals,” she said. “It was a huge confidence boost for me.” She also credited her teammates with the quick start. “The girls on our team set me up on a lot of those. I probably wouldn’t have had half of those goals if my teammates hadn’t helped me out,” Köhli said.As the season progressed, teammates would not hesitate to let Köhli know she was inching closer to Hoosier history. Köhli chuckled and said her teammates reminded her with every score that she was closing in on the IU record for most goals scored in a single season.“As soon as I got within 20 goals, the girls said, ‘You got 20 more goals and you’re there.’ Every time I scored a goal, they would have a countdown for me. I was very well aware.”Köhli said such countdowns would elicit a little bit of good-humored pressure.“I felt like I was confident I would reach it,” she said. “It kind of did put pressure on me sometimes. They were really great about it. It was always joking. It was exciting.”Often when a player asserts herself as a scoring threat as Köhli has, opponents will adjust. Still, Köhli avoided thinking about what she would do for an encore. King said he noticed opponents played IU a bit differently because of Köhli during its season opener Jan. 22-23 during the Michigan Kick-Off in Ann Arbor, Mich.“I think there was a lot more recognition of where she was in the pool,” King said. “I don’t know that there were attempts to shut her down. She still got a lot of opportunities. When people may have been trying to take her out of the game defensively, other people got a lot of really good opportunities to score.”For all that she has accomplished thus far, Köhli said she doesn’t play for the individual accolades.“It’s a great feeling to be in the record books,” she said. “I don’t really care — it’s not something that I was going for. I just want to make our team better. Our team is a lot better at shooting this year. I’d like to make sure everybody gets a chance to score a bunch of goals.”
(01/24/11 4:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Missed opportunities resulted in the Hoosiers dropping two of three matches Saturday in the Michigan Kick-Off. The trend continued Sunday when the Hoosiers lost to top-ranked Stanford, 14-1.IU fell to Loyola Marymount 10-5 in its season opener. The No. 6 Lions gained their largest lead in the third quarter with an 8-1 advantage. A couple of Hoosier freshmen helped chip away at LMU’s lead. With a little more than six minutes to go, attacker Shae Fournier assisted Amanda Redfern’s first goal as a collegian.IU played California State Northridge more competitively in the Hoosiers’ second match but still lost 6-5. Senior attacker Kelsey Campbell’s 100th career goal with a little under six minutes to play in the third quarter gave the Hoosiers a 5-4 lead. However, the Matadors scored two unanswered goals to earn the win.“We had our share of chances, and we just have to learn to capitalize,” said IU coach Barry King. “We’ll learn from it and come out ready to go against Colorado State.”The Hoosiers did avoid a sweep Saturday as they defeated Colorado State 9-8. IU claimed its first victory of the season in dramatic fashion, as senior attacker Nicole Redder scored a power play goal for the Hoosiers with 47 seconds left in the contest.Junior goalkeeper Cassie Wyckoff earned her 10th save in the waning seconds to ensure the Hoosiers’ victory.“We shot the ball at a poor rate throughout the day,” King said. “It’s always nice to get the win, but we have to step up our shooting. There’s no doubt about that.”On Sunday, IU lost to the No. 1-ranked Stanford Cardinal., 14-1.“Stanford is a very talented squad, and they played well,” King said. “I liked our effort out there today. We’ll take some things away from this and improve as we move forward.”— Micah McVicker
(01/21/11 5:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The opportunity to put last season behind them is upon the members of the IU water polo team, as they travel today to Ann Arbor to start the year at the Michigan Kick-Off. Senior attacker Kelsey Campbell said this is a date that the team has had marked on the calendar for a while.“I think from day one on campus we’ve been working,” Campbell said. “It’s the most intensity we’ve brought. We’re all determined. We know this is a big year for us.”Fueling that intensity is a 7-5 loss to Michigan in the CWPA Eastern Championship game last season. That defeat left the team one win short of securing an NCAA Tournament berth.Coach Barry King said his team responded quickly after that contest.“It took them about three minutes after we lost that game to set their resolve as far as not letting that happen again,” King said. “I knew really quickly after that match that we didn’t have a whole lot to worry about as far as their preparation for the season.”Attacker Jakie Köhli established a new school scoring record as a sophomore, netting 80 goals. If opponents plan their game around stopping her now as a junior, King said, the rest of the team will be better capable of scoring.“She’ll be a focus,” King said. “They’ll send maybe their best perimeter defender at her early. That would be to their detriment, though. We are a tremendously balanced group. If people try to spend energy on shutting her down, they’ll pay a price someplace else.”Six starters returned to this year’s Hoosiers’ squad. Four of the team’s seven seniors have combined for 394 goals and 290 starts.Added pressure comes with being the No. 13 team in the land.“The expectations go up,” King said. “Experience is obviously one of those key components of success. We have our share of experience out there.”
(11/05/10 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Given the Hoosiers’ inconsistent regular season — they had a 9-8 record (1-5 in the Big Ten) prior to their Big Ten Tournament match — the IU field hockey team had only one avenue to return to the NCAA Tournament. IU had to earn an at-large bid by doing something the team has not yet done: win the conference tournament.The sixth-seeded Hoosiers drew third-seeded Penn State to open Big Ten Tournament play. On Thursday, IU had an opportunity to extend its season.Instead, Penn State scored first, getting on the scoreboard six minutes into the contest. The Nittany Lions added a second goal in the 35th minute to take a 2-0 lead into intermission.Penn State added its third goal of the contest in the 57th minute via a penalty stroke. A fourth goal, again via penalty stroke, solidified a victory for the Nittany Lions.“We handled the game plan very well,” IU coach Amy Robertson said. “We wanted to press and force a lot of turnovers. On the other side of that, we didn’t take care of the ball well enough to create better attacking opportunities.”The loss sent a .500 Hoosiers’ squad into the offseason.Robertson praised the Nittany Lions.“Penn State’s a great team. They have a lot of speed and a lot of depth,” she said.She also provided reasons for optimism for next season.“We graduate four seniors and return a really strong core, along with a great recruiting class coming in,” Robertson said.IU junior Brenna Moeljadi earned First Team All-Big Ten honors. Junior Corey Brautigam was named a Second Team All-Big Ten selection.
(11/03/10 4:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Goalkeeper Alex Mann allowed 1.89 goals per game as a junior. She started all 21 games that season, helping to lead the Hoosiers to within one goal of the school’s first Big Ten Championship. She was poised to build on 2009 — until she injured her knee this preseason.She said it could have been worse.“There’s definitely something wrong because I heard a pop,” Mann said. “I hoped it wasn’t an ACL and I wouldn’t be out for six months.”Mann and IU coach Amy Robertson discussed applying for a medical redshirt.“We did talk about it early on,” Mann said in October. “We both decided that I wanted to try to come back because it was only supposed to be three to four weeks. I haven’t talked to her about it since.”When the team learned the severity of Mann’s injury, backup goalkeeper junior Becky Pany knew it was her opportunity.“I had to step up a lot,” she said. “Alex was a huge part of our team last year and how well we did. In order for us to be successful, I had to have her back and play my best because she couldn’t play.”Pany had the confidence of her teammates, especially Mann.“I think they really protected her, and they really helped each other,” Robertson said. “‘Hey, I got your back. We’re all together back here.’ That’s the kind of team we have. Alex was giving Becky, even after her surgery, feedback and support.”Pany played well in Mann’s absence. She posted nine saves in her second career start in the season opener against Boston College. She posted IU’s first shutout of the season in an Oct. 9 1-0 victory against UC Davis.Pany gained confidence with each start.“As soon as that first five minutes against Boston College happened, I haven’t looked back since,” she said.Robertson agreed.“Her confidence was pretty instant,” the coach said. “As soon as she got the first couple of games under her belt, she was a little more relaxed. Situations where there’s a lot of pressure, such as Bucknell, she came up big with a lot of saves. She stepped up and played great. She’s been really solid.”Meanwhile, Mann worked for more than an hour every day to rehab her knee.She made her season debut Oct. 2 when IU played Ohio State.“I told them (the coaching staff) yesterday that I wanted to play in this game,” Mann said after that game. “I told I felt ready. This was the kind of game that I’d really like to play. They’re a ranked team. It’s on home turf. That’s my kind of game.”Mann also started in the cage for the Hoosiers’ win against Louisville.However, a week later when the Hoosiers traveled to Evanston, Ill., to take on Northwestern and UC Davis, Pany started in the cage.“Alex is not 100 percent — her knee had swollen up,” Robertson said after that game. “That made the decision pretty easy to play Becky.”Mann described her emotions about the setback.“I didn’t think that it was going to be that big of a setback,” she said. “It’s very frustrating. Coming back, being able to play and then not anymore is the most frustrating part.”Despite the setback, Mann continued to support Pany.“I’ve got Becky’s back 100 percent,” Mann said. “There’s no tension between us at all. It’s not about me. It’s about our whole team. They’re supportive, and I’m the same for them.”As the field hockey season winds down, Robertson is uncertain whether Mann will play again.“That’s still for us to discuss,” she said. “We haven’t come to a firm decision. The health of her knee has been a bit unpredictable.”Mann was honored on Senior Day on Oct. 30 when the Hoosiers hosted Michigan in their season finale, perhaps finalizing the decision to not redshirt Mann.Not the ideal storybook ending to anyone’s senior year.
(11/01/10 5:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite second-half goals by junior back Brenna Moeljadi and freshman forward Mariella Grote in a span of a minute, the IU field hockey team could not muster a comeback and fell 5-2 to No. 12 Michigan on Saturday.Grote dedicated her goal to her sister, senior forward Lena Grote, who was one of four seniors honored on Senior Day.“I wanted to play for them. I wanted to lift everyone up,” Grote said. “That goal, that exact technique, is Lena’s goal. They now call it the Grote Goal. It’s awesome to do that’s something else for her to see on her last home game.”The scoreboard reading did not correlate to how well the Hoosiers played – during the second half, according to assistant coach Kelly Doton.“The last 26 minutes of the game are hopefully a lead-in to what the Big Tens are going to bring,” Doton said. “This team has potential. It’s just are they going to show up and do it? “The scoreboard isn’t a good reflection of the way this game ended. The intensity and the urgency the last half of that second half is what we were looking for the whole time.”Coach Amy Robertson was not on the sideline due to an incident last weekend against Ball State.Robertson praised her coaching staff.“They take ownership every day,” she said. “We all work together. It’s a democracy. I have an excellent staff with a ton of experience. They’re very dedicated and intelligent.”In the first half, Michigan outshot IU 11-2 and earned a 6-1 advantage in penalty corners. Michigan took a 3-0 lead into halftime. About eight-and-a-half minutes into the second half, Michigan scored its fourth goal.Michigan added a fifth goal on a penalty corner to dash any Hoosier ambitions to complete a rally.
(10/29/10 4:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The season finale is upon the IU field hockey team, as the Hoosiers are hosts to Michigan on Saturday. The home finale means senior day with seniors playing their final regular season game of their careers.“I’m excited about the fact that it’s my last game,” senior forward Lena Grote said. “Obviously, it’s a sad thing that it’s my last home game. The cool thing is we’ve come together as a team. I know the whole team is working every day to finish out the season.”IU has an opportunity over the weekend to build some momentum as they prepare for the Big Ten Tournament. Still, the Hoosiers’ focus is solely on what can be gained from the contest against the Wolverines. Preparation has been excellent, according to freshman back Danielle McNally.“Practice today was one of the best practices we’ve had,” she said. “We’ve had a couple meetings and talked about our mentality and how we all need to be on the same page. Everyone is ready to go out there and win for the seniors and win for us.”Given the day’s occasion, IU coach Amy Robertson said incentive won’t be lacking.“Everyone wants to make sure that we send the seniors out in style and that we end on a really good note,” Robertson said. “It motivates the team to bring a little extra because they’re not just playing to win, they’re playing also for the seniors and sort of honoring their whole career here.”And McNally is not lacking confidence.“Winning on Saturday would give us momentum going into the tournament. If we play like we know we can, we’ll definitely win and that momentum will carry over.”
(10/25/10 2:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers wrapped up the away portion of their schedule this weekend, suffering a disappointing sweep at the hands of No. 9 Michigan State and Ball State.“We didn’t play the way we hoped to play,” coach Amy Robertson said. “Overall, we were feeling a lack of confidence. We have some injuries that kind of forced our hand and changing up the way we are comfortable playing. We were just not in sync and didn’t finish.”The Hoosiers played the Spartans to a scoreless draw in the first half despite Michigan State’s holding an 11-1 advantage in shots. IU junior goalkeeper Becky Pany recorded six saves in the half. The Hoosiers bent but did not break.“The first half was pretty defensive for us. We didn’t let any goals in,” senior midfielder Kelsey Kiper said. “That was a positive coming out of halftime.”Twenty-nine seconds into the second half, the Spartans got on the scoreboard. Kiper said the Hoosiers reacted well to that goal.“We had a pretty good mindset,” she said. “We really started putting the pressure on them. We did get a lot more offensive plays.”However, Michigan State tallied an insurance goal in the 65th minute to ice a 2-0 victory.IU had to respond quickly, as less than 24 hours later the team took the field in Muncie to play the Cardinals. Again, IU played a scoreless first half. This time, the Hoosiers scored first in the 45th minute with a goal by sophomore forward Morgan Fleetwood. Kiper and junior midfielder Kristy McFadden earned assists on the score.About 16 minutes later, the Cardinals drew the score even.With less than four minutes remaining in the second half, IU experienced a delay in play for the first time this season.After a 25 minute lightning delay, play resumed. Ball State attempted three shots on goal. None were converted, and the Hoosiers played overtime once again. IU had compiled a 3-0 record in overtime heading into the match. Robertson was confident her team would continue in its unbeaten ways.“I was really confident,” Robertson said. “I thought, ‘No problem! This is great. Our seven against their seven. We’ve been here before.’ We had opportunities.”The Cardinals and Hoosiers played one scoreless overtime session. In the second session, Ball State converted a penalty corner and took the game 2-1.“A loss is a loss,” Kiper said. “We have to take it with a grain of salt and use it as momentum going into the next game.”The Hoosiers play host to Michigan on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Senior Day. Kiper said the adjustments needed for IU to earn a victory in the regular-season finale are mental.“We have to trust in ourselves and in our teammates,” Kiper said. “We have the skill. We just don’t trust ourselves that we have the skill. We have all the tools. We need to learn how to use them going into the last game and the postseason.”
(10/22/10 4:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the Hoosiers prepare for a trip to East Lansing, Mich. to take on No. 9 Michigan State, IU will be able to do something Saturday it has not yet accomplished this season: Defend a three-game winning streak.“We’re going to try to go five-for-five,” senior forward Lena Grote said about closing out the regular season on a winning streak. Our big thing was belief. I think we’re all believing in each other.”IU coach Amy Robertson’s team has strung together wins at a pivotal point in the season.“We had a pattern — we’d win some games, lose a game,” Robertson said. “Now we’re on a streak. Three games in a row. We’ve learned a lot. We got out of our slump.”Against Michigan State, the Hoosiers will face a different Spartans team than the one that defeated them in the Big Ten Championship game in 2009, as the Spartans had to replace Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Floor Rijpma. Consequently, Michigan State has struggled in conference play, sporting a 1-3 record.“I never, ever care about the poll,” Robertson said. “It just doesn’t matter. Every team in the Big Ten can be beaten by any other team they’re playing. I don’t care what our record is. If we’re going against the No. 3 in the country, you can beat them. It takes everyone being on the same page and putting it all out there.”The team earning its first Big Ten win against Iowa on Oct. 15 was crucial to morale, Robertson said.“The most important thing about this win is that we got our first Big Ten win,” the coach said. “If you lose again in the Big Ten, you can’t help but start to think, ‘Can we do it? Are we good?’ We have a team that has the potential to be great. We’re good right now. When you get a win like this, it’s huge. We do belong here, and we can do it.”Robertson said her team made a choice.“Rather than give in, this team found a way to make some changes, pick themselves up and really explore the positives of playing this game as opposed to dwelling on the mistakes and the frustrations. I’m really proud of them for that.“Our team shows a lot of character. They want to be successful. I like what I’m seeing.”
(10/18/10 2:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Recently, the IU field hockey team has developed a tendency for winning in dramatic fashion. Junior forward Corey Brautigam caged her second game-winning goal in 10 days as the Hoosiers earned a 2-1 victory against Iowa. This time, Brautigam scored 3:20 into the first overtime session. Afterward, she possessed enough energy to celebrate the victory.“I had a little more energy to celebrate,” she said, laughing. “We just wanted to finish it in the first five.”Coach Amy Robertson chuckled about how the team earned a couple of late wins. Then she praised her team.“I’m really proud of our team because we found a way,” Robertson said. “We were doing some things really well at times. Sometimes we lost grip of the control that we had and we gave in a little bit to the pressure that Iowa put on us. Then we came back again.”The Hoosiers had an opportunity to play in front spectators in unusual circumstances. IU Athletics Director Fred Glass wore a kilt and supported the team from the sideline. His presence was felt during the contest.“He’s a huge fan of ours. He comes to a lot of our games,” Brautigam said. “If we beat Louisville, then he said he’d wear a kilt. It was really encouraging that he was here to cheer us on.”In beating the Hawkeyes, IU was able to gain a measure of revenge.“It was fun beating Iowa because the last couple of years, it’s been kind of annoying to have to play them,” senior forward Lena Grote said. “This year, it felt really good beating them.”On Sunday, the Hoosiers completed a weekend sweep, defeating Villanova 2-1. After a scoreless first half. Villanova got on the board first a little under six minutes into the second period. The Hoosiers responded quickly, as less than three minutes later, senior midfielder Kelsey Kiper converted a pass from junior back Brenna Moeljadi. Four minutes later, sophomore forward Shareyna Chang scored her third game-winning goal of the season.
(10/15/10 3:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After the Hoosiers dropped their third Big Ten contest to Northwestern last Friday, the players had a meeting prior to facing UC Davis the next day.“None of us were satisfied with how the Northwestern game went. We knew we couldn’t go into another game playing like we just had,” freshman defender Hannah Boyer said.Though IU had to play the Aggies the next day, during the meeting, the Hoosiers discussed the Iowa Hawkeyes’ visit to Bloomington.“We said, ‘You know, we’re going to take a couple of days off and regroup,’” IU coach Amy Robertson said. “We have to get that first Big Ten win. We’re going to prepare as strong as we can for Iowa, who comes in on Friday, and figure out what things we can achieve in this game.”IU will face Iowa at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the IU Field Hockey Field.Robertson described how her team had to improve.“They need to all get on the same page and set some goals as a team that they’re going to put their stamp on in the UC Davis game,” she said.On Saturday, the Hoosiers proved their resilience by creating more opportunities offensively. The team discussed in their meeting how they would add potency to their offensive attack.“One of our goals was to have double-digits in shots on goal,” sophomore forward Shareyna Chang said. “When we got in the circle, we would be able to tell each other, ‘Take a shot!’ That really helped us building our offense. Everyone knew that we were working on getting shots on goal.”The Hoosiers are looking to build off their victory to get in the win column for conference play.“Going off that game against UC Davis, we still aren’t satisfied,” Boyer said. “That is going to be really beneficial for us because we have a Big Ten game on Friday. We want to go out there and keep up everything we did in the UC Davis game, but take it to another level.”
(10/11/10 3:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Somewhere along the way from Bloomington to Evanston, Ill., the IU field hockey team lost the momentum gained with its 3-2 overtime victory against Louisville on Oct. 5. IU squandered an opportunity to post its first win in conference play, falling 4-2 to Northwestern on Friday. IU dropped to 0-3 in Big Ten play.Fifteen minutes into the contest, the Hoosiers trailed 0-2.Ten minutes into the second half, IU tallied a goal by senior midfielder Kelsey Kiper. However, the Wildcats caged two more goals and went on to win the game. Once again, penalty corners played a significant factor as Northwestern earned 14 to the Hoosiers’ four.“It’s hard to put a finger on,” IU coach Amy Robertson said. “We looked tentative in the game. Then we sagged on defense and gave them more room to work with. They have a really strong forward line, and if you give them room and let them receive, they’re going to take advantage of it. “We had a lot of turnovers. Instead of taking the momentum, we were pretty happy to get the win against Louisville. It deflated a little bit of our motivation.”Junior goalkeeper Becky Pany started in the cage for IU during the weekend.“It’s a matter of one, we have two great goalkeepers and two, Alex is not a 100 percent. Her knee had swollen up,” Robertson said. “That made the decision pretty easy to play Becky.”The Hoosiers quickly put the loss behind them. Less than 24 hours later, they squared off against University of California-Davis. IU scored on a goal by sophomore forward Shareyna Chang. Freshman forward Mariella Grote earned the assist.Though Chang’s goal proved to be the lone score of the game, the Hoosiers created many more opportunities for themselves against the Aggies, outshooting them 17-7 and earning a 12-3 penalty corner advantage.“We came together as a team and set three specific goals that everyone on the team can focus on and so that we can ensure we can all execute them during the game,” Chang said.
(10/08/10 3:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU field hockey team did not envision beginning the Big Ten portion of its 2010 season with two losses. Meanwhile, Northwestern seeks to go to 2-0 in conference play and bounce back from having a five-game winning streak snapped by Kent State.The Hoosiers have an opportunity Friday to get on the win column in conference play as they travel to Evanston, Ill. to take on Northwestern.Two weeks ago, the Wildcats defeated Ohio State, a team IU coach Amy Robertson deemed “the best team in the Big Ten.”Such a feat is irrelevant to junior forward Corey Brautigam, who cited IU’s upset of No. 8 Louisville this week.“I think any team can win on any given day,” she said. “It depends who shows up. Louisville was ranked in the top 10. They beat big-name teams. We showed up today ready to play.”One key factor for the Hoosiers may be their ability to defend penalty corners for 70 minutes. Ohio State and Louisville have each earned more penalty corners than IU. Louisville has won 10 penalty corners to the Hoosiers’ five. Freshman defender Hannah Boyer talked about the penalty corners’ importance.“The last five minutes we really stepped our game up again,” she said. “While we needed to have that the whole half to limit those corners, we didn’t bring it till the end. That’s something to walk away with for the next game.”Robertson stressed the importance of finishing scoring opportunities and finishing opponents.“We had them on the ropes,” she said. “We were getting into our 25, and then we were turning the ball over without it being forced. If we get in our circle, we have to come away with something. We either need to get a corner, or we need to get a shot. We weren’t getting anything. We’ve got to have these. You can’t just keep playingdefense.”However, Robertson said she saw ways that her team stepped up.“I think we lost a little confidence in the middle of our season — even after big wins,” Robertson said. “Losing the first two Big Ten [games] took a little hit on our confidence. This is huge. We needed this lift. Louisville is a tremendous team. For us, we’re back running. Twice, we’ve seen what this team is made of when you go into a real high-pressure situation, such as overtime.”As the Hoosiers hope to build off the momentum gained from Tuesday’s win against Louisville and string together wins, Boyer said team unity is vital.“We all hold each other accountable,” she said. “We can talk to each other one-on-one. Being able to hold each other accountable, and hold ourselves accountable, we know that we can come together and do what needs to be done.”
(10/06/10 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU field hockey team topped No. 8 Louisville 3-2 on Tuesday with a game-winning goal by junior forward Corey Brautigam in overtime.After the goal, Brautigam said fatigue had taken its toll.“I was almost too tired to celebrate,” Brautigam said.IU opened the game at the IU Field Hockey Field with a goal at the 12-minute mark when junior back Brenna Moeljadi scored off a penalty corner.For the remainder of the first half, IU possessed the ball well and kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard.“Louisville’s always been one of our biggest rivals,” freshman defender Hannah Boyer said. “Coming off the games that we’ve had recently, we knew that we had to contain them in the first half, and we needed to get up on the scoreboard first to kind of threaten them a little bit.”Louisville played a much better second half, earning a 9-3 advantage on penalty corners. Louisville scored two goals in a two-minute span early in the half to take a 2-1 lead.“We had a bit of a mental lapse in the second half,” Boyer said. “Once they tied, and then they put in the second goal, we got down on ourselves a little bit. But we knew we had to come out of it.”Brautigam said part of the issue early in the second half was mental.“We played with a lot of heart today,” Brautigam said. “We did lose some motivation before they scored the two goals. The energy got down. They scored two goals. We called timeout, and we knew we had to pick it up.”And pick it up they did. IU earned two of its three second-half penalty corners in the last 30 seconds of the half. As time expired in the second half, the Hoosiers had one opportunity to prolong the game, and Moeljadi knocked in the game-tying goal. During the huddle prior to the penalty corner, confidence was high.“We knew it was our last chance to score,” Brautigam said. “We had one more opportunity and that we had to capitalize on it. We took it like practice.”And then in overtime, Brautigam put in the final goal to end the game and secure the victory.IU coach Amy Robertson goal said she was pleased to see Brautigam deliver the game-winning goal.“Corey is such a talented player,” Robertson said. “I don’t think sometimes she realizes how good she is. She sees what she can do, and she takes charge on this team. I think she had a performance she can really build on.”The confidence gained from the dramatic win will benefit the Hoosiers as they travel to Northwestern on Friday, Boyer said.“We definitely needed this win,” Boyer said. “Beating Louisville just really brings our confidence up. Having this win is something great to carry with us.”
(10/05/10 3:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU field hockey team may be in the midst of the toughest five games on its schedule.On Sept. 24, the Hoosiers fell 1-0 to then-No. 15 Penn State despite conceding 28 shots. Two days later, IU used penalty strokes to defeat Bucknell. On Saturday, the Hoosiers fell 4-1 to then-No. 7 Ohio State. Today, IU plays another top-10 team in Louisville, who on Saturday defeated then-No. 5 UConn, 3-2. The Hoosiers then travel to Evanston, Ill., on Friday to take on a Northwestern squad that defeated Ohio State.With such games in succession, senior goalkeeper Alex Mann said the Hoosiers cannot dwell on any result for too long.“We play Louisville on Tuesday. We have to put it behind us quick,” Mann said. “Take today, think about it and get ready for Louisville on Tuesday.”The key to IU surviving this stretch, IU coach Amy Robertson said, is how well the team can create opportunities, namely on penalty corners.“We’re getting into our 25, and we’re not producing anything,” Robertson said. “We have to be able to draw corners. Ohio State had significantly more fouls. We need to get it into this place in the field so that we can create a foul so we can get a corner. “I think we got up here, but we couldn’t get in the circle. We need to get them ourselves. It’s really disappointing.”The score from the Ohio State game did not indicate how well the Hoosiers played.“We were doing a great job of possessing the ball,” Robertson said. “There was space to attack. We weren’t recognizing that and exploiting it. The difference was, ‘Let’s get our halfbacks up wider, let’s stretch them out. But let’s shift it.’ "Then we need to go forward. We need to get our forwards above the ball and moving. That’s what resulted in our goal. Unfortunately, we didn’t continue to attack enough on the spaces that we were given.”Junior midfielder Jacyln Milici concurred, saying the aspects the team needs to improve upon are things within their control.“We need to have some more urgency,” Milici said. “Keep outletting and keep learning.”Fortunately for the Hoosiers, they welcome the Cardinals to Bloomington on Tuesday.“We have a great opportunity to rebound from this,” Robertson said. “We have a lot of motivation. We have two days till we’re back in the saddle. I’d rather have that than a whole week to dwell on this. If we possess the ball like we did today, we have a great opportunity on Tuesday.”
(10/04/10 3:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A seven-to-one advantage in penalty corners earned by Ohio State doomed the IU field hockey team Saturday. The No. 7 Buckeyes earned three of their four goals on penalty corners en route to a 4-1 victory.Senior goalkeeper Alex Mann understood the significance of the penalty corner discrepancy.“That’s a huge impact because Ohio State’s penalty corners are extremely dangerous,” Mann said. “We’ve been working on them all week in practice. But they execute really well. To give them any corners is unfortunate.”Junior midfielder Jacyln Milici agreed.“Giving them seven penalty corners wasn’t good,” Milici said. “Our corner defense has been exceptional the past weekend. We had to have faith in our teammates. Unfortunately, they were able to capitalize on a couple of those.”The Buckeyes scored first in the seventh minute of the game. Ohio State added two more goals on penalty corners in the first half to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.Seven minutes into the second half, Milici scored the Hoosiers’ lone goal and her first goal of the season. After the score, IU coach Amy Robertson said the Hoosiers did not take advantage of the shift in momentum.“I think we needed to get another goal pretty quickly, and that would’ve put more pressure and panic on our opponent,” she said.After Milici’s goal, Mann believed IU’s play improved.“We were putting together passes a lot better,” Mann said. “We were working really well. Unfortunately, that didn’t end up on the scoreboard.”Robertson gave Ohio State great praise.“This is a tough loss for us,” Robertson said. “We did not expect this. Ohio State played brilliantly today. Their forwards are so skilled. The shots they took, I’ve never seen them play like that on tape. “We just played the best team in the Big Ten. If they play like that, that’s the best team in the Big Ten.”
(10/01/10 4:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Saturday’s contest between IU and Ohio State will feature familiarity and added exposure for both teams.Though the Big Ten Network will broadcast the game, IU coach Amy Robertson said it will be business as usual.“It hasn’t affected the way that we practice. We are focusing on two things: our transition and defense. We need to be able to organize when we (have) numbers down. We need to be thinking quicker, ahead of the play,” Robertson said. “The second thing is outletting with better possession and confidence. If a team risks overloading a side, we need to make them pay for that by moving the ball to the space.”The Hoosiers’ second Big Ten game allows IU to exact some revenge against the No. 7 Buckeyes. Ohio State defeated the Hoosiers 4-3 in Columbus, Ohio during the preseason.According to senior midfielder Kelsey Kiper, the preseason game may have benefits for IU on Saturday.“We’ll be more comfortable and more confident,” Kiper said. “We know their playing style because we played them this year. No surprises. Each team is going to be improved from when we played them last. This way, we’re a little more comfortable on the type of style they play.”Saturday’s game provides IU the chance to draw their record even in Big Ten play. IU fell to Penn State 1-0 on Sept. 24.“Every Big Ten game is special. Being at home, playing a team that’s ranked very high this year, that’s been very successful. This is a huge game for us,” Robertson said. “It’s a great opportunity. We’re playing better. I feel really good about this game.”The Hoosiers’ loss in the preseason provided the team some insight in how to defeat the Buckeyes.“Use the transfer ball, switching fields from left to right. They have really skilled forwards, so we’re going to need to be very patient on defense as well,” Kiper said.The game will air delayed on the Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. Saturday and also at 1 p.m. Sunday.
(09/27/10 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU field hockey team’s trip to Pennsylvania this weekend illustrated the team’s mental strength as the Hoosiers earned a split in its two contests.IU fell 1-0 to No. 15 Penn State in its Big Ten opener. The Hoosiers were outshot 28-3, and the Nittany Lions accumulated a 14-2 advantage in penalty corners, which is how Penn State caged the game’s only goal in the 14th minute — a rebound off a penalty corner.“The game was a lot more even than the penalty corners indicate,” IU coach Amy Robertson said. “I thought our team’s corner defense is excellent. They held really tough, and our goalkeeper has had a couple of tremendous performances this weekend.”Junior goalkeeper Becky Pany established a new career high with 11 saves.The Hoosiers bounced back Sunday, defeating Bucknell, 2-1. IU captured the victory by winning 7-6 in penalty strokes.Pany prepared for those penalty strokes with two minutes to go, she said.“We had a corner that we saved, and I realized that we weren’t going to get another shot,” Pany said. “I had confidence in us. We practice strokes every day. I knew that we should be fine. It’s more pressure on them.”In the first half, the Hoosiers and the Bison played to a scoreless draw. Bucknell got on the board first in the 38th minute when midfielder Rachel Misko scored off a save by Pany.Nearly 20 minutes later, senior forward Lena Grote drew the Hoosiers even for a second time.“When we tied it, we were a little bit, to say the least, frustrated, because one of the goals we had scored was taken back from us,” senior forward Lena Grote said. “We could have won in regular time. The referee took back the goal and didn’t explain to us why.”Robertson offered a different reaction once Grote tied the game.“I think it was relief,” Robertson said with a chuckle.Grote said the team relished the extra session.“We were excited because we had been playing well, playing together as a team, and we were all supporting each other,” she said. “We knew we could come out with a victory, but it was going to take a lot of work.”