Field hockey challenges conference rival

No. 17 Ohio State needs to watch for black cats on their trip to the Mellencamp Pavilion today because IU field hockey will use any advantage in order to stomp its conference rival. \nIU (1-6, 0-2 in the Big Ten) clash with No. 17 Ohio State (8-5, 1-2) at 2 p.m. today in a battle that could catapult the Hoosiers into fourth place in the Big Ten. A very superstitious coach Amy Robertson hopes luck will be on their side, but her players need to focus on the game.\n"Ohio State is a very dangerous team," Robertson said. "They're probably the third best team in the Big Ten, but if you catch them on a bad day, you have an opportunity. We\'ll play as well as we can, and hope that things will fall in our direction."\nThe Hoosiers completed a rough first half of their season last weekend at Penn State and now look to plow through competition in the second half.\n"We had some moments when we weren\'t playing as a team," Robertson said. "But, we re-focused for the Penn State game and felt really positive about the trip as a whole and gained some confidence."\nOhio State suffered some setbacks this season as well. Since winning its first four games by wide margins, the Buckeyes have won four of its last nine games. But either IU or Ohio State has potential to cause some waves in the Big Ten standings.\nEven though IU has earned one win, Robertson holds her players\' determination in high esteem.\n"We'll never lie down no matter what the score, and we've always fought back until the last minute of the game," Robertson said. "There's a good morale in the team right now." \nSenior captain Tania Hults believes her teammates can hang on until the end of the season and compete against the difficult opposition.\n"We've stayed together as a team and have stayed motivated because we keep getting better," Hults said. "Against Ohio State, we're trying to stay focused and poised as well as work on our transitional game."\nAlthough the Hoosiers are winless in conference play, junior forward Brooke Magers wants this game.\n"It's not a necessity to win our first Big Ten game, but it would give us a lot more confidence," Magers said. "We\'re really looking to get our name out there, so teams know we\'re for real"