Team rededicates itself to winning

The field hockey team may be in only its second season as a varsity sport, but that doesn\'t mean the group of women will take losing lightly. \nMany changes have already taken place on the team, but the determination, work ethic and strong heart are the building blocks that the team will use for the future. Coach Amy Robertson is in her second season with the Hoosiers. Her philosophies and expectations are similar to those of the inaugural year.\n"We are facing this year\'s challenge with both optimism and belief that we can surpass the expectations that are typical for a program in only its second year," Roberson said. "However, we must also be realistic and work harder than our opponents to catch up with the higher skill level and tactical play of the Big Ten field hockey."\nReturning nine starters from the 2000 season, two key losses come on the defense. Goalkeeper Zan Kaufman started nine games for IU and collected 78 saves. Kaufman stopped 46 shots in conference play, ranking her second among the conference save leaders. \nLooking to keep the trend going, junior Molly Pulkrabek is expected to take her turn at goalie. Pulkrabek saw action in 10 games last season and posted 69 saves. Pulkrabek, a former soccer goalie, knows the necessary skills to lead the Hoosiers in the goal.\nReturning in the backfield, senior Akila Jones, junior Anna Ward, and sophomore Jordan Izsak will look toward building a stronger defense than last season\'s team. Freshman Lauren Brophy may be called upon, adding an extra defensive player to the backfield. \nThe midfield sees the return of several experienced players including junior Erica Nilsson and sophomore Ginna Irwin. Sophomore Abby Schwab returns to the midfield after an injury sidelined her for last season's final two games. Several other newcomers who could see playing time include freshmen Kimberly Nash and Kayla Bashore.\nThe Hoosier front line will look to senior Brooke Magers for leadership. Magers and sophomore Lauren Micka were responsible for three of four Hoosier goals in their first season. Junior Lindsay Schafer looks to add another positive dimension in the front line attack.\nTen newcomers mark the first fully recruited class by coach Robertson. Combined with 10 returnees from last year\'s squad, the team looks to become a well respected field hockey program. \nWhen freshman Ryan Woolsey was looking at colleges last fall, IU rose to the top of her list after her campus visit to Bloomington. Woolsey said she turned down other top field hockey programs to attend IU.\n"Being a new program at Indiana, I wanted to be part of something special and turn things around for the school," Woolsey said. "Having the opportunity to play as a freshman in a Big Ten program was a major sticking point for choosing IU."\nThe regular season began last Sunday against Miami (Ohio). Miami built a 2-0 lead midway through the second half, but the Hoosiers didn\'t fold, as freshman Kayla Bashore scored the Hoosiers first goal of the season off a rebound with just under 20 minutes to play. The momentum began to shift toward Indiana, but the Hoosiers were unable to get the equalizing goal and lost 2-1.\nFreshman Lindsay Nealis took the loss hard but is looking forward to improving during the season for the Hoosiers.\n"Even with the loss, our team saw significant improvement from the first day of training camp and the loss can only be a lesson to help us out in the near future," Nealis said.\nThe IU field hockey team dropped a 1-0 decision to Rhode Island on Saturday at Holy Cross. The Hoosiers fell to 0-2 on the season.\nThe lone goal came with no time left on the clock in the first half. The Hoosiers sustained an injury to a key player in the early part of the second half, but a number of Hoosiers stepped up their game to compensate for the injury.\nRobertson felt that a number of players played well despite a setback from the injury in the second half.\n\"Anna Ward, Brooke Evans and Gina Irwin played their roles exceptionally well after the injury, they each stepped their game up to the next level and each attacked the ball very well with a lot of confidence," Robertson said. "Having the injury in the second half hurt our momentum and people had to change roles to cover for it. I thought we did a great job with adversity and it was a real positive for us."