Hoosiers seeded last for tourney

The IU field hockey team found some remorse Saturday with a 1-0 win against Colgate after losing a hard-fought battle to Northwestern on Friday. They lost that game 1-0. Both games were played in Evanston, Ill., but the loss to the Wildcats proved the most crucial, as it delegated the Hoosiers (6-12, 1-5) to the last seed in next weekend's Big Ten Tournament.\nNorthwestern (5-12, 1-5) recorded its first Big Ten victory of the season and broke an eight-game losing skid. Coach Amy Robertson's team showcased the effort, but wasn't able to finish against the Wildcats.\n"It obviously was not the ending that we were hoping for," Robertson said in a press release. "There was never a minute in that game that we weren't in it. We just didn't have the opportunity to finish and to win the game."\nIn the first half, both teams had chances, but Northwestern led the barrage, out-shooting the Hoosiers 9-2. Northwestern had five penalty corners compared to IU's two. \nBut the first stanza ended in a scoreless tie, setting the stage for a very important second half for both clubs.\nThe two teams battled back and forth for the first 20 minutes of the second half. But then the Wildcats began to take control and with just 38 seconds remaining, senior forward Michelle Cifelli found junior Katie Walshauser on a crossing pass and beat senior goaltender Molly Pulkrabek to put Northwestern on top, 1-0.\nThe Hoosiers fought back, but to no avail, as IU did not generate a shot in the second half.\n"We played with a lot of heart today," Robertson said. "We just need to learn from the experience and overall we need to continue seeing the bigger picture in the game."\nIU looked to see the bigger picture in a non-conference game against Colgate (6-10). And IU heard the message by out-shooting the Raiders 17-8 and 10-4 in the second half. But the first half is where the Hoosiers finally capitalized.\nWith 6:32 to go, sophomore midfielder Kayla Bashore delivered a perfect pass to freshman Lesley Wiler, who buried it into the back of the net to give IU a 1-0 lead. The San Diego product has continued to impress with her second goal on the season to go along with solid midfield play.\nIU took the lead into intermission and came out fired up in the second half. But Colgate would not go quietly. The raiders fought hard, but Pulkrabek and the IU defense held strong to preserve the victory.\n"It's great to have a victory in our last regular season game," Robertson said. "We hope to carry over some positive momentum from this into the Big Ten Tournament. We are leaving cold Chicago with a warm feeling."\nThe Hoosiers travel to Columbus, Ohio to play Michigan State Friday in the Big Ten Tournament.