Peterson wins gold on junior national team

Returning for her third season, junior Krista Peterson has had a big impact early on for the Hoosiers. She has helped the squad jump out to a 5-2 record, all of which has come against top 20 teams in the nation.\nPeterson finished last year with 57 goals, 27 assists and 34 steals. She was second on the team in scoring while leading the team in assists. Her play last season earned her All-American honors, along with the CWPA Eastern Championship Most Valuable Player award. \nPeterson played a big role in the postseason last year, as she carried the Hoosiers to the Final Four, scoring nine goals in the CWPA conference tournament, including a game-high five goals against Brown to clinch a berth in the Final Four. \nAt the Final Four, Peterson scored three of the Hoosier's four goals and was named first-team All-NCAA Tournament, adding to her collection of awards. \nThe Hoosiers' five victories are already two ahead of last year's pace, in which IU won only three out of their first seven. However, coach Barry King's squad still has a long way to go this season, with at least 20 more matches left, all depending on how IU fares in the CWPA tournament and if they clinch another spot in the Final Four. \nThis season, Peterson is leading the squad in scoring with 14 goals along with four assists and eight steals and has given reason to believe she is deserving of her All-American status. She most recently scored a game-winning goal in the final minute of play in a thrilling match-up against No. 11 UC-Santa Barbara. The victory of UCSB was another come-from behind victory in what seems to be a reoccurring theme early on this season.\nKing has been very impressed with Peterson's performance this year as well as her first two seasons at IU. \n"Krista came in as a freshman with a great amount of skill and has grown tremendously over the last two years," said King. "She has become a next level player, and we are fortunate to have her here."\nIn addition to playing for King, Peterson was a member of the 2002 USA Junior National Team. Peterson scored seven goals in five games en route to gold at the Junior Pan American Games. However, Peterson said clinching a berth in the NCAA Final Four last season was more important to her. \n"Having played a whole season with the girls compared to only a handful of matches with Team USA made the run at the Final Four much more meaningful for me," said Peterson. "Winning the gold medal was something I'll never forget, and the international play has prepared me better for the college level of play, but my experience playing in the postseason last year was very special."\nPeterson's teammates hold a great amount of respect for her as a player and as an individual. "Krista is such a great player and makes us as individuals better," said junior Jessica Goldner. "She leads by example, having already experienced play at a number of levels."\nPeterson, Goldner and the rest of the IU squad are anxious to get back into action this weekend, as they will travel to Pennsylvania to play in the Bucknell Invitational. The Hoosiers will face a solid group of east coast schools in Lewisburg, Pa., as they will face Hartwick and Providence Saturday, and Sunday they take on George Washington and Harvard. \nThe following week Peterson and company return to Bloomington for their home-opener and kick off CWPA conference play.\n-- Contact staff writer Matt Ostrega at mostrega@indiana.edu.