Hoosiers leave home stand No. 8

With the completion of an undefeated five-game home stand last weekend, the No. 8 IU field hockey team hits the road for the first time in nearly a month. \nThe 8-1 Hoosiers will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to play No. 13 Michigan in a Big Ten clash at 4 p.m. Friday, then take on Kent State University Sunday in Ohio. \n"We're really excited to be back on the road," IU head coach Amy Robertson said. "It's easier to focus on what we need to accomplish when we're on the road because there tends to be less \ndistractions."\nThe Hoosiers are fresh off a double-overtime upset of then-No. 6 Michigan State last weekend, a win that catapulted them into the top 10 of the national rankings. Despite the recent success and the national recognition, junior defensive back Morgan Miller said the Hoosiers aren't overconfident as they head into the heart of conference play.\n"Rankings are something that are fun to see, but we definitely do not worry about them," Miller said. "Our team has such high goals this season and they are not about rankings. We want to win Big Tens and go to the NCAA \ntournament."\nEntering Friday's match, IU field hockey has never beat Michigan, a stat Robertson said she hopes to change. \n"We've been looking for ways to attack by studying Michigan's tendencies," Robertson said. "We just have to keep our intensity level up through the game."\nThe Wolverines are currently 6-4 overall with an 0-1 record in Big Ten play following a loss to Ohio State last weekend. Three of the four Wolverine losses came at the hands of elite field hockey programs in Wake Forest University, the University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina.\n"Michigan is tough, and we have to be on our toes the entire game," sophomore goalkeeper Haley Exner said. "We have to keep giving 110 percent on the field, and if we do that, I definitely think we are capable of beating them."\nFollowing Friday's match, the Hoosiers will take on the Golden Flashes of Kent State. Despite Kent State's 0-9 record, Robertson said the team doesn't look at any game as an easy win.\n"Kent State will keep us on our toes, and we have to be ready to play them just like any other game," Robertson said.