Dream season ends for IU

After 64 minutes of play, the No. 9 IU field hockey team held a 3-2 advantage over No. 6 Penn State and appeared poised for the Big Ten title-clinching upset Friday. \nThat was until the Nittany Lions' Annelise Legel broke free and tied the score at 3-3. Legel's goal sent the match into overtime, when in the 74th minute, Penn State's Kiersten Wood netted the game-winning goal. \n"We played a great game, but you can never guarantee a victory in this sport," coach Amy Robertson said. "This was one of the most amazing games I have ever seen out of any IU field hockey team. We came so close, and the trophy was sitting on our scorer's table. It's heartbreaking, but I saw some incredible stuff out of some of our players." \nThe game, which was scheduled for a 3 p.m. start, was delayed 45 minutes because of a referee's late arrival. Despite the late start, the Hoosiers came out firing, as junior Morgan Miller netted the first goal of the game in the 18th minute off a penalty corner.\n"The delay had no effect on us," Robertson said. "We were able to stay loose and focused, and we showed that by taking it to them right away."\nThe Hoosier lead was short-lived, as Penn State's Sara Cahill tied the game at 1-1 two minutes after Miller's goal. However, the Hoosiers regained the lead in the 26th minute when sophomore Frederique Meeuwsen scored her third goal of the season on a pass from senior Lesley Wiler. The Hoosiers took the 2-1 lead into halftime. \nIn the second half, the Nittany Lions struck first when Shaun Banta tied the game at 2-2 in the 39th minute after she converted the rebound from her first shot into a goal. \nThe back-and-forth scoring continued, as four minutes later, senior Kayla Bashore found junior Lydia Schrott for her 11th goal of the season.\nThe Hoosier defense maintained the 3-2 advantage for the next 20 minutes, until Legel tied the score at 3-3. In overtime, the fourth of the season for the Hoosiers, Wiler nearly sealed a Hoosier title with a shot that Penn State goalkeeper Megan Akstin barely saved. \nThe Hoosier loss in the final Big Ten game of the season dropped them to 13-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten, while Penn State completed an undefeated conference season and won the Big Ten regular season title outright. \n"It was such a tough loss, but we feel like there was nothing else we could have done," said senior Nikki Orciuch. "We played one of our best games, but because we weren't able to put one more goal in the back of the net, we don't have that championship. It doesn't represent how well we played."\nSunday, the Hoosiers wrapped up the regular season schedule with a 4-0 victory against Miami University (Ohio). In addition to being the last game of the season, it was also Senior Day, as Bashore, Orciuch, Wiler, Morgan Albini, Mallory Reabold and Ryan Woolsey were honored before the start of their last home game. "We didn't want Friday's game to bring us down, and we wanted to end our first losing streak and end the season with a win, and we were able to go out there and do that," Reabold said. \nFor co-captain Bashore, Sunday's victory was a little bittersweet.\n"It's a little sad to play your last home game, but we knew our season would continue, and that this weekend wouldn't be our last," Bashore said. \nMeeuwsen led the Hoosiers Sunday with two goals, while Schrott and Orciuch each added one. IU finished the regular season with an 8-1 record at home. \n"With the six seniors being honored, we had to make sure their last game was a good one," Robertson said. "They have been at the core of building this program, and they're the only reason we're where we are. We can take this win and use it as momentum when we get ready for the Big Ten tournament"