No. 14 Hoosiers extend win streak to 7

After her team's 3-0 victory against the University of Maine Sunday, after she gave her post-game speech to her team and after she received multiple congratulations from friends and families of the Hoosiers, IU coach Amy Robertson proudly summed up her team's play this weekend.\n"Today, we played IU field hockey," Robertson said.\nWhile that might sound overly simple, the way Robertson defines "IU field hockey" tells the entire story.\n"We played with a lot of confidence. We moved the ball. We made a lot of quick decisions and trusted them. A lot of people stepped up today," she said.\nWith their shutout victory against Maine Sunday, the No. 14 Hoosiers extended their winning streak to seven games. The win follows an overtime victory against Central Michigan Friday.\nTrailing nearly the entire game, the Hoosiers looked as though they would be unable to score against the Chippewas' defense, despite an abundance of opportunities.\n"Our backs were against the wall," Robertson said. "The more time that went by, the more confidence our opponents gained. The more shots we missed, the more we got that feeling, 'What else can we do?'"\nThat changed in the 66th minute, when All-American senior forward Lydia Schrott scored to send the contest to overtime.\n"Our team responded. The more pressure, the better we played. We played with more poise the more pressure there was, which is incredible since it's usually the other way," Robertson said.\nIn the overtime period, the Hoosiers continued to dominate the possession battle. Tired and worn out, the Hoosiers were desperate to end the game with a victory. Senior back Meredith Brown granted her team's wishes by ending the game in the 81st minute with a goal off a penalty stroke.\n"She was thinking, 'I am so tired, and I don't want to run anymore, so I'll just put this goal in the net.' You could see it," Robertson said.\nAdmitting to being very tired, Brown said, "Penalty strokes are all about confidence. I just walked up and thought we really had to win this game."\nThe Hoosiers had a less stressful path to victory Sunday against the Black Bears. Senior back Morgan Miller scored an unassisted goal in the sixth minute, and the Hoosiers were able to relax and work on their newly implemented press.\n"I felt like everything clicked today," sophomore Danitra Castro said. "From the backs to the midfielders to the forwards, we really put it together today."\nAfter struggling to finish earlier this season, IU made a specific effort this weekend to play more aggressively. The Hoosiers accomplished that without giving up their discipline.\n"We were confident and taking a lot more chances, but they were smart chances," Brown said. "We were able to play with a lot of poise and connected as a team."\nThe Hoosiers utilized their depth Sunday while playing their exhausting aggressive style. Eight Hoosier substitutes played, including freshman Haley Funk, who scored in the first half.\nBrown, who is a tri-captain for the Hoosiers, praised her team's depth and ability to replace one another.\n"The great thing about this team is, if we take one player off the field and put another one on -- you don't notice," Brown said.\nBrown's coach also thought the depth of her team factored in to their victory, knowing the depth enables her team to play aggressively.\n"I wanted to see them in there giving 100 percent," Robertson said. "When you get tired, you make mistakes. Plus, we have a young squad, and I want to give these players some experience."\nThe Hoosiers travel to Evanston, Ill., Friday where they will take on Northwestern in the Big Ten season opener.