No. 14 IU to battle Northwestern on road, New Hampshire at home

The No. 14 Hoosiers (7-1) will begin their Big Ten season and look to extend their seven-game winning streak this weekend when they take on two different schools of Wildcats.\nFriday, IU plays against the Northwestern University Wildcats in Evanston, Ill., Friday and returns for Sunday afternoon's battle with the Wildcats of the University of New Hampshire in Mellencamp Pavilion at 1 p.m.\nBoth of the Hoosiers' opponents this weekend share a mascot, but their name is about all they have in common. IU will take on Northwestern (5-4) in the Hoosiers' Big Ten season opener. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 5-2, but the Hoosiers have had the upper hand recently, winning the last two contests.\n"To date, right now, absolutely, this is our most important game of the year," IU coach Amy Robertson said. "Northwestern has had a very solid style for the past few years. Even under a change of leadership ... they play very good defensively and are disciplined."\nWith wins coming in their last seven games, the Hoosiers will look to continue the streak this weekend. The high expectations don't have the Hoosiers losing any sleep.\n"There's no extra pressure, just extra excitement," senior midfielder Rachel Telian said. "Every Big Ten game is a big deal. It's such a strong conference, and you have to be ready for every opponent."\nThe strength of the conference is just one of the intangibles that make Big Ten play different to the Hoosiers.\n"It brings the competition up a notch," Robertson said. "Every game is so important. It's hard to describe; it's extra excitement. The game counts -- it really counts."\nDespite the seven-game winning streak, Robertson still sees room for improvement for her team. Robertson noted the team is taking too many shots and not scoring enough and struggling at times converting penalty strokes.\n"We've been getting a lot of opportunities, but there are going to be games when we don't get as many opportunities," she said.\nSunday's game for the Hoosiers is against the New Hampshire Wildcats (1-6), who the Hoosiers defeated in their season opener last year, 3-1. New Hampshire has struggled so far this season, with its only win against Harvard University, 2-1 in overtime.\nThe Hoosiers aren't focusing on their opponents' records or statistics. The team is going in with the mind-set that its play will be the biggest factor affecting the contest's outcome.\n"We said at the beginning of the week we were going to focus on ourselves," freshman back Lucy Ireland said. "We like to play our game as opposed to adjusting to what they do."\nWhat Ireland and her team have been focusing on is the team's new press, which forces the Hoosiers to play more aggressively than they were earlier in the season.\n"We still have the same idea to not let people receive, but we're also cutting off more passes," Telian said. "We're trying to leave them flustered so they turn it over."\nPlaying an aggressive style, the Hoosiers will need their health this weekend in order to produce favorable results. Robertson and her training staff were urging the team to drink plenty of liquids, eat plenty of Vitamin C and get plenty of rest to avoid and combat seasonal illnesses.\n"A few of us have fevers, and the rest of us are sick in one way or another," Ireland said, who also noted there was a "team bug going around."\nRobertson doesn't think the team's small bout with the cold will have any affect on this weekend's contests.\n"Right now we want them to rest and give them every opportunity to be 100 percent, but come game day, no matter how they are feeling that day, I know they'll be ready to play," she said.