Field hockey ready for tough games this weekend

This weekend, the IU field hockey team will face its toughest challenge so far this season when it welcomes two top-15 teams to Bloomington. The Hoosiers will face No. 12 Ohio at 3 p.m. today and No. 5 Wake Forest at 1 p.m. Sunday at the IU field hockey field.\n“This will be a really exciting weekend for us,” IU coach Amy Robertson said. “We are facing two of the top teams in the country and we are at home. I think the timing is right.”\nThe Hoosiers are fresh off a 2-0 victory over Ball State on Saturday, in which senior goalkeeper Haley Exner earned her seventh career shutout. After making a season high seven saves against the Cardinals, Exner earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors. \nExner and the IU defense will be tested this weekend, beginning Friday with Ohio. \n“Ohio returns a lot of good players, and they are off to one of their best starts,” Robertson said. “They are really good on their attack corners, and they have girls who have been in the same role for a couple of years. Overall, they are just a smart and solid team throughout.”\nThe IU players are looking forward to facing a tough Bobcats squad.\n“I think we consider Ohio to be one of our rivals because of how close we are to them,” senior back Erin Isler said. “It’s friendly and fun, but I think we are going to be fired up.”\nWhen the Hoosiers take on Wake Forest on Sunday afternoon, they will try to get in the win column against a team they have never beaten. \n“Wake Forest has such a great tradition,” Robertson said. “They have great players and a great coaching staff. They play one of the toughest schedules in the country, and they are a team we really respect. We are (winless) against them, so it will definitely be tough.” \nSince 2003, the Hoosiers have lost to the Deamon Deacons four times, including a 5-0 loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2005. \nDespite the tough competition, the Hoosiers remain focused on playing their own game. \n“We haven’t really seen any film on either team,” said senior midfielder Margie Stoll. “We know their key players, but we have been playing a lot and scrimmaging in practice, so we aren’t trying to do a whole lot different.”\nRobertson said attacking on offense will be a key for the Hoosiers over the weekend.\n“I think we want to hold good possession throughout,” she said. “We have to be relentless and persistent in the attacking end. We’ve been getting good opportunities in the circle, but we have to increase our finishing percentage.” \nRobertson also hopes the aggressive mentality will carry over to the defensive side of the field.\n“We want to be confident in the backfield,” she said. “We want to have our opponents with their backs turned towards our goal.”\nEven with a young team, Robertson says the Hoosiers won’t be intimidated by \ntheir opponents’ rankings.\n“We are looking forward to the challenge,” Robertson said. “I think we will really see what we are made of. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about the players being ready for these games.”