Field Hockey tops Ball State 2-0 at new home field

The IU field hockey team knew it would be in for a tough battle against Ball State this weekend, but it didn’t know it would also have to battle Mother Nature. \nIn the end, the Hoosiers weathered both storms, overcoming a feisty Cardinal squad and a second-half downpour to earn a 2-0 victory Saturday afternoon at the IU Field Hockey Field. \nIU was holding a 1-0 lead with just more than ten minutes left in the second half when the skies opened and rain started to fall. \n“We’ve never faced anything like that at home,” IU coach Amy Robertson said of the heavy rain. “I think the girls enjoyed playing in the elements, though.”\nThe rain was something new for the Hoosiers, who played indoors at Mellencamp Pavilion for the last seven years before the construction of the new outdoor field. \nThe Hoosiers seemed unfazed by the weather, however, and scored their second goal of the game on the rain-soaked field. Senior forward Kate O’Connell took a pass from senior midfielder Amanda Oyler on a penalty corner and scored to put IU up for good. The rain continued for the rest of the game as IU kept Ball State off the scoreboard to earn the victory. The Hoosiers possessed the ball for most of the game, outshooting the Cardinals 22-9 and earning a 12-1 advantage in penalty corners. \nIn the first half, the Hoosiers had 13 shots and seven penalty corners but were unable to crack the scoreboard. The best opportunity of the half came when IU earned a penalty stroke, but senior midfielder Meredith Brown’s shot hit the left post and bounced away from the goal.\n“In the first half, I thought we made the simple, sound play, which was good,” Robertson said. “We had a lot of opportunities but couldn’t take advantage. I think we need to work on setting up good scoring opportunities with purpose.”\nAfter a scoreless first half, IU broke through for an early second-half goal. Sophomore midfielder Meg O’Connell worked her way down the left side of the field, dribbling past several Ball State defenders before feeding a wide-open Haley Funk for the goal. \n“It was great,” Funk said of the goal. “Meg carried the ball the whole way and made it so much easier for me. I think that goal really lifted the spirit of the team.”\nAfter taking the lead, the Hoosiers’ defense continued its solid play and kept Ball State in check. Senior goalkeeper Haley Exner recorded seven saves in the game.\n“We were pretty happy with our defense,” junior back Danitra Castro said. “I think our organization was good and we did a good job of staying behind the ball.”\nRobertson was also pleased with her team’s effort.\n“We’re happy to take this victory,” Robertson said. “We faced an opponent that was hungry to beat us and played a really good game and still found a way to get a result.”