IU field hockey splits pair of weekend home games

After losing two of their last three games, the IU field hockey team had an opportunity to record two big wins this weekend in front of home fans at the IU Field Hockey Field.\nThe Hoosiers were impressive in a 2-1 win over Miami University of Ohio on Friday, but fell to No. 9 Penn State 2-0 on Sunday.\nAgainst Miami, IU controlled most of the game after charging out to a 2-0 lead only 10 minutes in. \n“I think we knew we had to step it up as a team, and we got back to playing Hoosier hockey,” IU coach Amy Robertson said. “I think we took more control and were more proactive in our approach.”\nIU outshot Miami 21-10 on the game and earned a 10-5 advantage in penalty corners. \n“We had good goal-scoring opportunities the whole game and took a lot more shots,” Robertson said. “We were aggressive and we took smart risks.” \nSenior midfielder Amanda Oyler scored the first goal for the Hoosiers off a penalty corner, and sophomore midfielder Meg O’Connell scored minutes later off of a pass from freshman back Brenna Moeljadi. \nMoeljadi earned her first start of the season and made the most of the opportunity. \n“It felt amazing being out on the field as a freshman,” she said. “I put in a lot of effort in practice and during the preseason. It was just nice to be able to contribute for the team.”\nAfter holding a 2-0 halftime lead, the Hoosiers gave up a second half goal to the Redhawks, but hung on for the 2-1 victory.\n“I feel really good about this win,” Robertson said after the game. “Not just because it was a win, but because of how \nwe played.”\nAgainst Penn State, IU was the team that fell behind in the first half. The Nittany Lions made the most of their first half opportunities, scoring two goals on only four shot attempts and one penalty corner.\n“I thought we had good control on offense in the first half,” Robertson said. “We just needed to tighten up the defense a little more and get more organized.”\nIn the second half, Penn State wore down the Hoosiers with their aggressive play, and IU was unable to score a goal in their comeback effort.\n“I was really impressed with how Penn State kept the pressure on us the whole game,” Robertson said. “They just kept fighting and were very aggressive and very physical. I think eventually, our fatigue caught up with us.”\nThe loss brings IU’s record to 6-6 overall and 0-3 in the Big Ten. After three close Big Ten losses, the Hoosiers haven’t lost their focus.\n“We’ve been competing well against really good competition,” senior midfielder Meredith Brown said. “We’re just going to go out and play our hardest every game and work on being ready to surprise some teams at the Big Ten tournament.”