ONLINE ONLY: Poor showing ends season for Hoosiers

Despite a strong effort, the No. 3 seed Hoosiers ended their season with two unexpected losses and one final win at the Eastern Division Championships.\nAs IU (20-16) entered the championships having beat all teams except Michigan, IU coach Barry King did not expect to fall to seventh place.\n“We didn’t play well – it was part of a downward trend we’ve had for the last month,” King said. “We will have to take some time and reflect on why that happened.”\nKing said the young team had a tough time adapting to a competitive post-season.\n“We had a lot of people who were playing this kind of championship tournament for the first time,” he said. “The team didn’t realize people come in with a lot of determination, and we were surprised with how we weren’t able to perform.”\nThe Hoosiers lost in the first round to Maryland by a score of 13-11. Despite four goals from sophomore Kelly Palmberg, the Hoosiers were unable to finish on a high note.\nIU then faced Brown University, hoping to secure its spot in fifth place. Senior Brooke Zimmerman scored a hat trick. However, Zimmerman alone could not pull the Hoosiers ahead, and they were defeated with a final score of 14-10. \nIU was able to come off of two tough losses and triumph over Mercyhurst College 15-3. Zimmerman scored another goal, improving her season total to 77 goals, beating Indiana’s single-season record, which she set last season.\nAlthough it was not an ideal end to the season for the Hoosiers, Zimmerman remains positive about the end of her career.\n“It is a disappointment to lose the first game,” she said. “But we still got to finish the tournament and play with character and class and represent us for who we are.”\nSenior Brittany Estrada said the Hoosiers’ lack of experience hurt them this weekend.\n“It’s hard having a young team,” Estrada said. “It’s a long season, and it’s something that isn’t easy to get used to coming out of high school. I couldn’t ask for a better team to play with though. I love these girls, but it’s just the way things ended up working out.”\nEstrada only has one piece of advice for the team she will leave behind.\n“Always play with your heart and play for the girls next to you because your team is everything,” she said. “These are a great group of girls, and I am positive they will do very well in the next couple of years.”