Funk keys road win for Hoosiers; No. 6 Iowa comes next

Junior forward Haley Funk is not used to playing on a fast, dry pitch. But when the IU field hockey team was desperate for a score, Funk used the dry turf and bouncy ball to her advantage.

She scored a goal early in the second half to help lead IU (5-3) to a 2-0 victory over Ball State (1-7) Saturday in Muncie.

Hoosier players complained about an unusually dry turf at Ball State that made the ball hard to control and a surface that provided little grip. Most field turfs – including IU’s home turf – are watered to slow down the game and help prevent injuries.

In the 42nd minute, with the score tied at zero, Funk secured the ball while it was bouncing around between both teams near the Cardinals’ goal. She put it past Ball State goalkeeper Tiffany Shifflett for an unassisted goal and a Hoosier lead that would not be relinquished.

“(The goal) happened so fast, I don’t really remember it,” Funk said. “The game was really tough because the turf was so fast and the ball was bouncing around so much.”

Funk contributed to IU’s other goal less than six minutes later, when she assisted sophomore forward Lena Grote, who scored her second goal this season.

Senior forward Katie Kiper said it took the Hoosiers a while to get adjusted.

“We had to play a different game,” she said. “We’re used to playing on a wet surface, and on a dry surface ... that changes the momentum. But our team plays well under pressure. Everybody’s got to figure out what it takes to play to win.”

Dry surface or not, the Hoosiers played sluggishly in the first half for the second game in a row. On Thursday, IU posted a scoreless first half before storming back to beat Pacific 4-3 in overtime.

IU coach Amy Robertson thought her team was trying to do too much in the first half. She noticed many times players were making passes more difficult than they needed to be.  

“It wasn’t a pretty game,” she said. “I thought Ball State did a really good job in the first half. Mentally, we were a little sloppy.”

Robertson was pleased with how her team responded after the intermission.

“In the second half, we took advantages of some opportunities,” she said. “We played more of our game. We didn’t get rattled by the fact that it was 0-0.”

The Saturday afternoon contest ended a season-opening eight-game road swing for the Hoosiers.

The team will now turn its attention to No. 6 Iowa, which will travel to Bloomington for the Hoosiers’ home and conference opener Friday.