Field hockey swept in weekend games

The Hoosiers wrapped up the away portion of their schedule this weekend, suffering a disappointing sweep at the hands of No. 9 Michigan State and Ball State.

“We didn’t play the way we hoped to play,” coach Amy Robertson said. “Overall, we were feeling a lack of confidence. We have some injuries that kind of forced our hand and changing up the way we are comfortable playing. We were just not in sync and didn’t finish.”

The Hoosiers played the Spartans to a scoreless draw in the first half despite Michigan State’s holding an 11-1 advantage in shots. IU junior goalkeeper Becky Pany recorded six saves in the half. The Hoosiers bent but did not break.

“The first half was pretty defensive for us. We didn’t let any goals in,” senior midfielder Kelsey Kiper said. “That was a positive coming out of halftime.”

Twenty-nine seconds into the second half, the Spartans got on the scoreboard.
Kiper said the Hoosiers reacted well to that goal.

“We had a pretty good mindset,” she said. “We really started putting the pressure on them. We did get a lot more offensive plays.”

However, Michigan State tallied an insurance goal in the 65th minute to ice a 2-0 victory.

IU had to respond quickly, as less than 24 hours later the team took the field in Muncie to play the Cardinals. Again, IU played a scoreless first half. This time, the Hoosiers scored first in the 45th minute with a goal by sophomore forward Morgan Fleetwood. Kiper and junior midfielder Kristy McFadden earned assists on the score.

About 16 minutes later, the Cardinals drew the score even.

With less than four minutes remaining in the second half, IU experienced a delay in play for the first time this season.

After a 25 minute lightning delay, play resumed. Ball State attempted three shots on goal. None were converted, and the Hoosiers played overtime once again.

IU had compiled a 3-0 record in overtime heading into the match. Robertson was confident her team would continue in its unbeaten ways.

“I was really confident,” Robertson said. “I thought, ‘No problem! This is great. Our seven against their seven. We’ve been here before.’ We had opportunities.”

The Cardinals and Hoosiers played one scoreless overtime session. In the second session, Ball State converted a penalty corner and took the game 2-1.

“A loss is a loss,” Kiper said. “We have to take it with a grain of salt and use it as momentum going into the next game.”

The Hoosiers play host to Michigan on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Senior Day. Kiper said the adjustments needed for IU to earn a victory in the regular-season finale are mental.

“We have to trust in ourselves and in our teammates,” Kiper said. “We have the skill. We just don’t trust ourselves that we have the skill. We have all the tools. We need to learn how to use them going into the last game and the postseason.”