Field hockey falls on Senior Day

Despite second-half goals by junior back Brenna Moeljadi and freshman forward Mariella Grote in a span of a minute, the IU field hockey team could not muster a comeback and fell 5-2 to No. 12 Michigan on Saturday.

Grote dedicated her goal to her sister, senior forward Lena Grote, who was one of four seniors honored on Senior Day.

“I wanted to play for them. I wanted to lift everyone up,” Grote said. “That goal, that exact technique, is Lena’s goal. They now call it the Grote Goal. It’s awesome to do that’s something else for her to see on her last home game.”

The scoreboard reading did not correlate to how well the Hoosiers played – during the second half, according to assistant coach Kelly Doton.

“The last 26 minutes of the game are hopefully a lead-in to what the Big Tens are going to bring,” Doton said. “This team has potential. It’s just are they going to show up and do it?

“The scoreboard isn’t a good reflection of the way this game ended. The intensity and the urgency the last half of that second half is what we were looking for the whole time.”

Coach Amy Robertson was not on the sideline due to an incident last weekend against Ball State.

Robertson praised her coaching staff.

“They take ownership every day,” she said. “We all work together. It’s a democracy. I have an excellent staff with a ton of experience. They’re very dedicated and intelligent.”

In the first half, Michigan outshot IU 11-2 and earned a 6-1 advantage in penalty corners. Michigan took a 3-0 lead into halftime. About eight-and-a-half minutes into the second half, Michigan scored its fourth goal.

Michigan added a fifth goal on a penalty corner to dash any Hoosier ambitions to complete a rally.