Field hockey opens season with exhibition Saturday

The IU field hockey team kicks off its season Saturday with an exhibition game against Louisville.

The two teams previously met last fall, with IU winning 3-2 in overtime. Junior forward Nicole Volgraf, who scored the goal in the 62nd minute against Louisville to send the game into overtime, said the Cardinals will be a good test for the team heading into the season.

“We need to keep our composure,” Volgraf said. “Louisville is a very good team. I think that if we play our game and stick to our structure and press, outlet and have a nose for the goal I think that we will be successful in beating Louisville again this year.”

This weekend’s matchup will provide IU Coach Amy Robertson an opportunity to evaluate the team in a game-like setting. The Hoosiers are looking to replace former leading scorer Morgan Fleetwood, who graduated last year and scored 38 points throughout the season.

During the 2012 season, the second leading scorer, Mariella Grote, accounted for 22 points and will be returning this year.

Grote, a senior forward, said she is optimistic the Hoosiers can replace Fleetwood’s production.

“Assist wise, we are going to need someone to step into that role,” she said. “With the forwards that we have for this season, although they are new, I think they will be really helpful because they are coming from the midfield. I think that we definitely have someone to fill that spot.”

For Saturday’s matchup with Louisville, Grote, like Volgraf, said the biggest key for the game is to keep composure.

“Nerves are something that we need to get rid of,” she said, adding that if the team settles the game down, they should be successful on Saturday. Robertson said the main difference between this year’s team and last year’s is that it is starting out at a faster pace.

“We have a lot more experience,” she said. “We have five players in their fourth year. We lost two really big players, but we have replaced them with six fresh faces.”

Robertson also praised members of the freshman class.

“Our freshman class coming in has a lot of talent, and they are game ready,” Robertson said. “They just need time to adjust to our system and how we do things at IU. I’m really pleased. The freshmen have really helped raise the level.”

Robertson specifically praised forward Morgan Dye, who the coach said will see time on the team’s forward line.

“She is one of the fastest players I have ever coached and she is very athletic,” Robertson said.
When addressing the key factors for this weekend’s matchup, Robertson said the biggest factor is organization and how the team plays in transition.

“We need to keep our structure and really execute some of the things we have been working on in the preseason,” she said. “The biggest priority is our transition game. We need to see how quickly we can recover after losing the ball and how quickly once we gain the ball if we can gain an advantage.”

Follow reporter Dan Matney on Twitter @Dan_Matney.