Instead, IU dropped to below .500 for the first time since Sept. 18 after losses to Michigan State (5-8) and No. 1 Syracuse (13-0).
IU outplayed Michigan State but fell 3-2 in overtime in a game that could have benefited the team in the conference standings.
“I think our effort was all-out, but we weren’t as smart with certain things,” junior midfielder Mollie Getzfread said. “We played different than we normally do in certain situations, and it didn’t pay off.”
Sophomore midfielder Maddie Latino scored both goals in the overtime defeat. Latino put the Hoosiers up 1-0 in the 21st minute, after she moved into the circle and found the back of the cage.
The Spartans quickly struck back with two goals of their own minutes later. IU attempted to implement an offensive press near the end of the first half to knot the game up but wound up trailing at halftime 2-1.
As time ran out in the second half, the Hoosiers found themselves still trailing despite out-shooting the Spartans.
It wasn’t until the 62nd minute that freshman midfielder Claire Woods placed a dart on the stick of Latino in the semi-circle, as Latino placed her shot in the back of the cage for her second goal of the game.
“Her scrappiness in the circle was great,” IU Coach Amanda Janney said about Latino. “She responded to our challenge for her in coming off the bench, and did a great job creating opportunities.”
Heading into the extra period, Michigan State had just four shots on goal. The Spartans blitzed the Hoosier defense with three shots in the first two minutes of overtime, resulting in the game winning goal.
“The team did a great job, and they fought hard to get back in the game,” Janney said. “It was a positive for us to win the second half.”
Syracuse showed why it is the No. 1 team in the country early in the first half, when Liz Sack scored for the Orange five minutes into the game.
The Orange added another goal with three minutes remaining before halftime, out-shooting the Hoosiers 18-1 in the first half.
IU showed signs of control early in the second half, scoring off its second penalty corner of the game.
Latino took the corner resulting in junior Kate Barber ripping a shot toward the goal off the stick of Latino to cut the deficit to 2-1.
“I think we picked it up a lot more in the second half and we got used to their style,” Latino said. “Then we implemented our style and you could see on Syracuse’s faces and the way that they were getting frustrated.”
The Hoosier defense held the Orange to just six shots in the second half, including a defensive save by senior Sydney Supica to keep the Hoosiers in the game, tallying her third defensive save of the game.
Syracuse added a third goal late to secure the victory over the Hoosiers.
IU will head back on the road next Friday, as it faces Ohio State (7-5) before coming back home Sunday to take on Penn State (5-8), two big conference games in regards to IU’s seeding in the conference tournament.
“The team fought really hard today and played intense and with a level of urgency that we need every game,” Janney said. “There’s a lot of positives that came out of today, playing a talented team like that, the team did a good job to match the level of speed and really compete.”
