It was another successful weekend for Indiana field hockey as the team went 2-0 to extend its win streak to five games, the most wins in a row since the team’s 2014 season. Indiana improved its overall record to 5-2 after beating Ball State University on Friday and Bellarmine University on Sunday at the IU Field Hockey Complex.
The weekend slate started against familiar in-state foe Ball State. Before Friday’s matchup, Indiana faced Ball State in an exhibition matchup on Aug. 19, where Indiana won 3-0.
In the matchup on Friday, Indiana's offense flourished as all five goals were scored by different players, and the team finished with 19 shots to Ball State’s 10 shots.
In the first period, freshman forward Anna Mozeleski, who was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week last week, found the net off of a penalty corner in the 11th minute. In the second period, the Hoosiers scored back-to-back goals to go up 3-0. Sophomore defender Yip Van Wonderen and junior forward Meghan Dillon scored within a minute of each other just before the end of the first half.
After the break, it was all Indiana. Following a scoreless third quarter, sophomore forward Kayla Kiwak and sophomore midfielder Sofia Arrebola Garcia finished the game off late in the fourth quarter for the 5-0 final.
Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Arobella Loveridge recorded the second shutout of her career against the Cardinals. She totaled six saves in the win.
Historically, the Hoosiers have performed well against the Cardinals, and they continued that success on Friday, improving their head-to-head record to 15-5 with the win. Following the 5-0 shutout win to start the weekend, the Hoosiers continued to build on their win streak.
[Related: Indiana field hockey wins all three games over weekend in California]
Two days later, Indiana clashed with Bellarmine for a rainy Sunday afternoon matchup. Bellarmine entered the match 0-5, coming off of a 0-3 loss against James Madison University on Saturday.
Bellarmine started off hot in the first period. In the 7th minute, sophomore forward Marit van der Bend zipped a goal past Indiana's defense to open up the scoring. Near the close of the first quarter, van der Bend scored her second goal of the match to give her team the early 2-1 lead.
After a 30-minute weather delay at the end of the first period, play continued between the two teams. To begin the second period, Bellarmine continued to impress. In the 25th minute, senior forward Amber Hofenk Jerembo scored to give Bellarmine a 3-1 lead. However, Bellarmine's lead quickly vanished.
After a slow first half by Indiana, things quickly changed after the break. Indiana’s star junior forward Jemima Cookson opened the second half with a score just a minute into the third quarter to tie the game back up. Moments later, junior midfielder Sydney Keld scored her first goal of the season off of a penalty corner for the go-ahead goal. Keld’s goal was the Hoosiers’ second in just five minutes.
Indiana kept its offensive pace and ended with five unanswered goals since the first period. After Keld put the Hoosiers up 4-3, Cookson and Dillon logged two more goals for the 6-3 win.
Indiana head coach Kayla Bashore praised her team's come-from-behind effort postgame.
“They wanted to have a different outcome and they responded,” Bashore said.
After this weekend, Indiana sits at 5-2 overall. The team’s next matchup is against No. 6 Iowa at 5 p.m. in Iowa City on Friday.
