The gauntlet of Indiana field hockey’s schedule never seems to end. It continued over the weekend, as the Hoosiers packed their bags to face No. 4 Rutgers on the road Oct. 20. The high-powered Scarlet Knights were too much for the Hoosiers to handle, tallying four goals en route to a 4-2 victory.
However, the Hoosiers didn’t roll over in this contest. After two quick goals by the Scarlet Knights in the first 11 minutes, the Hoosiers fought back with a goal of their own in the first period by freshman forward Theresa Ricci. The goal marked the first of the freshman’s career.
After a defensive stalemate in the second period, with zero corners and just four total shots, the Hoosiers were able to restrain the pressure from the Scarlet Knights in the third period and apply their own. The two teams traded blows with five shots a piece. The Hoosiers tallied a goal off a penalty corner thanks to sophomore back Kylie Dawson to tie the game at two.
The Hoosiers could not carry this momentum into the fourth period, as they were outshot by Rutgers 6-0, leading to two unanswered goals by the Scarlet Knights to give them the victory.
The Hoosiers then traveled to College Park to square off against No. 9 Maryland on Oct. 22, where they fell 2-1. Maryland’s Margot Lawn started the goal scoring early, notching a goal in the ninth minute to put the Terrapins up 1-0.
Indiana began to increase the pressure on the Maryland defense in the second period, outshooting the Terps 5-1, along with 3-0 on corners. The significant wins in the possession battle didn’t amount to a goal.
The Hoosiers were able to get into the scoring column in the third period thanks to junior midfielder Sofia Arrebola Garcia’s first goal of the season. Maryland quickly responded with a goal of its own to put it ahead, and never looked back.
Indiana’s fourth period struggles from Friday’s game against Rutgers continued, totaling just one shot in the final period. There were plenty of missed opportunities that could’ve changed the outcome in favor of the Hoosiers, as they outshot the Terps for the game 12-10, along with winning the corner battle 9-6.
These two losses have dropped the Hoosiers to 5-12 on the season and 0-7 in Big Ten play. They will look for their first Big Ten win since Sept. 30, 2022, when the Hoosiers face off against Penn State at home Oct. 27, before closing out the season at home against Kent State University on Oct. 29. The Hoosiers will look to end their five-game losing streak next weekend to avoid their worst season since 2019.
Follow reporter Matt Rudella (@mattrudellaIDS) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
