Field Hockey Season Preview: Midfielders
8/22/2017 8:57:00 PM | Field Hockey
The sparks from last year’s freshman class seek a breakout 2017 campaign
As the 2017 regular season rapidly approaches, IUHoosiers.com will take an in-depth look at the position groups of this season's Indiana Field Hockey team.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The two-year yields of head coach Amanda Janney's recruiting will be evident in the midfielders on Indiana's 2017 field hockey team.
With the departure of a trio of longtime starters—Mollie Getzfread, Morgan Dye, and All-American Kate Barber—the Hoosiers will have a load of turnover in their midfield this season. But Janney's solution lies in a group of sophomores who started much of last season and Taylor Swope, a junior who found the starting lineup by season's end.
Swope made an appearance in all 20 games last year with five starts, one of which was the Hoosiers' upset win over Northwestern. The junior tossed an assist last season in a win at Central Michigan before scoring her first career goal at Miami. After entering the starting lineup at the end of last season, Swope looks to make an impact from day one. She's also entered the rotation as a stopper on Indiana's newly formed attack corner unit.
Joining Swope as a returning starter are Kelsey Giese and Ciara Girouard. Both started all 20 games of their freshman seasons and are poised to make their mark as some of the top underclassmen in the Big Ten.
Girouard earned a spot on the Big Ten's preseason watch list after a promising rookie campaign, during which she scored four goals on the forward line. This year she'll move back to an attacking midfield role last occupied by Barber, who scored 18 goals in 2016.
Giese was another exciting freshman that regularly featured in the wide midfield for Indiana. She slotted an assist to Taylor Pearson in the Hoosiers' first Big Ten win over Rutgers, and forced overtime against Iowa with a late goal. Giese has improved her hitting power over the offseason, something she already had a great deal of when she first stepped on campus.
Sophomore Andi Jackson returns to the midfield after becoming a recurring starter last season, but this year she slides into the center. Jackson was the Hoosiers' most improved player last season and provides a reliable source of transition defense and link-up play on the offense. Her fellow sophomores, Grace Sensenig and Jessica Morford, add depth to the holding midfielders as they aim for breakout sophomore years.
The incoming class has provided a spark to this year's preseason training as well. Rylee Pearson, a regarded prospect from North Vancouver, British Columbia, earned a high percentage of minutes with the first team and could debut as a day one starter out wide. Claire Dickinson, who won Kentucky's Miss Field Hockey last year, has also found a home in the wide midfield. Savannah Bucher aims to provide a spark in the middle alongside Hanna Zarrilli, who notched a goal in the Hoosiers' preseason scrimmage win over Saint Louis.
With the announcement of the NFHCA's preseason polls, the Hoosiers' opening weekend slate becomes historic. It's the first time in IU Field Hockey history that the Hoosiers open the year with two top-10 opponents, as they'll face No. 9 Louisville before taking on No. 3 Delaware. The season's opening pushback against the Cardinals, also known as the "Battle of the Border", will commence at 2:00 p.m. ET on Friday, August 25. The next day at 1:00 p.m., Indiana will encounter the defending NCAA Champion Blue Hens at Trager Stadium.
Follow Indiana Field Hockey on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter.
#GoIU
Additional Previews:
Goalkeepers – Preview
Defenders – Preview
Forwards – 8/23
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The two-year yields of head coach Amanda Janney's recruiting will be evident in the midfielders on Indiana's 2017 field hockey team.
With the departure of a trio of longtime starters—Mollie Getzfread, Morgan Dye, and All-American Kate Barber—the Hoosiers will have a load of turnover in their midfield this season. But Janney's solution lies in a group of sophomores who started much of last season and Taylor Swope, a junior who found the starting lineup by season's end.
Swope made an appearance in all 20 games last year with five starts, one of which was the Hoosiers' upset win over Northwestern. The junior tossed an assist last season in a win at Central Michigan before scoring her first career goal at Miami. After entering the starting lineup at the end of last season, Swope looks to make an impact from day one. She's also entered the rotation as a stopper on Indiana's newly formed attack corner unit.
Joining Swope as a returning starter are Kelsey Giese and Ciara Girouard. Both started all 20 games of their freshman seasons and are poised to make their mark as some of the top underclassmen in the Big Ten.
Girouard earned a spot on the Big Ten's preseason watch list after a promising rookie campaign, during which she scored four goals on the forward line. This year she'll move back to an attacking midfield role last occupied by Barber, who scored 18 goals in 2016.
Giese was another exciting freshman that regularly featured in the wide midfield for Indiana. She slotted an assist to Taylor Pearson in the Hoosiers' first Big Ten win over Rutgers, and forced overtime against Iowa with a late goal. Giese has improved her hitting power over the offseason, something she already had a great deal of when she first stepped on campus.
Sophomore Andi Jackson returns to the midfield after becoming a recurring starter last season, but this year she slides into the center. Jackson was the Hoosiers' most improved player last season and provides a reliable source of transition defense and link-up play on the offense. Her fellow sophomores, Grace Sensenig and Jessica Morford, add depth to the holding midfielders as they aim for breakout sophomore years.
The incoming class has provided a spark to this year's preseason training as well. Rylee Pearson, a regarded prospect from North Vancouver, British Columbia, earned a high percentage of minutes with the first team and could debut as a day one starter out wide. Claire Dickinson, who won Kentucky's Miss Field Hockey last year, has also found a home in the wide midfield. Savannah Bucher aims to provide a spark in the middle alongside Hanna Zarrilli, who notched a goal in the Hoosiers' preseason scrimmage win over Saint Louis.
With the announcement of the NFHCA's preseason polls, the Hoosiers' opening weekend slate becomes historic. It's the first time in IU Field Hockey history that the Hoosiers open the year with two top-10 opponents, as they'll face No. 9 Louisville before taking on No. 3 Delaware. The season's opening pushback against the Cardinals, also known as the "Battle of the Border", will commence at 2:00 p.m. ET on Friday, August 25. The next day at 1:00 p.m., Indiana will encounter the defending NCAA Champion Blue Hens at Trager Stadium.
Follow Indiana Field Hockey on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter.
#GoIU
Additional Previews:
Goalkeepers – Preview
Defenders – Preview
Forwards – 8/23
Players Mentioned
Defender/Midfield
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Midfield/Forward
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Forward/Midfield
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Defender/Midfield
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Midfield/Forward
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Midfield
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Midfield/Defender
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Midfield
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Midfield/Forward
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Forward/Midfield
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Midfield
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Midfield
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Midfield
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