Field Hockey Season Preview: Forwards
8/23/2017 5:06:00 PM | Field Hockey
The Hoosiers’ deepest unit hopes to light up the scoreboard in 2017
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. – Experience is everything in NCAA Field Hockey, and Indiana's forward line has enough to go around.
The group has four of Indiana's six seniors. Returning starters Maddie Latino and Taylor Pearson will be primary targets for their teammates. Abby Urbanek and Cameron Gibson moved up from the midfield after head coach Amanda Janney noticed their goal-scoring capabilities in the preseason.
So the solutions are in place, but it's always a challenge in the Big Ten and against top tier out-of-conference opponents to put the ball past the goal line.
Latino, Indiana's active leading scorer, expects a lot of looks from her teammates, but that's no different from season's past. Latino led Indiana's final goal tally in 2015 as a sophomore, and last season she scored three times with eight assists (2nd – Team). The Louisville, Kentucky standout was named to the Big Ten's preseason honors list as one of the players to watch across the conference in 2017.
Pearson brings a unique style of play that has proven effective in distribution and one-on-one situations, both in the wide midfield and as a wing of the forward line. The senior captain has 13 career goals, one shy of Latino, scoring eight in a breakout 2016 season. Four times last year she scored or created more than one goal, a testament to her explosiveness on the attack.
Urbanek and Gibson turned heads in the preseason, motivating their move up front. The senior duo provided support in the Hoosiers' second line last season, with Urbanek notching an assist. Gibson and Urbanek have a combined 54 appearances in their careers.
Junior Claire Woods returned to the turf last spring after missing the 2016 season to injury, and the Hoosiers instantly realized what they were missing. Woods is a quick spark on the field and showed a great deal of creativity in the offseason, scoring twice in the scrimmage win over Ball State last weekend. Woods scored once with two assists as a freshman in 2015, and she aims to be a regular feature in the Indiana lineup.
Sam Scire and Sheridan Weiss are two sophomores looking to make an impact now that they've gained experience at the collegiate level. Scire played in all 20 games last year and led the forwards in shots-on-frame efficiency (.875), scoring a goal in the season opener against Louisville. The Hoosiers anticipate the goals to keep coming from Scire, who reached triple-digit figures in her prep career. Weiss made five appearances as a freshman last year but has shown an increasing level of comfort with the ball at her stick this preseason.
The only pure forward of Janney's incoming class, Bente Buwalda has the potential to be a major impact in her first season. The Utrecht, Netherlands forward was the top scorer at Hockeyclub SCHC under the watchful eye of former USA Field Hockey coach Janneke Schopman. She's won national and European championships at the prep and club level, and field hockey runs in her family. This preseason she featured in the starting lineup, scoring a hat trick in the 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
Midfielders – Preview
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Experience is everything in NCAA Field Hockey, and Indiana's forward line has enough to go around.
The group has four of Indiana's six seniors. Returning starters Maddie Latino and Taylor Pearson will be primary targets for their teammates. Abby Urbanek and Cameron Gibson moved up from the midfield after head coach Amanda Janney noticed their goal-scoring capabilities in the preseason.
So the solutions are in place, but it's always a challenge in the Big Ten and against top tier out-of-conference opponents to put the ball past the goal line.
Latino, Indiana's active leading scorer, expects a lot of looks from her teammates, but that's no different from season's past. Latino led Indiana's final goal tally in 2015 as a sophomore, and last season she scored three times with eight assists (2nd – Team). The Louisville, Kentucky standout was named to the Big Ten's preseason honors list as one of the players to watch across the conference in 2017.
Pearson brings a unique style of play that has proven effective in distribution and one-on-one situations, both in the wide midfield and as a wing of the forward line. The senior captain has 13 career goals, one shy of Latino, scoring eight in a breakout 2016 season. Four times last year she scored or created more than one goal, a testament to her explosiveness on the attack.
Urbanek and Gibson turned heads in the preseason, motivating their move up front. The senior duo provided support in the Hoosiers' second line last season, with Urbanek notching an assist. Gibson and Urbanek have a combined 54 appearances in their careers.
Junior Claire Woods returned to the turf last spring after missing the 2016 season to injury, and the Hoosiers instantly realized what they were missing. Woods is a quick spark on the field and showed a great deal of creativity in the offseason, scoring twice in the scrimmage win over Ball State last weekend. Woods scored once with two assists as a freshman in 2015, and she aims to be a regular feature in the Indiana lineup.
Sam Scire and Sheridan Weiss are two sophomores looking to make an impact now that they've gained experience at the collegiate level. Scire played in all 20 games last year and led the forwards in shots-on-frame efficiency (.875), scoring a goal in the season opener against Louisville. The Hoosiers anticipate the goals to keep coming from Scire, who reached triple-digit figures in her prep career. Weiss made five appearances as a freshman last year but has shown an increasing level of comfort with the ball at her stick this preseason.
The only pure forward of Janney's incoming class, Bente Buwalda has the potential to be a major impact in her first season. The Utrecht, Netherlands forward was the top scorer at Hockeyclub SCHC under the watchful eye of former USA Field Hockey coach Janneke Schopman. She's won national and European championships at the prep and club level, and field hockey runs in her family. This preseason she featured in the starting lineup, scoring a hat trick in the 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
Midfielders – Preview
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Field Hockey
Forward
/ Field Hockey
Forward/Midfield
/ Field Hockey
Forward/Midfield
/ Field Hockey
Forward
/ Field Hockey
Forward
/ Field Hockey
Forward/Midfield
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