Indiana University Athletics
Ball State Dominates Hoosiers
9/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
September 6, 2002
Bloomington, IN - The Indiana women's field hockey team could not find the magic against interstate rival Ball State as the Cardinals picked up a 3-0 victory.
"I thought we played with a lot of intensity today, but we didn't open up enough spaces in the field," Indiana head coach Amy Robertson said. "Ball State did a really good job picking us part, using the width, using the depth. Our structure fell apart a little bit, so I think we just need to fix some little things and I think that will help our develop into our attack. I think we were a little over excited, but it was progress from our Maine game as far as effort and our ability to take more risks. But now we have to still remember the fundamentals and do the simple things."
"It is our opening game and they are really excited to get going," Ball State head coach Jen Halliday said. "On top of that we have been going hard for the whole spring. Our team has improved quite a bit, but so has Indiana. They have made a vast improvement very quickly."
The Cardinals dominated every facet of the game, out shooting the Hoosiers 22-2 and gaining more penalty corners, 10-2.
A major bright spot for the Hoosiers came from senior goalkeeper Molly Pulkrabek. Pulkrabek finished the evening with 12 saves, including stopping a few one-on-one opportunities of the Cardinals.
"Our defense played spectacular from our left back Morgan (Albini) to our center back Akila Jones to our right back Ginna (Irwin)," said Robertson. "And Molly was unbelievable, she was just saving a flurry of shots. The balls that did go in she had no control over and she was in a good position. In my mind she is definitely the Big Ten Player-of-the-Week. On a positive notes our defense was challenged, I think they had 22 shots and we stopped them on 19."
Ball State dominated the first half, out shooting the Hoosiers 12-0. The Cardinals opened the scoring at the 29:53 mark of the first half when Merri McKissock crossed the ball to Jen Strodel. Strodel finished it off by putting the ball past a diving Pulkrabek to put the Cardinals up 1-0.
BSU continued to put the pressure on Pulkrabek, forcing her to make seven saves in the first half. The last of Pulkrabek's saves in the first half was corralled by Ball State's Heather Weinhold. Weinhold put the ball into the back of the net with only 1:11 remaining to give the Cardinals a 2-0 halftime lead.
The score could have been more lopsided had it not been for the play of Pulkrabek in goal and a stopped fast break opportunity by Ginna Irwin. At about the 15-minute mark, Ball State's Allison Haynes took a pass at about the 30-yard line, but was denied by Irwin on her way to the goal.
"I am not ecstatic about the way I played," goalkeeper Molly Pulkrabek said. " I think I could have done a little better, I think everyone can play a little bit better everytime they step on the field. Our team played really hard, they (Ball State) came ready to play. It is a good learning experience for us and we took a lot away from this game."
The best Hoosiers opportunity of the first half came when freshman Nikki Orciuch nearly deflected a long ball from the 40-yard line.
Indiana picked up the intensity in the second half. The Hoosiers showed more aggression picking up two penalty corners 12 minutes into the second half. The Hoosiers first shot came three minutes into the half by Orciuch, but was stopped by BSU's Susan McDowell.
Pulkrabek continued her strong play denying a one-on-one situation by the Cardinals' Kirsty Houghton seven minutes into the second half.
Ball State once again scored off a rebound to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Afton Hess took a BSU shot off a penalty corner, Pulkrabek once again made the save. But much like the second Ball State goal, Merri McKissock took the rebound and put it into the back of the goal at the 49:08.
At about the 58-minute mark, Pulkrabek once again made a spectacular diving one-on-one save off a shot from Ball State's Hayes.
After falling to the Hoosiers last season in Mellencamp Pavilion, the Cardinals returned to picked up the 3-0 victory this season. With the loss, the Hoosiers fell to 1-2, while the Cardinals opened the year 1-0. Indiana will next return to the field when the 20th -ranked Golden Bears of California come to Mellencamp, Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
