Indiana University Athletics
Field Hockey Concludes Unforgettable Season
12/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Dec. 16, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.- The 2005 field hockey season was nothing short of remarkable. In only six years, head coach Amy Robertson transformed the newly re-instated IU field hockey into one of the premier programs in the country. Capping off the year with a 17-5 overall record, the 2005 squad not only earned the program's first bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Hoosiers danced their way to the Elite Eight. Led by a core of six determined seniors, 2005 was a season that will not soon be forgotten.
"We had high expectations going into this year, and we were extremely successful in meeting those," Robertson said. "This was the most special season I've ever been a part of in field hockey. It's difficult to come from nowhere and build a program that can compete at the national level. We've put IU on the field hockey map."
Indiana opened the season with a pair of road trips to the East Coast. The Hoosiers defeated New Hampshire, 3-1, on Aug. 27 before topping Northeastern, 3-2, the following day. Against the Huskies, junior Lydia Schrott turned in the program's first hat trick to improve Indiana's record to 2-0. For her impressive performance, Schrott earned her first Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor.
The Hoosiers' four-game road stint continued in North Carolina, where IU beat Appalachian State, 1-0. Senior Lesley Wiler tapped in the game's only goal for the win in the third minute of the game. Two days later, Indiana traveled to Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on the defending national champions, Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons jumped to an early 3-0 lead, but the Hoosiers made the second half a different story, scoring back-to-back goals, falling short of the victory, 4-2. Scoring for the Hoosiers were Wiler and junior back Morgan Miller.
On Sept. 9, the Hoosiers squared off against perennial power Pacific in the season's home opener. Indiana routed the Tigers, 6-0, thanks to USA Field Hockey National Team member Kayla Bashore's first career hat trick and the program's second. Sophomore goalkeeper Haley Exner picked up seven saves off seven shots en route to earning her first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week accolade. Additionally, senior Mallory Reabold registered a pair of goals in the season's second shutout victory of the year.
IU continued its winning ways with victories over Ohio by a score of 4-1 on Sept. 17 and a 3-0 shutout against Missouri State on Sept. 18. After opening the season with a 6-1 record, IU picked up a No. 12 ranking in the first NFHCA poll.
Indiana opened the Big Ten slate with then-No. 6 Michigan State on Sept. 24. The Hoosiers avenged three season-ending losses to the Spartans when sophomore Kate O'Connell scored in the second overtime to give the Hoosiers a 3-2 win. Battling through heat and fatigue, the victory propelled Indiana into the top 10 of the NFHCA poll for the first time in school history and set the tone for what would be a phenomenal season.
Only one day after the stunning upset over Michigan State, Indiana returned to the field to face NAIA foe, Lindenwood. The 6-0 victory marked the team's fourth shutout of the year. Against the Lions, Bashore registered her second career hat trick of the season, while freshman Katie Kiper netted her first goal as a Hoosier.
Indiana hit the road to square off against the season's second Big Ten opponent, Michigan on Sept. 30. IU opened up its conference slate 2-0, by holding the Wolverines scoreless until the last minute of play in a 3-1 victory. Senior Nikki Orciuch, Wiler and Schrott netted goals in the victory. Two days later, the Hoosiers made their way to Kent State and brought home a 5-2 win.
The pair of wins bumped IU up one more slot in the rankings to No. 7 before returning home to face Northwestern on Oct. 8. Led by a pair of goals from Bashore, the Hoosiers remained perfect in league play with a 3-1 triumph.
The only mid-week matchup of the season brought the then-No. 13 Louisville Cardinals to town. In a hard-fought battle, IU pulled out a 3-2 win in the 68th minute by an unassisted goal from Schrott to improve to 12-1.
The Hoosiers traveled to then-No. 9 Ohio State to face one of their toughest opponents of the season. The Buckeyes, who like Indiana were 3-0 in conference action heading into the matchup, gave IU their second double-overtime win of the season. Exner recorded a career-high 16 saves in the 2-1 victory. The 13th win of the season made the 2005 team the winningest team in program history.
Despite getting on the board early from a goal by Bashore, Indiana suffered its first Big Ten loss of the season, falling 2-1 in overtime to then-No. 11 Iowa on Oct. 22.
The Hoosiers' 4-1 conference record put them in contention for a share of the Big Ten regular-season title for the first time heading into the last conference game of the season against No. 6 Penn State. The highly anticipated match between the Big Ten's top two teams lived up to the hype. In front of a record-setting crowd at Mellencamp Pavilion, the Hoosiers played to a 3-3 deadlock in regulation. In the 74th minute, the Nittany Lions snapped the Hoosiers' longest home win streak in history (10 games) in Penn State's 4-3 victory to capture the title.
IU closed out the regular season against Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 30. Indiana tied the single-season record for most shutouts (5) in the 4-0 win. The Hoosiers finished the regular season 14-3 and second in the Big Ten.
The 4-2 conference mark landed the Hoosiers their highest seeding in the Big Ten Championship at No. 2. IU met Northwestern in the first round held at Iowa's Grant Field. Battling back from a 1-0 deficit at the half, the Hoosiers claimed a 2-1 overtime win for their first conference tournament victory. Orciuch and Schrott registered goals in the win.
Indiana faced Ohio State in the second round, and in one of the team's best performances all season, the Hoosiers claimed an impressive 3-1 win with goals from Schrott, Bashore and senior Ryan Woolsey. Exner picked up another seven saves in the victory, propelling IU to another first- the Big Ten Tournament's championship game.
In a nationally-televised championship showdown, the Hoosiers fell behind early to Michigan and were unable to recover, suffering a 3-0 loss. The second-place finish was the best in program history.
Nov. 8, 2005 will go down as a day to be remembered in IU field hockey history. Packed into Bloomington's City Grille for the live selection show, Indiana earned the program's first bid to the NCAA Tournament. Heading into post season play, the Hoosiers boasted an impressive 16-4 record, drawing North Carolina in the opening round.
Facing the No. 5 team in the country at Wake Forest's Kentner Stadium, the Hoosiers only needed five shots to upset the Tar Heels, 3-2. Schrott recorded her second hat trick of the season, and Exner's 13 incredible saves advanced IU to the Elite Eight.
The Hoosiers faced the host in the second round. Unable to overcome the Demon Deacons, IU's historic season came to a close but marked a new beginning for the Indiana field hockey program.
The record books were rewritten in 2005 as the Hoosiers boasted the best season in program history. The 2-1 double overtime thriller against Ohio State on Oct. 14 made this year's squad the winningest team in program history. Individually, Exner became the single-season leader in victories (17) and after the win over Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament (Nov. 4), Exner became the all-time winningest goalkeeper in IU history.
For the season, Schrott led the team in both points (37) and goals (17). Bashore registered 29 points from 12 goals and five assists. Sophomore Meredith Brown recorded a team-high 10 assists, followed by Wiler's eight. In goal, Exner made 22 starts and tallied 138 saves, finishing the year with a goals against average of 2.14 and five shutouts. Freshman goalkeeper Jobi Manson saw action in two contests and recorded three saves on three shots on goal.
Undoubtedly the heart and soul of this year's team, Bashore became the first Hoosier to be selected to both the USA National Field Hockey Team and, along with Reabold, is the first to be named to the North/South Senior All Star game. For the first time in program history, Bashore garnered first team All-America honors, while Schrott picked up second team All-America laurels. More impressively, Bashore earned one of the top national field hockey awards in 2005 by being selected as a semifinalist for the prestigious Honda Award. Guiding her team to a record 17 victories, Robertson earned the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) West Region's Coach of the Year honors.
Along with the many firsts of 2005, the team picked up numerous individual recognitions. Bashore became the first Hoosier to be named Player of the Year by the Big Ten Conference. Additionally, the Shoemakersville, Pa., product earned first team All-Big Ten and All-Region honors for her 12-goal performance this season.
A record four Hoosiers, Exner, Miller and Schrott, garnered first team All-Big Ten and All-Region honors. Combined, the 2005 squad earned four Big Ten Player of the Week honors, two womensfieldhockey.com Player of the Week accolades and a trio of IUHOOSIERS.com Athlete of the Week recognitions.
The 2005 squad excelled in the classroom as well. A record 13 Hoosiers earned Academic-All Big Ten honors. Field hockey's 13 selections surpasses last year's total of 11 as the most Hoosier hockey players to garner the distinction.
All six of IU's seniors, Morgan Albini, Bashore, Orciuch, Reabold, Wiler and Woolsey, were named to Indiana's long list of deserving honorees. Additionally, juniors Miller, Schrott and Rachel Telian were selected for the second straight season of their careers. Sophomores Exner, Erin Isler, Frederique Meeuwsen and Margie Stoll picked up their first conference academic accolades as Hoosiers. In six seasons, Robertson has mentored an impressive 57 Academic All-Big Ten honorees.
Exceeding expectations, the 2005 Indiana field hockey team wrapped up the season 17-5, No. 9 in the nation and an Elite Eight finish in the NCAA Tournament, earning IU field hockey its spot in the national limelight. Strong leadership coupled with enthusiasm, dedication and hard work gives Indiana field hockey a bright future.
