Indiana University Athletics
Field Hockey Announces 2006 Schedule
6/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
June 23, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana field hockey program announced its 2006 schedule on June 23. The Hoosiers' schedule features eight home games, three new opponents and matches against a trio of teams that competed in last year's NCAA Tournament.
"We are again playing a lot of teams in our region," Robertson said. "The most exciting games are those that we travel and we don't see every year. The opener will be really exciting. We have never played Virginia or Longwood. Opening up the season in the south and against an ACC team will be a great way to start. We have several challenging weekends. In one weekend, we face Northeastern and Michigan and in another, we play both Iowa and Ohio State which return really strong teams. Overall, I like this year's schedule. There are a lot of really great opportunities and challenges with this slate."
The Hoosiers open the fall campaign with six consecutive road contests. Indiana opens the slate with Virginia on Aug. 26. This season, Virginia will be under the guidance of former Michigan State head coach, Michele Madison. The 1 p.m., contest in Charlottesville, Va., will be the first meeting between Indiana and Virginia.
The following day, Indiana travels to Farmville, Va., to face Longwood, a member of the Northern Pacific Conference. The Aug. 27 game will be the first meeting between the two teams.
IU returns to Indiana, but will head to Muncie to face Ball State on Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. Last year, the Hoosiers squared off against the Cardinals in a pre-season exhibition match on Aug. 21. In its debut, Indiana blanked Ball State, 3-0, in Bloomington. Heading into the 2006 match, the all-time series with the Cardinals is tied at three.
On Sept, 5, Indiana embarks on its fourth road trip of the season to Oxford, Ohio to take on Miami (Ohio). Last season, one of the RedHawk's 12 losses came at the hands of the Hoosiers. In Indiana's 2005 regular-season finale, IU shutout Miami (Ohio), 4-0. The Hoosiers are 4-2 all-time against MU.
Indiana heads back to Ohio on Sept. 8 to face Ohio University at 2 p.m., in Athens, Ohio. In 2005, IU rolled Ohio early in the season by a score of 4-1 in the two teams' first meeting.
The following day, IU will face Radford at Ohio University's Peggy Pruitt Field at 2 p.m. The Highlanders are the final of three new additions to the Hoosiers' schedule for 2006.
After a one-year absence from the schedule, Central Michigan comes to Bloomington for the Hoosiers' 2006 home opener on Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. The contest will be the first in IU's new outdoor facility being built this spring. The Chippewas are the reigning MAC Tournament Champions and received votes in the final National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll. Indiana has faced Central Michigan on three occasions with the Hoosiers winning the last two of the three affairs.
On Sept. 17, Indiana will face the University of Maine at home at 1 p.m. The reigning America East champions also received votes in the final NFHCA poll. IU faced Maine in 2002 and suffered a 2-0 loss in Bloomington.
Indiana travels north to Evanston, Ill., to open the Big Ten slate against Northwestern. Game time is set for 3 p.m., on Sept, 22. The Wildcats finished last season 7-12 overall and 0-6 in conference play, including a loss in both the regular season and Big Ten Championship at the hands of the Hoosiers. IU topped NW in Bloomington in their first meeting, then claimed a 2-1 overtime win in the Big Ten Championship to advance to the second round for the first time in program history.
The Hoosiers return to Indiana to face another Wildcat team in New Hampshire on Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. IU opened last year's campaign with a 3-1 win over New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., to improve Indiana's series record against the Wildcats to 2-0. The 2006 showdown marks the first time UNH travels to Bloomington.
Iowa comes to town as the Hoosiers' second Big Ten foe on Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. The Hawkeyes finished 2005 ranked 14th and an overall record of 10-8 and 3-3 in league play. Iowa handed Indiana only its second loss of the season in a 2-1 overtime battle in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes lead the series with IU, 1-5.
Two days later on Oct. 1, the Hoosiers will play host to conference power Ohio State. The Buckeyes finished last year with a No. 11 ranking and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Indiana faced OSU on two occasions in 2005 and picked up two impressive wins in both affairs. In the regular season, IU topped the then-No. 9 Buckeyes, 2-1 in double overtime in Columbus, Ohio, before knocking them out of the Big Ten Tournament with a 3-1 second-round win. Ohio State wrapped up 2005 15-7 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten. Heading into 2006, the Indiana-Ohio State series is knotted at two apiece.
The Hoosiers head south on Oct. 6 to take on border-rival Louisville at the site of last year's Final Four, Trager Stadium. Game time is slated for 7 p.m., under the lights. IU topped the Cardinals in a 3-1 thriller last season in Bloomington. U of L leads the all-time series with Indiana, 2-3.
Indiana welcomes Lindenwood back to Bloomington for a 1 p.m., match on Oct. 8. Last season, the Hoosiers blanked the Lions, 6-0, and improved their all-time record against Lindenwood to 4-0.
In one of the toughest weekends of the season, the Hoosiers will face Northeastern on Oct. 14, followed by a rematch of the Big Ten Championship game against Michigan. Both games are schedule to begin at 1 p.m. Thanks to Lydia Schrott's hat trick, the Hoosiers defeated the Huskies, 3-2, in Boston last season in the two teams' first meeting. Northeastern finished 2005 with a No. 16 NFHCA ranking. Michigan, who earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament after earning the Big Ten's automatic bid, capped last season with a 16-8 overall ledger and a 5-3 mark in the Big Ten play. The Hoosiers topped Michigan in Sept. 30, 3-1, before falling by a score of 3-0 in the conference tournament.
The Hoosiers close the regular season on the road. IU travels to East Lansing on Oct. 21 to take on Michigan State at 1 p.m. The Spartans finished last season 12-8 overall, 3-4 in the Big Ten and a No. 18 ranking. In last season's conference opener, the Hoosiers stunned MSU, 3-2, in double overtime marking IU's first win over the Spartans in program history.
Indiana concludes the 2006 season schedule with a Big Ten regular-season title rematch against Penn State on Oct. 29 in University Park, Pa., at 1 p.m. Last season, the Nittany Lions topped the Hoosiers, 4-3, in overtime.
After claiming second place at last year's Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers will head to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the 2006 conference championships Nov. 3-5.
Hoosier fans can get the most up-to-date Indiana field hockey news and results online at IUHOOSIERS.com.
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
| 08/26/06 | Virginia | Charlottesville, Va. | 1:00 PM |
| 08/27/06 | Longwood | Farmville, Va. | 1:00 PM |
| 09/02/06 | Ball State | Muncie, Ind. | 2:00 PM |
| 09/05/06 | Miami (Oh) | Oxford, Ohio | 5:00 PM |
| 09/08/06 | Ohio | Athens, Ohio | 2:00 PM |
| 09/09/06 | Radford | Athens, Ohio | 2:00 PM |
| 09/15/06 | Central Michigan | Bloomington, Ind. | 3:00 PM |
| 09/17/06 | Maine | Bloomington, Ind. | 1:00 PM |
| 09/22/06 | Northwestern | Evanston, Ill. | 3:00 PM |
| 09/24/06 | New Hampshire | Bloomington, Ind. | 1:00 PM |
| 09/29/06 | Iowa | Bloomington, Ind. | 3:00 PM |
| 10/01/06 | Ohio State | Bloomington, Ind. | 1:00 PM |
| 10/06/06 | Louisville | Louisville, Ky. | 7:00 PM |
| 10/08/06 | Lindenwood | Bloomington, Ind. | 1:00 PM |
| 10/14/06 | Northeastern | Bloomington, Ind. | 1:00 PM |
| 10/15/06 | Michigan | Bloomington, Ind. | 1:00 PM |
| 10/21/06 | Michigan State | East Lansing, Mich. | 1:00 PM |
| 10/29/06 | Penn State |
