Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Kick Off the 2006 Campaign with Virginia and Longwood
8/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 23, 2006
Virginia and Longwood Game Notes
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers open the 2006 season on the road against a pair of first-time opponents in No. 19 Virginia and Longwood. IU will take on the Cavaliers on Aug. 26 in Charlottesville, Va., at UVA's University Hall Turf Field, before traveling to Farmville, Va., to take on Longwood the following day. Both matches are slated for 1 p.m. (ET). The Hoosiers are 3-3 all-time in season openers.
The Virginia Series
This is the first meeting between the Hoosiers and the Cavaliers. Indiana is 1-3 against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. Their last win over an ACC team came in 2005 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when the Hoosiers stunned North Carolina, 3-2.
Scouting The Cavaliers
The Cavaliers return 14 letterwinners and six starters from a season ago. Last year, Virginia posted an overall record of 8-11 and a 0-5 mark in the ACC. The Hoosiers will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline in former Michigan State head coach Michele Madison. Madison is in her first year at UVA.
Virginia returns senior Kat Blair, who recorded 75 saves in goal last season. Senior midfielder Mia Link also returns for the Cavaliers. Link earned a spot on the USA Developmental Team in July and is Virginia's second-leading scorer from 2005. So far this year, UVA has played to a 2-2 tie against Penn State and recorded a 3-2 win over American in exhibition play.
The Longwood Series
The match between the Hoosiers and the Lancers marks the first meeting between the two programs. The Hoosiers are 4-4 against opponents from the NorPac.
Scouting the Lancers
Longwood is coming off a 4-13 season. This year, the Lancers return eight starters including junior Cristin Newbold, who tallied 15 points off six goals and three assists, and Jennifer Wysong, who netted a team-high seven goals for Longwood. The Lancers add eight newcomers to their 2006 lineup.
Team Captains
Indiana seniors Morgan Miller and Lydia Schrott, along with junior Meredith Brown have been voted tri-captains by their teammates for the 2006 campaign.
Let's Get It Started
Indiana is 3-3 in season openers. Last year, the Hoosiers topped New Hampshire, 3-1, to kick off the 2005 campaign. IU is 1-1 in season openers on the road.
Preseason Recap
IU kicked the season off in exciting fashion with a 5-3 win over in-state foe Ball State on Aug. 18. Junior forward Kate O'Connell registered the first hat trick of her career, while freshmen Meg O'Connell and Haley Funk helped the Hoosiers' scoring offense in the victory. Against Louisville on Aug. 22, IU fell, 3-2, despite goals from seniors Lydia Schrott and Rachel Telian.
IU Adds Seven
Indiana welcomes seven new faces to the IU lineup for 2006. Forwards Haley Funk (Lilitz, Pa./Warwick) and Alina Valenti (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton Area), midfielders Meg O'Connell (St. Louis, Mo./Lafayette), Elizabeth Schmidt (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart) and backs Fenna Geuskens (Rotterdam, Holland/Gymnasium), Brittney Hacken (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) and Lucy Ireland (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) will join the Hoosiers this season.
Hoosier Earn Top-10 Ranking
The Indiana field hockey team earned a No. 10 ranking in the preseason STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) poll released on Aug. 21. Of the Hoosiers' 18 regular season opponents, eight are ranked in the top 20.
The Hoosiers, who closed 2005 ranked No. 9 nationally, are one of six Big Ten teams to earn a ranking and one of three to be recognized in the top 10.
We Are Family
For the first time in program history, family members will adorn the Cream and Crimson. Junior forward Kate O'Connell will be joined in 2006 by her sister, freshman midfielder Meg O'Connell.
The "EX" Factor
Junior goalkeeper Haley Exner returns as one of the nation's top keepers. Last season, the first team All-Big Ten selection and three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week became the winningest goalkeeper in program history with 17 victories. Exner registered an impressive 138 saves and a goals against average of 2.14.
In 2005, Exner led the Big Ten in save percentage at .798 and ranked second in saves. Against Big Ten opponents, the San Diego, Calif., native led the league in saves (55) and saves per game average (9.17) and save percentage (.833).
Five From 50
Indiana head coach Amy Robertson, now in her seventh season at IU, is five wins away from her 50th career victory as a head coach. Robertson is responsible for turning around a newly- reinstated program in 2001, to one of the nation's top teams in 2005.
What a Season
The 2005 campaign went down as Indiana field hockey's best season in program history. The Hoosiers capped the season with a 17-5 overall record, the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament, upsetting then-No. 5 North Carolina, 3-2, in the first round, runner-up finishes in both the Big Ten regular season and tournament, a No. 9 national ranking and shattering virtually every record in IU lore.
Bashore to Compete in 2006 World Cup
Former IU All-American Kayla Bashore will suit up for the U.S. at the 2006 World Cup in Madrid, Spain. Bashore is the first Hoosiers to be named to the national team.
New to the Slate
The 2006 schedule features a trio of first-time opponents. The Hoosiers will take on Virginia (9/26), Longwood (8/27) and Radford (9/9) this season in the program's first-ever meetings.
Can't Stop Schrott
Indiana's leading scorer from a season ago returns to the Hoosier lineup in senior forward Lydia Schrott. The second team All-American recorded the programs first hat trick against Northeastern in 2005, before notching another three-goal performance against UNC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Schrott led the Hoosiers last year with 37 points off 17 goals and three assists. Additionally, the Quarryville, Pa., product ranked third in the Big Ten in goals (all games).
Senior Leadership
The Hoosiers will be led by a core of four seniors in forward Lydia Schrott, backs Morgan Miller and April Levins and midfielder Rachel Telian.
Up Next
The Hoosiers will take on Ball State in their third contest of the season on Saturday, Sept. 2 in Muncie, Ind. Game time is slated for 2 p.m.
