Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers to Make 2008 Big Ten Network Debut
10/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 31, 2008
The Hoosiers head to Northwestern, where they will close out the regular season with a Saturday meeting with the Wildcats, which will be broadcast on tape-delay by Big Ten Network, with the first airing at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Indiana has won the last four meetings with Northwestern, moving the series to 4-5 in favor of the Wildcats. The Hoosiers took the 2007 meeting 2-1. Northwestern is coming off of five straight losses, and both teams are coming off of one goal losses to Louisville. Saturday's matchup will mark Indiana's first appearance on BTN this season.
THE COACHES
Amy Robertson is in her ninth season at the helm of the IU field hockey program, where she has a record of 74-87. Robertson's players have found success on and off the field. She has coached three All-Americans at Indiana, and 77 Hoosiers have earned Academic All-Big Ten honors under her watch. In 2003, she was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, and in 2005, she was named Midwest Region Coach of the Year. Robertson graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1988.
Kelly McCollum is in her fifth season as head coach at Northwestern. She holds a 31-62 record at NU and is 2-27 in Big Ten play. McCollum played field hockey at Northwestern, graduating in 1995.
#12 LOUISVILLE TAKES DOWN INDIANA Indiana lost a senior day game to the 12th-ranked Louisville Cardinals. The game ended with a 2-1 final tally.
In their final regular season game at IU Field Hockey Field, seniors Danitra Castro and Katie Kiper both managed to put a shot on goal, forcing Louisville goalie Heather Bustanoby to make the two saves she recorded in the game.
Kiper's SOG led to Indiana's lone goal. The senior forward put a hard shot off the keeper, and junior Alina Valenti picked up the rebound and recorded her fifth goal of the season.
After a first half that saw the Cardinals take nine penalty corners, the Hoosiers held the Louisville team to just three in the second half. Both of Louisville's goals came on penalty corner opportunities, with Nicole Youman and Tuli Lim netting the scores. HOOSIERS FALL TO #9 PENN STATE IN OT
The Hoosiers took on the Nittany Lions of Penn State on Friday, taking the #9 team in the country to an extra session. Indiana lost in overtime in the defensive struggle, with the final tally of 0-1.
Defensively, Indiana came up big in holding Penn State, winners of their past seven, scoreless through regulation. Hoosier goalkeeper Alex Mann and the IU defense held the ninth-ranked Nittany Lions to just one goal, well under their average of 2.33 goals per contest on the season. Mann's nine saves were more than double her average per game on the year. The nine saves are her second most in a game this year, as she recorded 14 against Central Michigan on Oct. 5.
The game's lone goal came at the 70:51 mark, when Amy Bonenberger stole the ball and sprinted down field for a breakaway score. It was her fifth goal on the season.
CASTRO HEADED TO NFHCA SENIOR ALL-STAR GAME
Senior Indiana field hockey player Danitra Castro has been selected to play in the NFHCA Senior All-Star Game. The National Field Hockey Coaches Association announced on Wednesday that Castro and 37 other players from around the country have been selected to play in the game. The all-star game will be played in Louisville, Ky., on November 22, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Castro is a captain on head coach Amy Robertson's team. The senior from San Diego, Calif., is the leader of the Hoosier defense and has made contributions on offense as well, scoring six points on two goals and two assists thus far in the 2008 season.
Robertson said that Castro's hard work over four years makes the recognition well-deserved.
"It is exciting to continue the tradition of having one of our seniors named to the all-star team. It is a great honor for Dani. She has worked very hard for four years," said Robertson. "She has made a major contribution to this program, and it started when she was a freshman and continued over her four years. It is nice to see it culminate in receiving an honor for her career. She is among a lot of elite and accomplished players. It is nice for the team, and we're very happy for her."
Indiana had two representatives in the 2007 NFHCA Senior All-Star Game in Haley Exner and Meredith Brown.
STACKING UP WITH THE BEST IN IU HISTORY
Several Hoosiers have already written their names in the IU record books with their play this season.
Junior Meg O'Connell's scoring prowess has her moving up the the IU record books. Her three game-winning goals this season have her tied for fourth in game winning goals in a season, and her six game-winners over her career have her tied for fourth in IU lore. Her seven goals tie her for the seventh best season in IU history, and her 13 career scores rank her ninth at Indiana. Her 34 career points are the tenth most by a Hoosier player.
Junior Haley Funk has 5 goals on the season, moving her career total to 14, which ties her for seventh all-time. Her three career game-winning tallies, including one this season, tie her for eighth in Hoosier history.
Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Mann is already fitting into the history of great goalkeepers at IU. Her three shutouts on he season tie her for an IU record held by undergraduate assistant coach Haley Exner. Her 76 saves are the ninth most in a season, and her 7 victories tie her for fifth in IU history.
