Hoosiers Prepare for Showdown with #6 Iowa

Indiana opens Big Ten play this week, taking on the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes from the University of Iowa.

9/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Sept. 24, 2008

Indiana opens Big Ten play this week, taking on the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes from the University of Iowa. The game is the first of six Big Ten games and the first of five contests at the IU Field Hockey Field. The Hoosiers and Hawkeyes squared off twice in 2007, with the Hawkeyes taking both contests. The last meeting saw the Hoosiers fall 8-2 in the Big Ten Tournament. The three previous contests were decided by a one goal margin, with the Hoosiers winning in 2006 and Iowa winning the 2005 and 2007 meetings.

The Hawkeyes are 6-2 on the season, coming off of four straight wins, the most recent over Boston University. Indiana comes off of back to back wins over Pacific and Ball State, which advanced the Hoosiers to a 5-3 record. The game is slated for a 3 p.m. ET start.

FUNK SCORES TWO AS HOOSIERS SHUTS OUT THE CARDINALS

The Hoosiers finished up an undefeated weekend on Saturday, shutting out the Ball State Cardinals. Indiana was led by junior Haley Funk, who recorded two goals in the 2-0 win.

Funk scored the game's first goal in the 42nd minute, putting an unassisted shot past Tiffany Shifflett. The Lititz, Pa. native's third goal of the season proved to be the game winner.

The Hoosiers struck again quickly, waiting less than six minutes to tally another score. Sophomore Lena Grote's sent a pass to Funk in the 48th minute and the junior put Indiana up by the final margin of victory with the 2-0 tally. The score was Funk's second of the game and fourth of the season.

This is the fifth straight win for Indiana in the intrastate series, and the Hoosiers move to 6-3 all-time against the Cardinals. IU moves to 5-3 on the season, while Ball State falls to 1-7.

INDIANA COMES FROM BEHIND TO TAME THE TIGERS

The Hoosiers used a big second half to come back from a 2-0 halftime deficit and defeat the Pacific Tigers by a score of 4-3. Three goals in the second half and another in the extra session were enough to earn the Hoosiers their fourth win of the season.

Sophomore Kelsey Kiper came up big in the game, recording her first two goals of the season, including the game winner. The final goal came in the 72nd minute, when Kiper broke away from the pack to beat Pacific goalkeeper Christina Niccum for a goal and the game.

Kiper's first goal came in the game's 40th minute with her team down 2-0. The goal was the first of the second half, and it cut the Tiger lead in half.

The Tiger's answered with an Ashley Niccum goal, directly off of a penalty corner. The goal put the Hoosiers back down by two tallies with less than 24 minutes left in regulation.

The Indiana upperclassmen refused to give up, and junior Meg O'Connell and senior Danitra Castro led the way. O'Connell scored her fifth goal of the season in the 56th minute, scoring off a penalty corner on a pass from junior Alina Valenti.

With the lead cut to just one, the Hoosiers were in a race against the clock. Castro made it just in time, scoring her second goal of the season in the 68th minute. Receiving the ball on a penalty corner, O'Connell got the ball to an open Castro for the tying goal, firmly moving the game's momentum into IU's favor.

Momentum was enough, as it only took a minute and a half for Kiper's goal to break the tie and win the game.