Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Closes Out Spring Season With Two Wins in Columbus
4/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
April 20, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Indiana field hockey had its best showing since the start of Midwest Spring League play on March 29, in three games on the campus of Ohio State. To open the day, the Hoosiers squared off against the Miami RedHawks, losing a close one (3-2) due to two unfortunate penalty strokes. IU finished out the day with victories over Michigan State (4-2) and Ball State (3-1), as the offense found its stride and scored nine goals over the three matches.
Against Miami, the Hoosiers got out to an early lead on a Haley Funk laser shot that beat the keeper to the far post from the top of the circle. The RedHawks answered quickly to knot it up, and a tough penalty stroke call allowed Miami to take a 2-1 lead into the half.
Indiana came out quick and tied it up with Morgan Fleetwood’s fourth goal of the spring. The freshman sent a shot into the cage from the right side of the circle. With the score knotted up, a second penalty shot allowed Miami to take the lead and the game, 3-2.
Against the Spartans, the Hoosier offense was clicking on all cylinders. After a corner goal got MSU an early 1-0 lead, Katie Griswold pounced and scored her first two tallies of the season. Griswold had a reverse shot in the middle of the circle to tie it up and scored on a nice pass from Alina Valenti to give the Hoosiers a 2-1 lead at the half.
The Spartans tied it up to start the second half, but the Hoosiers weren’t finished. Funk got on the board again, getting a reverse goal on a rebound of a Griswold shot. Fleetwood then scored her fifth of the spring on a corner shot to cement the 4-2 IU win.
To close out the day, Indiana avenged a loss from the first week of Spring-League play, taking out the Ball State Cardinals. Valenti scored her fourth goal of the spring in the first five minutes of the game, and Griswold and Meg O’Connell added goals of their own to bury the intra-state foe. A late BSU goal saw the match end with a 3-1 score.
The Hoosiers open the Fall schedule in Richmond, Va., when they will play American on August 28, 2009. For complete coverage of IU Field Hockey, stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com.
