Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
American
Hoosiers Knock Off No. 14 American, 2-1
8/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 28, 2009
RICHMOND, Va. - The Indiana field hockey team opened the regular season with a 2-1 upset of No. 14 American on Crenshaw Field in Richmond, Va., on Friday, Aug. 28. Redshirt freshman Morgan Fleetwood netted the Hoosiers' (1-0) first goal of the game, while freshman Shareyna Chang scored IU's second goal.
The Hoosiers immediately went to work in the first half as Fleetwood nearly scored 4:28 into the game, but her shot was blocked. Just 37 seconds later, Fleetwood netted the first goal of the game on a shot from the middle, coming off a pass from the right side from junior Katie Griswold. The Eagles (0-1) took their first shot at the 10:21 mark, but it went wide. With 25:25 on the clock, Chang scored for the Hoosiers on a breakaway off of a pass from Fleetwood to give Indiana a 2-0 lead. The Hoosiers took two more shots before the half to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
American was aggressive early in the second half, taking seven shots in the first 10 minutes. With 63:20 on the clock, the Hoosiers attempted to cushion their lead with back-to-back corners from Valenti that resulted in two shots from junior Mutsa Mutembwa and Chang, both of which were blocked. At the 65:58 mark, American's Savannah Graybill had a shot that was blocked, but Christine Fingerhuth scored off the block to cut IU's lead to 2-1. The Eagles controlled possession for the final four minutes, taking two more shots but the Hoosiers held on for the 2-1 win behind two saves from junior Alex Mann in goal.
Fleetwood's goal was her first of the season and her second at IU, while her assist on Chang's goal was the first career assist. Chang's goal was her first collegiate goal. Griswold's assist on Fleetwood's goal was the seventh of her career and first of the season. O'Connell and Mutembwa each tallied one shot, while Fleetwood ended the game with six shots and Chang tallied two. Mann started in goal for the Hoosiers and recorded five saves on the game.
American outshot Indiana, 20-10, and recorded 12 corners to the Hoosiers' four. The last time the Hoosiers defeated a top-25 team was Nov. 3, 2006, when IU defeated then-No. 7 Penn State, 1-0, in State College.
Indiana concludes this weekend's trip with a game against Richmond on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 2 p.m. ET.
