Indiana University Athletics
IU Field Hockey Announces 2010 Schedule
5/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
May 14, 2010
2010 Schedule
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The 2010 Indiana field hockey schedule features eight games in Bloomington, including three against Big Ten foes.
"This year's schedule is very balanced in terms of top competition but the most positive aspect is that we will have a lot more home games than we have had in the past couple of years," said IU head coach Amy Robertson. "This will provide us with the advantage of playing on our home field, getting to sleep in our own beds and will allow our fans to have more chances to support the team after coming off of a successful 2009 season."
The Hoosiers went 14-7 in 2009, reaching the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. IU ended the season ranked 13th in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) poll. Indiana returns a talented group of letterwinners, including NFHCA Third Team All-American Corey Brautigam and Second Team All-Big Ten pick Morgan Fleetwood. In 21 games, Fleetwood led the Hoosiers with 15 goals, in addition to six assists, for 36 points. She also tallied a shot on goal percentage of .685, with three game-winning goals. Brautigam tallied four goals and two assists for 10 points, with a shot on goal percentage of .545.
The Hoosiers open the season in Amherst, Mass., against Boston College on Aug. 28, before taking on UMass on Aug. 29. Indiana's trip to Amherst will be a homecoming for Robertson, as she graduated from UMass in 1988 and spent five seasons (1992-96) as an assistant coach for the Minutewomen.
"Our opening weekend will be a very special one from a personal and competitive standpoint as we will be heading out to the University of Massachusetts for the first time," said Robertson. "We will take on both UMass and Boston College, two very good teams that are extremely well coached and most likely will receive postseason bids to the NCAA tournament in November."
IU opens the home slate on Sept. 9 against California and will host Ohio on Sept. 11. Following a quick trip to Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 17, the Hoosiers host Missouri State on Sept. 19. IU returns to Big Ten action on Sept. 24 with a trip to Penn State before visiting Bucknell on Sept. 26. Indiana opens the month of October with a pair of games in Bloomington. The Hoosiers host Ohio State on Oct. 2 before taking on Louisville on Oct. 5. Following a trip to Evanston, Ill., to take on Northwestern (10/08) and UC Davis (10/09), the Hoosiers will host Iowa on Oct. 15 and Villanova on Oct. 17.
"I think our Big Ten schedule works really well for us this year since I am predicting that Iowa and Michigan are going to have very different results from last year, and Ohio State has all of their top players returning so I am happy to have these three at home," Robertson added. "We play Penn State on the road and they will be looking to avenge an uncharacteristic average season from last year and Northwestern has a strong core returning. Michigan State lost some key players but I expect that they will reload easily and be back to vying for a championship."
Indiana's final road trip of the regular season begins on Oct. 23 with a visit to Michigan State, which will be a rematch of the 2009 Big Ten Tournament Championship game where the Hoosiers fell to the Spartans, 3-2, in East Lansing. IU will play its final road game against Ball State in Muncie on Oct. 24. The Hoosiers will celebrate Senior Day in Bloomington against Michigan on Oct. 30.
The 2010 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament, hosted by Northwestern, will be Nov. 4-7 in Evanston, with the first rounds of the NCAA Tournament taking place on Nov. 13-14.
