Hoosiers Fall in Overtime, 4-3, at Miami

Sunday, October 2

Oxford, OH

1 PM

Indiana University

(6-6)

Miami (Ohio)

(7-5)

OT 2

Indiana

Miami

10/2/2016 3:45:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Swope registers first career goal to force OT; Rother posts season best for saves

OXFORD, Ohio – A rebounded penalty corner in the 83^rd minute of overtime doomed the Indiana field hockey team in their 4-3 loss at Miami University on Sunday afternoon. Trailing 3-2 after the Redhwaks mounted a second half comeback, Hoosier sophomore Taylor Swope converted a 65^th-minute equalizer to force Indiana's second overtime game of the weekend. On the defensive end, Noëlle Rother led a valiant defensive effort with 12 saves between the posts.

"It was a good back-and-forth fight," said head coach Amanda Janney after the game. "Our team did a great job of getting a first half goal to go into halftime with the lead. That was great for us, especially since our defense stepped up on a lot of opposing shots. We came out so strong in the second half too, and Morgan Dye sparked plays to help create that second goal. We just gave up too many shots in the second half."

Swope's score was the first of her career, and it came at a crucial time for Indiana (6-6, 1-1). After Ciara Girouard and Maddie Latino gave the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead early in the second half, the Redhawks battled back for three unanswered scores in 18 minutes of play. Swope finished the fifth and final shot attempt on a sequence where Indiana drew three attack penalty corners, collecting a save rebound for her account-opening goal.

"It was awesome to score in that game, because I was playing as close to home as I can get [in Oxford]," said Swope, a Cincinnati native. "I was excited after the whole thing happened, especially since all my family and friends were there."

Girouard ensured a 1-0 halftime lead for Indiana with her third career goal in the 23^rd minute. The freshman forward found an opportunistic chance after Miami goalkeeper Alysa Xavier saved Elle Hempt's penalty corner hit. Latino doubled the lead in the opening minutes of the second half, retrieving a pass from Kate Barber in the circle to send her third goal of the season into the boards.

Rother's 12 saves in the game was a season high for the sophomore goalkeeper. After the Hoosiers conceded Miami's comeback in regulation, Rother came up with four clutch saves down the stretch to keep the Hoosiers in the game. Assisting Rother in the goalmouth was Kelsey Giese, who swatted a shot on target in the 77^th minute.

"The game was another really good experience for us," Janney said. "It was back-and-forth, and there were a lot of positives to come out of the game. We needed the overtime experience, because we haven't had a long overtime in either of our first two overtime games. Having that experience will be good for us later in the season."

Up Next: Indiana (6-6, 1-1) vs. No. 6 Northwestern (10-2, 4-0)
The Indiana Hoosiers ready for their first weekend of the season with two games at the IU Field Hockey Complex. They'll host two top-15 teams in Bloomington next weekend, starting with No. 6 Northwestern on Friday before another ACC opponent. No. 15 Boston College, on Sunday.

The Wildcats are off to an unbeaten start to Big Ten play, including a trio of wins by two scores over No. 4 Penn State, No. 6 Maryland, and Rutgers. Indiana won their last meeting against the Wildcats, 3-2, in Bloomington last season. Latino led the Hoosiers to that victory with two goals, giving the Hoosiers their second of five Big Ten wins in 2015.