Hoosiers Split Weekend After 2-0 Loss to Boston College

Sunday, October 9

Bloomington, IN

12 PM

Indiana University

(7-7)

Boston College

(6-6)

Boston College

Indiana

Hoosiers Split Weekend After 2-0 Loss to Boston College

10/9/2016 5:26:00 PM | Field Hockey

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Hoosiers came short of a double upset weekend after falling, 2-0, to No. 14 Boston College at the IU Field Hockey Complex. The Hoosiers (7-7, 2-2) played a tight game with the Eagles (6-6, 2-3) until they pulled away with a 61^st-minute strike to seal the contest.

"Splitting a weekend like this is a great showing for our program," said Indiana head coach Amanda Janney. "Both of these teams are really talented and had some extremely talented forwards. For our defense to shut down and limit the opportunities they did shows that we're getting better every game."

Noëlle Rother championed a tight defensive shift by the Indiana backline, recording seven saves between the posts. Malia Fujisawa aided Rother's effort with her fourth defensive save of the season. The swat is Fujisawa's eighth of her career, which lifts the senior to third-place in Indiana's career defensive saves records.

"Both teams had very strong presses, although they were different," Indiana captain Elle Hempt said. "We did a decent job in finding the open outlet in the second half, but in the first half they put us under pressure. We came out strong in the second half and looked for different patterns through our links, which resulted in getting the ball upfield well."

The Indiana defense successfully defended the Eagles' 12 attack penalty corners, including a barrage of seven corners in the first 22 minutes. The Hoosiers had a great look at goal from Andi Jackson in the 17^th minute, but her attempt skipped just wide of the left pipe. Minutes later, Kate Barber created space and wound up a shot from the front of the cage, only to be stuffed by Audra Hampsch's pads.

Boston College took the lead before halftime with Lucy Lytle's 26^th-minute score. Kaitie Fink crossed a pass in front of the goalmouth, and Lytle lifted her shot into the high netting.

The Hoosiers came out swinging in the second half with pressure in their attacking third. Barber launched another shot in the 47^th minute that deflected off of a defender. Maddie Latino thwarted the ensuing counterattack and took aim after a run into the circle, but her chance slipped wide.

Rother kept the Hoosiers in the game throughout the second half with a series of acrobatic saves, including back-to-back rejections in the 53^rd minute on the perimeter of the circle.

"She doesn't get the praise she deserves," said Hempt, Rother's counterpart on the back line. "She makes some amazing saves, and her communication is phenomenal. She's the backbone of our entire defense, and she doesn't get enough recognition for all that she does."

The Eagles closed the lid on the contest in the 61^st minute with an opportunistic goal from Brooke Matherson. Rother parried Fink's first attempt, which landed at Matherson's stick for a lofty flick into goal.

"We were so aggressive to go for it all that we just lost some opportunities to maintain possession and slow things down on the attack," Janney said. "I liked our aggression, but too often we came back on defense after giving up possession. It's a balance of being as aggressive as possible without taking as many risks."

Indiana emerges 1-1 from a home weekend against two top-15 teams. While Sunday's result wasn't optimal for the Hoosiers, Janney is encouraged by the play she's seen in recent weeks. Furthermore, the win against No. 6 Northwestern, one of the top squads in the Big Ten, gives Indiana confidence as they face four conference foes in their final five games.

"The road trip to Michigan is a great one for us," Janney said. "We're playing better every game, and they're going to be tough opponents but we need the wins. Having that second win on Friday really helped us feel confident about what we're able to do against those top teams."

Up Next: Indiana (7-7, 2-2 Big Ten) at No. 10 Michigan (8-5, 3-2 Big Ten)
Friday, October 14 • 7:00 p.m. ET • Live Stats • Watch: MGoBlueTV
Ocker Field • Ann Arbor, Mich.

Another top-10 opponent awaits Indiana in their return to Big Ten play, the first of the Hoosiers' two games in The Great Lakes State next weekend. For the second year in a row, Indiana returns to Ocker Field for a game under the lights to take on the Wolverines. They hope to avenge last year's result, a nail-biting 2-1 defeat after Michigan's 58^th-minute game-winner.

The Wolverines return to action after a split weekend of their own, beating Rutgers by two scores on the road before losing, 3-1, at No. 9 Delaware. The Hoosiers close the weekend with a trip to East Lansing on October 14, facing the Michigan State Spartans (5-8, 1-3 Big Ten) at 1:00 p.m. ET.