Barber Scores Three, Hoosiers Win in OT

Sunday, August 28

Athens, OH

1 PM

Indiana University

(1-1)

Ohio

(1-1)

OT 2

Indiana

Ohio

8/28/2016 5:02:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Indiana’s senior playmaker delivers clutch goals in the closing minutes

ATHENS, Ohio – The Indiana Hoosiers (1-1) earned their first win of the season in dramatic fashion, triumphing in a 3-2 overtime win on the road against the Ohio Bobcats (1-1). Hoosier senior Kate Barber delivered late-game heroics with a tying goal in the final minute of regulation, followed by the game-winner in the first minute of overtime. Barber, a 2015 All-American honoree, picked up the first hat trick of her career.

"The resiliency was amazing," said head coach Amanda Janney after the win. "I think the team just kept fighting, and we looked like a new team in the second half. We were giving ourselves tons of shooting opportunities, and we were right there in the contest. We had a lot of good attacking today and we were able to see how much we could produce up front."

The Hoosiers fell into an early deficit after Ohio capitalized on a pair of chances to take an early 2-0 lead. Barber thwarted the Bobcat defense on a penalty corner in the closing minutes to cut Ohio's lead to 2-1. Barber returned with an equalizer in the final minute of regulation before striking the decisive 3-2 goal in overtime.

Ohio initiated scoring on a penalty corner in the sixth minute. The Bobcats' Kristen Buchannan collected the insert and sent her straight shot into the board. Ohio doubled their lead in the 21st minute, with Kendall Ballard finding the back of the goal to give the Bobcats a 2-0 lead.

The Hoosiers had opportunities to enter the scoring ledger a minute after Ohio's second goal. Indiana's Sam Scire fired an attempt in the run of play, which was blocked by the defense. On their next trip down the turf, Barber took a chance on a penalty corner that glided just wide of the goal.

Barber capitalized on a penalty corner to halve the deficit in the closing minutes of the first half. Morgan Dye received Maddie Latino's insert to set up a waiting Barber on the straight shot, and the conversion cut Ohio's lead to 2-1 at the break.

"The importance of getting that first goal, we hope that it opens up the floodgates for us," Janney said. "Scoring in the final five minutes was really important, because you need that momentum to score again in the second half. Being able to see the scoreboard read 2-1 at the half is a huge difference from seeing it at 2-0."

The Hoosiers had their sights set on an equalizer midway through the second half. Barber lined up her shot from the top of the circle and drove it goalward, but the chance found the post.

The Indiana defense rose to the challenge in the second half. After trailing 2-0, the Hoosiers held the line for the final 50 minutes of action.

"Our defense was really good at making the intercepts and trapping the ball like we needed to," Barber said. "We had good passing from the backfield to the forward line, and let the forwards do their jobs with everyone else supporting them. It was a group effort, and we really worked as a team in the second half."

After a hard-fought second half battle, the Hoosiers earned an attack penalty corner with a minute remaining and an 11-on-10 advantage. Latino's insert connected with Getzfread's stop, and Barber hammered home the game-tying goal with 30 seconds left in regulation.

"I think she has that competitive spirit and a will to win," Janney said of the senior midfielder. "She plays with such intensity that she's not going to leave the field without getting a goal. I think that was one of those games where the seniors had to put the game in their hands and take over. Her execution late in the game was clutch for us."

Just seconds into the sudden-victory overtime period, Barber received a long-range delivery outside of the circle. The senior weaved her way to the goal and slipped her shot to the right side, ending the game in a 3-2 Indiana win.

"It's always a great feeling, but I know we have a lot of girls who are capable of doing the same," Barber said regarding her first collegiate hat trick. "Hopefully, this gives us the momentum going forward. I'm hoping to give them the chance to take those opportunities as well."

Up Next: Indiana (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 7 Wake Forest (1-1, 0-0 ACC)
Sunday, September 4 • 12:00 p.m. • Buckeye Varsity Field • Columbus, Ohio
Indiana (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. UC Davis (0-1, 0-0 NorPac)
Monday, September 5 • 1:00 p.m. • Buckeye Varsity Field • Columbus, Ohio

The Hoosiers return to the Buckeye State for a Labor Day weekend invitational at Ohio State University. They open the trip with their second out-of-conference ACC opponent of 2016, the No. 7 Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Sunday September 4 at noon. The next day, Indiana has an appointment with the UC Davis Aggies, set to begin at 1:00 p.m.

"At the beginning of the game we came out pretty slow, but as we started getting more passes and connections in our midfield, along with a solid effort on defense, we regained the momentum," Barber said. "I hope we can take that into next weekend against a top-10 team. We're going to be challenged, but hopefully our resilience can keep us in the game so we can win next weekend."

Wake Forest began their season by hosting the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The Demon Deacons opened the weekend with a 2-1 loss against the Iowa Hawkeyes, followed by a 2-0 shutout win over the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines.

UC Davis suffered a 3-0 defeat at home versus Northeastern in their opening game of the 2016 season. The Aggies will face the Ohio Bobcats on Friday, September 2 before facing the Hoosiers on Monday, September 5.

Stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com and follow Indiana field hockey on Twitter for live in-game updates from Columbus.