Field Hockey Begins Big Ten Play at Maryland

Saturday, September 17

College Park, MD

1 PM

Indiana University

Maryland

9/15/2016 6:24:00 PM | Field Hockey

Game Notes (PDF)Watch: Indiana vs. Maryland on BTN Plus

The Hoosiers follow their Big Ten opener with their third top-15 team out of conference

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After a successful weekend that put the Indiana Hoosiers (4-2) on a three-game win streak, they will hit the road to open big ten play against the reigning Big Ten Champions. Their first game of conference play, at No. 7 Maryland (4-2), is a familiar sight for the returning Hoosiers. Last season, Indiana and Maryland played to a 0-0 draw after 70 minutes, which featured a 16-save shift from freshman goalkeeper Noëlle Rother. The game ended eight minutes into overtime, when eventual Big Ten Tournament MVP, Welma Luus, scored the golden goal.

It's all too familiar of a game for the Hoosiers, who circled this meeting on their calendar as soon as they had their schedule.

"I don't have to remind them, they're already talking about it," said head coach Amanda Janney regarding Saturday's game and last season's outcome. "They gained a lot of confidence through their good play in that game, even though it wasn't the result they wanted. That Maryland won the Big Ten last season is a sign of what kind of competition we're up against this weekend. We want that to be our first Big Ten game—that's a team we need to beat, so we want to get them early."

The weekend isn't done after the Big Ten opener, however. For the first time this season, Indiana will play back-to-back games against top-15 opponents with their Sunday trip to No. 12 Delaware (4-2). The last time Indiana faced two top-20 opponents in the same weekend was last season, two home games against No. 16 Iowa (9/25) and No. 14 Northwestern (9/27). Indiana swept that weekend with two wins amidst a four-game winning streak.

"We really try to take weekends like this one game at a time," said Mollie Getzfread, who in her four seasons of Big Ten field hockey has been through rigorous weekend slates. "Right now, we're preparing for Maryland, but we have to finish that game before we can start looking at Delaware. Everyone is really excited to play, especially since we have a lot of players from the east coast. A lot of our families will be there, so we're excited for the support."

Indiana Field Hockey
Game 7: Indiana (4-2, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 7 Maryland (4-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
1:00 p.m. ET | College Park, Md. | Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex
Live Stats | Watch: BTN Plus on BTN2Go.com
Game 8: Indiana (4-2, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 12 Delaware (4-2, 0-0 CAA)
12:00 p.m. ET | Newark, Del. | Rullo Stadium
Live Stats | Parking Map

Hoosier Notes:

The Power of Three
Indiana enters the weekend riding a three-game winning streak after a triumphant weekend versus Missouri State and New Hampshire, along with their Labor Day win over UC Davis. It's the first time since their four-game run from September 18 through October 2, 2015, that the Hoosiers have won three in a row.

Numbers on the Boards
Several Indiana players have landed near the top of the NCAA's individual statistics charts after the first three weekends of the season, led by returning All-American Kate Barber. Through six games, Barber ranks second in the NCAA with 1.50 goals per game, the top mark in the conference, and third nationally in points per game (3.50). Maddie Latino, Indiana's assist leader, ranks fifth nationally and second in the Big Ten in assists per game (1.00). Noëlle Rother's save percentage of .697 ranks fourth amongst Big Ten goalkeepers.

Blanking the Bears
Indiana began last weekend in at SportPort International in St. Louis with a neutral site 5-0 win over Missouri State. Kate Barber and Taylor Pearson led the way with two goals and one assist each, Morgan Dye netted her first season goal, and Mollie Getzfread and Maddie Latino served two assists apiece. The defense pitched their second shutout and held the Bears to just two targets, while defender Malia Fujisawa served her second season assist from the penalty corner.

Second Half Heroics
The Hoosiers won their most recent game, 5-3, over New Hampshire, but they did so with a rapid comeback in the second half. Kate Barber scored the tying 1-1 goal before halftime, and Taylor Pearson returned at the break to give Indiana their insurmountable lead. From there, the Hoosiers fired three more unanswered scores from Pearson, Barber, and Mollie Getzfread with her first career goal. Barber led the attack with two goals and two assists, while Maddie Latino tacked two more assists to her season total.

Breaking Into Big Ten Play
A tough Big Ten opener awaits Indiana this Saturday at No. 7 Maryland, the defending Big Ten Champions. Fans will recall last year's matchup, an stunner that ended on Maryland's 78' goal in overtime. In that game, Noëlle Rother nearly broke the IU single-game record with 16 saves, and Kate Barber came close to striking the game-winner on a penalty corner, just before Maryland's clinching goal. The Terrapins have won both meetings since their first clash in 2014.

Saturday's game between Indiana and No. 7 Maryland will stream live via BTN Plus on BTN2Go.com (subscription required).

Battle with the Blue Hens
The Hoosiers will have less than 24 hours to turnaround and recover before they face the No. 12 Delaware Blue Hens at Rullo Stadium, their third top-15 non-conference opponent so far this season. To add to the excitement, this will be the first-ever meeting between the Blue Hens and the Hoosiers.

Delaware, like Indiana, is off to a 4-2 start with two wins over Ohio State, an upset win over previously fifth-ranked Virginia, and a win over Temple. They'll face Columbia on Friday evening before their Sunday meeting with Indiana.