Hoosiers Comeback Attempt Falls Short at Delaware

Sunday, September 18

Newark, DE

12 PM

Indiana University

(4-4)

Delaware

(6-2)

Indiana

Delaware

Hoosiers Comeback Attempt Falls Short at Delaware

9/18/2016 3:02:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

NEWARK, Del. – The Hoosiers ended an adverse weekend on the road with a 5-4 loss at No. 12 Delaware. Indiana (4-2, 0-1) trailed 4-0 at halftime before righting the ship in the second half. In the final 35 minutes, the Hoosiers edged the Blue Hens (6-2, 0-0) on the score sheet, 4-1, and nearly forced overtime in the closing seconds.

"The resilience on our team really showed through, considering the halftime score," began Indiana head coach Amanda Janney. "The fight to come back and score four goals in the second half was amazing for us. Knowing we can do that late in the game will pay off later in October."

Kate Barber led the Indiana attack with two goals, both on penalty corners, to bring her total to 12 on the season. That mark currently ranks fifth on Indiana's single-season goal records, while her average of 1.50 goals per game leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally.

"She brings a lot of composure and fight to our team," said her senior teammate, Mollie Getzfread. "She's calm and cool on the ball, and she demands a lot out of her teammates and herself. She's a great leader on the field."

Fellow senior midfielder Morgan Dye sparked Indiana's comeback bid in the opening minutes of the second half. After receiving the assist from Nora Aucker, Dye broke the shutout with a five-yard strike into the board. Taylor Pearson netted her fifth of the year to cut Delaware's lead to 5-3, scoring an unassisted backhander from ten yards.

Getzfread led the Hoosiers' assist column with two, one coming from the stick stop on Barber's penalty corner. Abby Urbanek earned her first assist of the season with a precise insertion on the 47^th-minute score.

"It was our attitude," Getzfread said. "We weren't happy with the first half, and we knew that we could do better as a team. We stepped it up on both sides in the second half, and that shows how much perseverance we have to come back and be that close in the end."

Noëlle Rother tallied six saves and proved to be instrumental in the Hoosiers' ability to re-enter the contest. While Indiana mounted their comeback, Rother forged a wall on the defensive end that prevented seven consecutive Delaware penalty corners from crossing the goal line.

"Our corner defense has been such a strength for us all season," Janney said. "When all five of those girls on our defense to their job and play as a unit, our defensive corner unit is unstoppable. That's why it's so frustrating to see some first half goes go in, because we know how strong that unit is."

How it Happened:
Delaware made the most of their home turf advantage with a rapid attack from the onset. The Blue Hens took their lead in the fourth minute from mid-range, and doubled it with a penalty corner in the 13^th minute.

Delaware took a 3-0 lead with a score on a rebounded save in the 16^th minute, and pushed to 4-0 on a penalty corner scramble seven minutes later. The Hoosiers held the line for the final 12 minutes of play, but they took a four-goal deficit into their halftime huddle.

The Hoosiers, with inspiration from their finish on Saturday at Maryland, showed their knack for scoring quickly in the second period. Dye punched through in the first 66 seconds of the half, redirecting Aucker's delivery for her second goal of the season.

"It definitely helped give us the momentum we needed to start the second half on the right foot," Janney said regarding Dye's goal. "We had a good halftime talk about the things we needed to fix. We want to be a smarter team in the second half, so it was good to see the changes made."

Delaware attempted to stop the Hoosiers' comeback before it began with their fifth goal of the day in the 44^th minute. Indiana threw a counterpunch with Barber's 47^th-minute penalty corner hit, shortening Delaware's lead to 5-2.

From there, Indiana had the Blue Hens on their heels. Pearson entered the ledger in the 53^rd minute, and Barber scored her second in minute 59. On the other end, the defensive corner unit held off Delaware's seven attempts down the stretch.

The Hoosiers had a chance to force overtime in the final seconds of the game with an untimed penalty corner. Barber lined up her shot, eyeing a hat trick and a shot at an overtime upset, but her shot slipped wide of the frame.

"We want to keep that speed of play, the intensity, and the understanding that every ball matters," said Getzfread on their takeaways from the weekend. "We want to play all-out from the start, and through every minute of the game, knowing that any play could change the outcome."

Up Next: Indiana (4-4, 0-1 Big Ten) vs. Rutgers (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
Friday, September 23 • 3:30 PM • Watch: Big Ten Network • Live Stats
Bloomington, Ind. • IU Field Hockey Complex

Indiana commences their home conference schedule at the end of this week when they host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The game will air live on the Big Ten Network, Indiana's lone regular season game scheduled to air on national television.

"It's really important for us to take those lessons learned this weekend and make sure that we maintain that speed of play going forward," Janney said. "We played against two of the better midfielders we'll face all season, in terms of their movement, which made things difficult for us. We're able to learn a lot from these two games, and that will make us stronger for conference play."

Rutgers comes to Bloomington with a 5-2 record, most recently winning 13-0 in a home game versus Siena. The Rutgers offense has tallied 33 goals in their seven games this season.

The Scarlet Knights lead the all-time series over Indiana, 4-1, but the Hoosiers won the most recent meeting, 2-0, in Bloomington last season.