Indiana Blanks UC Davis, 2-0

Monday, September 5

Columbus, OH

1 PM

Indiana University

(2-2)

UC Davis

(1-2)

Indiana

UC Davis

9/5/2016 3:56:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Quotes Game Notes

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Indiana Hoosiers (2-2, 0-0) secured their first shutout win of the season in Monday's Buckeye Invitational closer, 2-0, over the UC Davis Aggies (1-2, 0-0). Players in the score sheet for Indiana were Maddie Latino and Kate Barber, with Malia Fujisawa earning her first career assist. Barber, after scoring eight goals in her 2015 All-American season, has converted five goals in the Hoosiers' first four games.

"I'm really happy with the win," said head coach Amanda Janney. "I think our defense played phenomenal, and they carried that intensity from yesterday's game into today. They've been making great defensive plays all season, and that really came through today with their ability to hold the other team to one shot."

The Hoosiers wasted no time in getting out to an attacking start, and finished their quickest goal of the 2016 season. After 74 seconds of play, Fujisawa connected with Latino in the circle, and the 2015 leading scorer sent her first goal of the season into the lower-left side of the cage. Barber followed in the 32^nd minute after collecting a rebound off of the goalkeeper's initial save.

"For us to get our momentum going, we want one big play," said Fujisawa, who delivered a long-range pass with precision to Latino. "I saw that open lane and the left foot of the defender as a target, and I know how Maddie plays. When she cut back to the ball and received it, I knew that was going to be golden."

This weekend's trip to the Buckeye Invitational saw a transformation in the Hoosier defense. After conceding seven goals in their first two games, Indiana kept a tight score line against No. 7 Wake Forest. On Monday versus UC Davis, the Hoosiers recorded their first season shutout, allowing the Aggies to create just one shot without conceding any penalty corners.

"We've been working on our team defense, with certain presses and the way we defend, and the team really stuck to the game plan," Janney said. "The way we pressed yesterday [against Wake Forest] worked really well, and put the other team under pressure. Today, the defense did a good job of keeping them out of our backfield and limited the amount of shots they were able to get. From our front line to our back line, the team played great defense, but our three back defenders made huge intercepts and limited time in our backfield."

Latino led eight Hoosiers in the shot count with five total, four on target. Barber tallied four attempts, followed by Taylor Pearson with three. As a team, the Hoosiers fired 19 shot attempts, 13 of which landed on target.

How it Happened:
It was a flying start to the game for the Hoosier offense. In addition to Latino's 74-second score, Indiana launched eight shot attempts and earned four penalty corners in the first half. The Hoosiers nearly doubled their lead in the 25^th minute, but the goalkeeper parried Latino's shot attempt.

"She set the tone for the team," Janney said regarding the big play by the junior forward. "We've been talking a lot about getting the first goal, since we've had to play from behind in our first few games. Maddie has been fighting hard, she had a really good game today and brought that scrappy, aggressive play she does so well. I'm glad to see her get a goal."

Barber collected her fifth goal of the year in the 32^nd minute, capitalizing on a rebounded save. The senior midfielder almost raised her total to six at the close of the half, but a UC Davis defensive save denied Barber's straight shot.

The Indiana attack didn't let off the gas in the second half. The Hoosiers opened the first 16 minutes of the half with five shot attempts, which included a close call on a penalty corner by Pearson. In the 61^st minute the Indiana front line forced two quick saves in 15 seconds on back-to-back shots from Latino and Ciara Girouard.

"I thought the team was unbelievable," Fujisawa said. "Before every game, we emphasize the first five minutes because we want to get off to a fast start. Today was the day we proved that with our goal in the first five minutes. We played with intensity from the back line to the front line, and I think we've been able to learn and constantly improve throughout the game.

Up Next: Indiana (2-2, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Missouri State (0-2, 0-0 MAC)
Friday, September 9 • 6:00 p.m. ET • SportPort International • St. Louis, Mo.
Live Stats

Indiana returns to action next weekend, starting Friday, September 9 with a neutral site game versus Missouri State (0-2, 0-0). The game will be played on the turf at SportPort International in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. local time). After that, the Hoosiers come back to Bloomington to host the New Hampshire Wildcats (2-2, 0-0) on Sunday, September 11 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

"We've had a lot of good lessons learned throughout our last four games," Janney reflected. "Our team is improving every single game, so we want to take our positive play and great individual contributions that are building into a solid team effort. There's a lot of great things going on right now, and we want to put them together for two wins next weekend."