Hoosiers Fall to No. 3 Delaware, 7-0

Saturday, August 26

Louisville, KY

1 PM

Indiana University

(0-2)

Delaware

(1-0)

Indiana

Delaware

8/26/2017 2:48:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Indiana field hockey team completed their season opening weekend at Louisville's Trager Stadium on Saturday, taking the turf against No. 3 Delaware. The defending NCAA Champion Blue Hens (1-0) showed their offensive prowess in handing the Hoosiers (0-2) a 7-0 defeat.

Senior Maddie Latino created four shots, three on target, against a formidable Delaware defensive effort. Goalkeeper Katie Johnson made seven stops in 55 minutes, while freshman Sachi Ananias provided four saves in the second half.

"This weekend was a great challenge for us, and playing the best teams is what we need to figure out how to fix some minor things," said head coach Amanda Janney. "We learned a lot this weekend and have some things we need to fix, and learning from our mistakes early in the season will help us in the future."

The defending champs got the game off to a blistering pace with a score in the first few minutes of play, on Kayla Devlin's strike from the top of the circle. The Hoosiers countered quickly after the restart but Maddie Latino's chance slipped wide of the cage.

The Blue Hens extended their lead with two more first half scores. Ally Pollak collected a pass in front of the goal in the 15^th minute before Michelle Thomas connected on a close range chance in the 22^nd minute.

Indiana returned with a quickened pace to start the second half. Latino cracked the first chance of the period, sending a shot that needed maintenance from goalkeeper Emmeline Oltmans.

"Maddie played fantastically this whole weekend, she was a big spark for us on the front line," Janney said of her senior. "These scores don't indicate how much attack we were able to generate. I was proud of the team's ability to generate corners in both games, we just need to find a way to finish."

Delaware continued to convert their opportunities down the stretch, earning a score in the 41^st minute on a penalty corner. They notched their fifth score in the game with another penalty corner play in the 46^th minute.

The Hoosiers fought to the finish. They created of chances in the 50^th minute with a pair of penalty corners. Ciara Girouard fired a shot on the first attempt, which met a defensive block, and the Blue Hens extinguished the second play after the insert. Latino put another shot on frame in the 56^th minute, drawing a penalty corner and a player advantage in the process.

Freshman goalkeeper Sachi Ananias entered the cage for the final 15 minutes, the first of her career. She made three stops in the 62^nd minute before Delaware put away their third rebound, and made another block down the stretch. The Blue Hens struck home their seventh score after a deflection in the 69^th minute.

"These teams are very talented, and it's a similar talent level to competition we'll see in the future," Janney said. "Knowing how well these teams will be in conference play, we feel confident that we'll be able to grow and learn from this weekend to help us win more Big Ten games."

Up Next:
Indiana (0-2) vs. No. 15 Wake Forest (0-0)
Friday, Sept. 1 • 3:00 p.m. ET • State College, Pa.
Indiana (0-2) at Villanova (0-1)
Monday, Sept. 4 • 12:00 p.m. ET • Villanova, Pa. • Watch • Live Stats

The Hoosiers return to the road for a Labor Day weekend in the Keystone State, starting with their third consecutive ranked opponent away from home. Indiana faces No. 15 Wake Forest, Janney's alma mater, on Friday at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex in a rematch of last year's Labor Day weekend game in Columbus, Ohio. The Demon Deacons won a tight 2-1 contest last season.

"It's a short week of practice, but we'll watch film and fix some issues that we're having," said Janney. "Our players really fought hard this weekend, and we're going to take the positives into our preparation for Wake Forest."

Indiana closes the weekend at Villanova in the teams' first encounter since the 2012 season. The game is set to begin at noon, and fans can follow the action via stat tracker and live stream.

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