Strong Senior Day Effort Stokes Late Surge
Logan LeGrett | IUHoosiers.com Student Staff Writer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Senior send-off season is upon us in Bloomington. A 2-1 loss for the Indiana field hockey team against Stanford snapped a four-game winning streak for the Hoosiers (7-7).
While the loss put a damper on the senior day festivities, head coach Kayla Bashore and the Indiana seniors are still focused on a strong finish after wins over No. 12 Iowa and No. 18 Cal during its winning streak.
"Overall, I think we did play a very good game," said Bashore. "Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn't. Stat-wise we had more opportunities, but that's how sports go sometimes. They had their opportunities and two of them went in. We had our opportunities, and we couldn't get another one to fall."
While the game didn't go the Hoosiers' way, Indiana dominated the stat sheet, outshooting Stanford 25-6 as well as getting 15 penalty corner opportunities, a staggering number compared to just three for the Cardinal.
"I thought their defensive corners were some of the toughest we've seen," Bashore said. "They were just willing to put their body on the line, playing really low. It was tough to get around that.
"I like that we never gave up. In the second half, you could see us putting a lot more pressure and generating more on the attack. I think we came out a bit slower in the beginning of the game, but I really liked how we were able to turn that around."
Senior Meghan Dillon looked at the game from a similar lens.
"I think we were able to possess the ball for a majority of the game," Dillon said. "There are things that we can improve on and things that we can be proud of."
Fellow senior Maggie Carter also took note of the team's positive performance, as she looks back at what has made the team so strong in their four-game win streak that helped turn the 2024 campaign around.
"Our key has been to come out really strong," said Carter. "We haven't been so good at that in [early in the year]. That's been our main focus, coming out with a lot of intensity so we can sort of break the other team down as early as possible. We still came in with that today, but I just don't think we got that execution off of our intensity."
Carter goes on to explain why the stat sheet did not resemble the end result of Sunday's game.
"Our press was not as unified as it usually is or as it was on Friday," Carter said. "Mainly executing in the circle was something we were able to do on Friday that we struggled with today."
While the Hoosiers' win streak was snapped, there is a lot to look forward to as the season comes to a close. The team ends the season playing against two ranked Big Ten opponents and closing the season at home. The final three games are a crucial stretch that will decide their Big Ten Tournament fate.
"We know what good hockey looks like, we know what Indiana field hockey feels like," Dillon said. "Moving into these next [three] games, these are going to be important for us and it's going to solidify whether we make it to the tournament or not. Our overall goal is to make it to the tournament and go on a run."
Bashore remained confident in her team's direction.
"I don't believe this is a setback in any regard,” Bashore said. “If anything, it shows me what we need to work on. While we didn't get the win today for our seniors, we're focused on Big Tens and the play ahead."
While the team is entering the make-or-break part of the season, Bashore took the time to emphasize what Senior Day meant to this program.
"What I'll miss is everything they've done to grow the program," Bashore said. "They've definitely left their mark and written a legacy for themselves, and it's one that everyone will remember."
That legacy can grow as this season comes to a close, as its next opportunity comes at No. 3 Ohio State.