Indiana Blanks Penn State, 1-0

Sunday, October 18

Bloomington, Ind.

12:00 PM

Indiana University

(6-9)

Penn State

(8-7)

Penn State

Indiana

10/18/2015 6:01:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

Supica's goal, oustanding defense gives the Hoosiers their second consecutive shutout win

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Hoosiers set their season goal at the beginning of the year: win four Big Ten games to ensure a .500 conference record and, likely, a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Hoosiers achieved that, and more, with Sunday's 1-0 win against Penn State.

"Our big goal this season was to win half of our Big Ten games," senior forward Nicole Volgraf said. "That puts you in a good position to get into the Big Ten Tournament and to earn a solid seed. We did that today, and that's huge."

Indiana's shutout against Penn State was the second for the Hoosier defense this season, and the second of the weekend with their 3-0 win over Ohio State on Friday. It's the first time in program history that the Hoosiers have won back-to-back shutouts in Big Ten play.

"Our defense played great today," Indiana head coach Amanda Janney said after the win. "Malia Fujisawa forced several intercepts, Sydney Supica made some defensive saves, and we had some really smart passing in the backfield. The leadership and maturity in our backfield is really showing as we go deeper in the season."

Supica has played at a high level all season, especially so in their last three games. Today, against Penn State, the senior earned the game ball by scoring the game's lone goal and making a couple of game-saving defensive saves.

"All the credit goes to my teammates," Supica said on her performance today. "We practice these kinds of things in training every day, and we stay afterward and have people shoot on each other just to make sure that it's not a new thing outside of practice. To go out in a game and execute that in a game is really rewarding."

Supica's goal came in similar fashion to a majority of Hoosier goals this season: from a penalty corner. The Hoosiers earned the corner as time expired in the first half, meaning the play would be the last of the period. Kate Barber collected the insert, made a quick move forward, and found Supica near the goalmouth. Supica took her chance and lofted it over the save attempt for the decisive 1-0 lead. It was Supica's second score of the season.

"When time expires, you stick everyone up there on the corner," Supica said. "Kate sent in a great ball and I had the opportunity to run in and finish it off. The credit goes to Kate and my teammates for setting the ball in the first place."

On the defensive side of the Hoosiers' win, freshman keeper Noëlle Rother earned her second career shutout. Rother made six saves in the win, and worked well with the defensive unit of Barber, Supica, Fujisawa, and Nora Aucker to stave off an aggressive Nittany Lion attack. The Hoosier back line faced 17 shots from Penn State, but they refused to allow even one of them into the back of the goal.

"We were really unhappy with the Michigan State game, and we were annoyed with that loss. We thought, 'We have to change this,' and you can see the improvement," Rother said, explaining the recent rise in defensive execution. "Against Syracuse, we got a lot of confidence from the second half. Our first shutout on Friday against Ohio State took that confidence to another level."

The success this weekend came on the heels of a three-game losing streak, including a pair of tough losses in conference. Two wins later, and the Hoosiers are third in the Big Ten standings and a guarantee of at least a .500 conference record. What has been the secret to their success, their ability to rebound and continue fighting? According to Supica, the Hoosiers' successes off the field are translating to the on-field results.

"We're counting on each other and holding each other accountable," Supica explained. "We're making sure that we're doing the right things—nutrition, sleep, school—and making sure all of those things fit in. Once all of those things are working, it's easier to focus on hockey, to come out here and play the best we can play."

While the Hoosiers tend to not dwell on their successes, they're taking the time to acknowledge this win in particular. For the senior class, it's their first win over Penn State, and their first season with four Big Ten wins. In fact, neither achievement has happened since 2009.

"It's such an amazing feeling," Janney said. "We're happy that the team stepped up, and our seniors have been working so hard, they've been through a lot. To show how strong the team is in front of alumni today, we're really happy for that. They've gone through a lot to give us the opportunity to be here. We're happy for both our alumni and our senior class."

The Hoosiers have three games remaining in their regular season, two of which are against Big Ten competition. Next weekend, they will face the best of the Big Ten, the No. 7 Maryland Terrapins. Indiana knows they'll be in for a battle as they take on the Terrapins on the road and under the lights, but they have the confidence necessary to fight for a win.

"We're certainly battle-tested in our defense, so we know our defense can play great and handle the pressure," Janney said. "We just need to find ways to score and play our best next weekend."