Indiana Knocks Off No. 14 Northwestern, 3-2

Sunday, September 27

Bloomington, Ind.

12:00 PM

Indiana University

(5-4)

Northwestern

(8-4)

Northwestern

Indiana

9/27/2015 4:00:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

The Hoosiers move to 2-0 conference play with their second straight win against ranked competition

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana field hockey team tallied just one Big Ten Conference win last year, a 2-1 victory over 20^th-ranked Michigan State.

This season, the Hoosiers are off to a 2-0 start in conference play, posting wins over two teams ranked in the top 20.

Indiana (5-4, 2-0) grabbed their second victory of the weekend, 3-2, over No. 14 Northwestern (8-4, 1-2) on Sunday. After starting the season 2-4 in out-of-conference play, Indiana has won three games in a row and sits atop the Big Ten standings.

"We're so hyped," Maddie Latino said after the game, in which she scored two of Indiana's three goals. "We are looking forward to more Big Ten play, and hopefully, playing in the Big Ten Tournament."

The Hoosiers have played at a high level on both sides of the ball all season. Their issue at the start, however, was finishing their plays on attack and defense. This weekend, the Hoosiers achieved that goal, and the results are matching their input.

"I'm so proud of this team," head coach Amanda Janney said after the win. "Our senior leadership has been great, especially through the start of our Big Ten schedule."

The Hoosiers surged to an early lead in the ninth minute, when Taylor Pearson found Karen Lorite near the right goalpost. It was Lorite's fifth goal of the season.

Northwestern bounced back with an equalizer eight minutes later with a goal from Eva van Agt. The Hoosiers, in their discontent with an even score line, regained the lead two minutes later with Latino's first goal of the game.

The Wildcats tied the game just before halftime with a score by Isabel Flens. The Hoosiers knew what they were up against—Northwestern has one of the top offenses in the conference—and they knew they would see a strong attacking effort in the second half.

Latino grabbed her second goal in the early stages of the second half, a poke-in from the right post off of Pearson's second assist of the game. The goal was the fifth and final score of the game, and Latino's third game-winning goal this season.

The Hoosiers still had 26 minutes to keep the Northwestern attack at bay, which would require a strong, total defensive effort by all eleven players on the field.

The Hoosiers held their lead. While Indiana showcased a prolific attack led by Latino, Pearson, and Lorite, it was the play on defense that won the day.

"Kate Barber had an amazing game from the backfield," Janney said, citing one of the many examples of Indiana's defensive excellence. Barber's ability to force turnovers and create space to move the ball up the field was just the tip of Indiana's defensive iceberg against the Wildcats.

Barber, Sydney Supica, Morgan Dye, Mollie Getzfread, and Malia Fujisawa recorded defensive saves for the Hoosiers, most of which came on penalty corners. The Wildcats earned 11 penalty corners in the game, and failed to score once from a set play.

In addition, Noëlle Rother recorded nine saves against Northwestern, many of them diving efforts. The true freshman showed that, despite her age, she is one of the top keepers in the Big Ten.

"Noëlle is very hard to score on," Janney said. "She has proven that all season, but this weekend showed just how important she is for us in the goal."

The Hoosiers entered the weekend unranked and below .500 in out-of-conference play. They've now beaten two ranked Big Ten opponents and are unbeaten in what the Hoosiers are describing as the beginning to a new season.

Now, according to Pearson, the Hoosiers believe in their ability to finish plays and finish games.

"Now, we know we can do it," Pearson said. "It feels so good to get the win."

The Hoosiers will conclude their five-game home stand with an out-of-conference contest against Kent State on Friday, October 2 at 2:00 p.m. Following that, they will hit the road with a Big Ten matchup against Michigan on Sunday, October 4 at 1:00 p.m.

Stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com for all things Indiana Field Hockey.