After starting the season with a 2-1 loss against No. 8 Boston College, Indiana field hockey responded with two consecutive wins against the University of Maine, 4-3, and Drexel University, 3-0.
The Hoosiers will turn their attention to the University of Louisville at noon on Sunday. The Cardinals will look to bounce back from a neutral-site 1-0 loss to Drexel on Saturday in Bloomington.
A history of losing
Indiana and Louisville will compete in their 27th all-time matchup between the two programs. The Hoosiers have a 6-20 record and have gone 3-8 at home. Indiana has lost 10 straight times against the Cardinals and has been shut out the last four times.
Louisville won the last matchup 1-0 on Oct. 10, 2023. The Cardinals outshot the Cream and Crimson 11-5, with the only goal coming on then fifth-year back Julie Kouijzer’s 54th minute goal. The Hoosiers return with nine roster players from the matchup.
Indiana’s last win against the Cardinals came Sept. 7, 2012, in a 3-2 overtime victory at Deborah Tobias Field.
Indiana will need a big defensive performance
Louisville had a high-scoring offense in its first two games this season. Against Michigan State University and Ohio University, the Cardinals outscored the competition 11-1.
A 6-1 win against the Spartans saw Louisville shoot 13 times, with nine of those on goal. The Cardinals increased those numbers in their 5-0 win against the Bobcats with 22 shots and 15 on goal.
Senior forward Rylie Wollerton leads the Cardinals in goals this season. She has a team-high of five goals and 11 points. Junior forward Lauren Masters is the only other player with more than one goal. Senior midfielder Izzy Bianco leads the Cardinals with three assists.
In their loss to Drexel, Louisville gave up 10 shots, with four being on goal. The Cardinals could only muster up five shots, with one on goal.
Indiana has given up over eight shots in all three of its games this season. However, the Hoosiers’ sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Canelli had only one goal scored on her since entering the crease in the second quarter of the Maine game.
A collection of backs anchors the Cream and Crimson’s defense. Senior Emma Thompson, junior Elen Nicholls, and redshirt freshman Morgan Qualls have all started in every game, with redshirt junior Cecilia Maixner getting playing time in all three.
More scoring for the Hoosiers
Freshman forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo has a team-high four goals this season. However, Indiana will need scoring from other sources. Sophomore forward Mijntje Hagen is scoreless but has shown her value by providing a team-high four assists.
Junior midfielder Inés Garcia Prado led the Hoosiers with eight goals last season. Now, the Madrid, Spain, native has been held scoreless. She only had one shot against Drexel and has four shots with three of those being on goal for the season.
Hagen falls into the same category as Garcia Prado. She had the third-most goals for the Hoosiers last season with five. This year, Hagen has four shots, and only one of those has been on goal.
A win for Indiana would snap its long losing streak to Louisville and give the Hoosiers their earliest third win in a season since 2021, when Indiana started 3-0. The teams face off at noon on Sunday, and the game will be streamed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
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