The Indiana Hoosiers are having their best season since 2005.
They are now 9-3 on the season after lulling the Ohio Bobcats to sleep with a final score of 5-0 on Sunday. Celia Arroyo Cabezudo led the team with two goals in the contest, both of which were assisted by Inez Garcia Prado.
In 2005, the Hoosiers had their best season in program history: a 18-5 record and an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The ‘05 squad also ended the season ranked inside the top 10.
The 2005 Indiana team also had a solid Big Ten Tournament performance, making it the championship round before falling short to Michigan. The following NCAA Tournament saw them defeat North Carolina before falling to Wake Forest.
However, this year's squad has a chance for something even greater. That belief has pushed this group to some incredible success so far this season.
Ranked 12th in the nation holding an undefeated record at home and two ranked wins, the Hoosiers are playing their best field hockey down the stretch of this season. It’s the type of play you’d see from a team that could contend for a national championship.
Additionally, Indiana is undefeated in Big Ten play, starting 4-0 for the first time since 2005. Although they lost to Iowa a few weeks ago, the second match of the double-header between the two teams (which the Hoosiers lost) was mutually agreed to not count towards the conference record.
The road ahead
While the Hoosiers likely will rise in the rankings after this victory, their toughest opponents yet lie ahead. Out of their last four games, two of the four opponents for the Hoosiers are ranked inside the top three: No. 1 Northwestern (last year’s national champion) and No. 2 Maryland. Despite this, the Hoosiers and head coach Kayla Bashore remain hopeful.
“They [the team] just have to be so disciplined,” Bashore said. “They have the skill, they have the ability, but it’s the breakdown in when you’re not doing things you know you should be doing. The discipline has to be 100 for the rest of the season. They definitely have the skill to do it, they just have to put the pieces together.”
Ever since losing two games to start the season, the Hoosiers have caught fire and have taken down two ranked opponents: a No. 2 Iowa team on the road and a No. 13 Michigan team at home.
Indiana has remained unbeaten at home so far, but Northwestern has a chance to break that streak on Friday. However, the Wildcats will not have an easy task against one of the best goalies in the country: Sadie Canelli.
Canelli has been a brick wall in the net for Indiana. She’s second in the nation for her goals against average of 0.55 and save percentage of 85.4 percent. The only goalie ahead of her in both of those categories is Juliana Bloom of Northwestern. Safe to say, this matchup may end in a penalty shootout to decide the best goalie of those two.
Canelli’s play has made the jobs of the rest of the Hoosier defense much easier, as she has only allowed five goals through 11 appearances. That type of play helps instill confidence in the team and make them know that she’s got their back.
“She’s being really composed, very steady, she’s not getting too overly anxious,” Bashore said. “Also, she has a nice steady energy to her in the back [of the formation], so I think the backs can feed off of that, and they feel like they can work well with that.”
Barring the defeat in penalty shootouts vs Iowa in the second match of their double-header, Indiana hasn’t lost a game in regulation for over a month now. They have captured a huge wave of momentum and plan to ride it out through the rest of the season.
