BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Stanford field hockey ended its final road trip of the regular season in thrilling fashion, defeating Indiana, 2-1, on Sunday at Deborah Tobias Field. Stanford improves to 6-8 this season with the result, including a 6-2 mark in non-conference action.
“The team came into this game knowing they needed to display the work they have been putting in,” said head coach Roz Ellis. “Indiana has a great squad this year, they put the pressure on."
Scout Butler and Star Horlock scored for the Cardinal, their second and fourth goals of the season, respectively, while assists were credited to Liv Martin, Bea Varley and Allison Kuzyk. Martin tied Jenny O'Grady for the team lead with five helpers this season, while Daisy Ford made four saves to earn the win in goal.
The Stanford defense was unflappable, allowing no goals from open play. Stanford went a perfect 15-for-15 defending penalty corners, and it held Indiana to just five shots on target in 24 attempts.
"I’m happy with our penalty corner unit, they defended very well," continued Ellis. "We also took advantage of our opportunities in the attacking third, which feels good. It’s now back to work on Tuesday to keep growing.”
After a defensive battle in the first quarter, with only three combined shots, Butler broke the deadlock in the 24th minute with a strike off a penalty corner – one of six on the day for the Cardinal. Martin inserted to Varley, with Butler’s strike deflecting off a Hoosier stick and over the top of the goalkeeper. The goal was the difference at the half, with Stanford leading 1-0 at the intermission.
It took less than six minutes in the second half for Stanford to double its lead. Kuzyk picked off a pass in the offensive third, and dribbled past two Indiana defenders before squaring to Horlock for the tap in. Indiana responded with a penalty stroke goal in the 42nd minute, giving Stanford a 2-1 edge after three quarters.
Stanford defended 14 penalty corners in the second half, and eight in the fourth quarter, and the Cardinal would not allow an Indiana breakthrough. Butler added a defensive save with 2:22 to play, and Stanford held possession in the closing minutes to secure the victory.
The Cardinal has won four of the past five meetings with the Hoosiers and leads the all-time series, 5-3.
The program returns home for its final two ACC contests, starting with a 5 p.m. bout with Wake Forest on Friday, Oct. 25. The action will air on ACC Network Extra.