The Penn State field hockey team is hoping to tally its 11th win of the season this Sunday when they travel to Indiana to take on the Hoosiers at 1 p.m.
The Nittany Lions have kept intact a seven game win streak this week after Wednesday night's win over the University of Pennsylvania. A victory this weekend would bring the total to eight games without a loss and help prepare the Lions for the Big Ten tournament. Although the Lions have managed to muster enough goals to win the past eight games, they seem to be having trouble in one key area. They definitely pick up the intensity against ranked teams such as Michigan and Princeton, but the effort they put out against unranked teams like Penn is not up to par.
"I think that unfortunately we need to concentrate more on our game," head coach Char Morett said. "The second half tonight was how I would like to see them play more. They were passing more, they're finding more players. Hopefully against Indiana, they will come out ready to put that team away early. We are capable of doing that and getting ready for the Big Ten. But maybe the good thing about these games is we are still able to come out with the win."
Morett added that the Lions tend to just expect things to happen instead of making them happen. She said that her team needs to focus more on the game plan and not get off track. The team will also have the added challenge of playing at Indiana, where the team has never played before. Playing there will be a new experience and will most certainly help Indiana's cause. However, the Hoosiers' 1-13 record (0-4 in the conference), doesn't boast well for the team. But Morett isn't counting them out.
"They took Michigan State into overtime," she said. "I hope we can play our game enough to put them away."
Goalie Annie Zinkavich seemed a little worried, saying, "Michigan State just beat Indiana in overtime. I think if we lay down, they (Indiana) are gonna come out and really put it to us. But if we stay on top of our game and play like we did against Michigan, we'll play very, very well.
Zinkavich is 17th in the nation with her 1.23 goals against average. Teammate Timarie Legel holds a 17th spot as well for having 11 goals on the season. Legel has scored four game winning goals this year as well.
"My confidence has definitely grown throughout the season," Legel said. "I just try to go out there everyday and play my best and concentrate more on playing my best than scoring goals."
