On the afternoon of Sept. 29, No. 24 Iowa field hockey faced off against unranked Big Ten opponent Indiana and won after a nail-biting back-and-forth game.

The final score was 4-3, but it could have easily been a 5-4 win for either team.

With two buzzer penalty corners — one in the 35th minute of the first half and one in the 70th minute of the second half — each team had its chance. The Hoosiers had the opportunity in the 70th minute to tie the match and send it into overtime, but sophomore Katie Birch saved the shot on goal.

“It was kind of my fault that they got it in the first place because I fell over,” Birch said. “Slippery shoes, slippery pitch. They slipped it right and then straight shot it, and I trapped it, thankfully, and pushed it out. I really needed to redeem myself after giving away the corner.”

Birch more than redeemed herself, scoring a hat trick and assisting on the fourth goal. Iowa needed the win to improve its Big Ten record; it now sits at 1-3. Next, the Hawkeyes will be out of town to play No. 2 Duke on Oct. 8 and will be back at Grant Field on Oct. 18 to take on Northwestern.