She said she needed to see seniors take leadership.
In Sunday’s 1-0 overtime win against Northwestern, Berbary got her wish.
Three seniors — Rebecca Dreher, Tori Keller and Abby Smith — combined to create the Hoosiers’ game-winning score in the 105th minute in Evanston, Ill.
“We put it on the older kids to take a little bit more ownership for what they’re doing on the field,” Berbary said. “They did today.”
Dreher ran the ball into the right corner where she drew a foul to set up a free kick.
The Northwestern team was upset with the call, but, ultimately, the referee made the decision to give IU a scoring chance off a set piece.
IU would take advantage.
Keller serviced a cross into the middle of the Northwestern box with a little more than five minutes remaining in the second overtime.
Smith, 5-foot-4, won the header and sent the ball just past the outstretched arm of freshman goalkeeper Lauren Clem for her second goal of the season.
“I think we did good about the older players stepping up and saying ‘We’re going to win today,’” Smith said. “(Dreher) worked hard to get the foul. (Keller) sent a great ball in, and I think we did a good job of making our own destiny there.”
Berbary said she was pleased with the way her ?seniors were being held more accountable for taking responsibility for making mid-game adjustments.
On the defensive end, junior goalkeeper Sarah Stone recorded her second shutout of the season despite IU ?being outshot 12-5.
In the second overtime period, immediately before Keller’s cross found Smith for the game-winning goal, the Wildcats had a scoring chance off a corner kick, but Stone gathered in the ?Wildcats’ scoring effort.
Berbary said she was pleased with her team’s ability to defend from all 11 positions. The shutout snaps a streak of three consecutive games where the Hoosiers allowed two or more goals.
“I’m very happy with the overall team defending,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking we were going to get scored on. It was just a matter of us getting the goal.”
The win gives IU three much-needed points toward the Big Ten standings after being shutout from scoring points in the first three ?conference games.
IU will return home for a pair of conference games this weekend against Wisconsin and Minnesota, two teams the Hoosiers beat last year.
Berbary said she didn’t want to worry as much about points for now, considering if the season ended today the Hoosiers would be left out of the Big Ten Tournament.
The team is looking to build momentum moving forward into what could prove to be a pivotal part of the season.
“Very pleased with that result today,” Berbary said. “That’s three seniors stepping up finally within the game and getting it done.”
