A seven-game road swing can be hard on any team, but IU started strong against Western Michigan last weekend and is looking to carry momentum into its next two away games this weekend in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Hoosiers had their first away game of the season against the Broncos on Sunday and scored the most goals in a single game since 2013 with four scores, all of which came in the second half.
IU will have to deal with the home team Vanderbilt, 3-1, and Memphis, 3-0, Friday and Sunday as part of the Music City Invitational.
“I’m just looking forward to having good competition on the road, and it’s going to be good games,” sophomore midfielder Chandra Davidson said. “I’m really excited to see how we go up against them.”
First up for the Hoosiers will be the Commodores. The last game for Vanderbilt was a win against Massachusetts thanks to three first-half goals. All five of Vanderbilt's goals this season have come in either the first half or overtime.
The second half should be interesting to watch, considering IU scored all of its goals against WMU in the second half.
“It was just a rush,” Davidson said. “It was really good that we all came together, especially in the second half, to put those goals together. It was overall a huge team effort. Our team just worked so hard in the second half.”
This will be the third meeting ever between IU and Vanderbilt and the first one since 1999. Vandy has held opponents to an average of a goal per game. In its last game, IU had 25 shots. Vanderbilt has only allowed 44 total shots in four games.
“We’ve made a conscious effort in our group not to think far ahead,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “So, we are just going in there like another away game and playing a really good SEC team.”
Less than 48 hours after Vanderbilt, the Hoosiers will play an undefeated Memphis team. The Tigers have held their opponents to 22 shots in three games. They are led by junior forward Elizabeth Woerner, who has taken 15 shots and scored two goals on the season.
“I just hope we play the full 90 minutes, that we just start from the go and just have energy the whole 90,” junior forward Mykayla Brown said.
The last time the Hoosiers had momentum going into a game, they fell short against Louisville. If the Hoosiers defeat Vanderbilt and Memphis, they will be 4-2 on the season, which will be their best start since 2014.
“What I’m really looking forward to seeing is consistency, seeing if some of the players who stepped up big for us continue to step up big and see if some of our other players can emerge as well,” Berbary said. “Not everyone is going to have their best game every single time, but I think we’ve got enough depth within this program that we can continue to move forward."
