Depth, expereince in defense will benefit

There's an old saying that goes, "Offense wins games, but defense wins championships." \nThere wouldn't be any other phrase that better suits the Hoosier women's soccer team. Led by senior defenders Carly Everett and Erin Hesselbach and senior goalkeeper Shaunna Daugherty, the defensive unit looks to establish themselves as one of the best in the Big 10.\nThe Hoosiers benefit from a lot of depth and experience, which is something they were lacking last year. This year coach Mick Lyon has eight different defenders to rotate around, and three good goalies to use if he needs them.\nDaugherty is the main goalie after starting 17 games last year and making 74 saves. Lyon said he believes the group's depth and experience will help the team make a push for the postseason tournaments.\n"Last year we didn't have much experience," Lyon said. "Now, we've brought in some good freshmen. We've got more skill and athleticism than last year. I don't see us giving up many goals this year."\nLyon said he also puts a strong emphasis on attitude.\n"Our emphasis is on discipline and attitude," he said. "We need to have the attitude to compete, the attitude to excel, and take care of the details. Attitude is a big push."\nHesselbach is the anchor of the defense and was an all Big 10 honoree in 2001. Everett said she believes the group's speed and communication are what make them good.\n"I've noticed that we have a lot of speed in the back," Everett said. "When we were in Florida, we faced some very fast forwards, and we did well against them. We've got good communication in the back, and it's something we always are working on. In practice we focus on keeping in good shape, and sometimes we even have defense only practices."\nThe genius of the defense is in the outside defenders. The two outside defenders have the ability to push the ball up field and become part of the offense temporarily.\nThe group is getting a big push from freshmen defenders Megan Pipkens, Missy Vierling and Lauren Lamping, who have been impressive since they arrived on campus recently.\nThough the team lost some key seniors, the Hoosiers are confident the rest of the team will be able to fill their positions. Senior midfielder Emily Hotz said she believes the team will be able to replace the lost seniors.\n"They're going to be hard to replace, but all the players replacing them are doing a good job," she said. \n-- Contact staff writer Cory Steger at csteger@indiana.edu.