Hoosiers split games during home opener

The Hoosiers earned a split in their home opening weekend, picking up their first Big Ten win of the season Friday night against No. 11 Ohio State.\nIU outplayed the Buckeyes to a 1-0 victory, shutting out the potent Ohio State offense. Sunday, the Hoosiers took on No.13 Penn State and lost, 2-1. Freshman midfielder Missy Vierling said she was glad to beat Ohio State.\n"It feels really good to beat Ohio State because my big sister used to play for them," Vierling said. "This is a big win for us. Now we earned some respect in the Big Ten."\nVierling put in the eventual game-winning goal on a cross from freshman midfielder Megan Pipkens. Pipkens received the ball past midfield, beat two Buckeye defenders and raced down the sideline until she fed Vierling with a cross that she was able to get past the goalie. Pipkens said she hoped Vierling would be able to score.\n"I saw a gap and I saw Missy," Pipkens said. "I just prayed she would get on it, and she did."\nThe Hoosier defense only allowed Ohio State three shots the entire game, with only one of them being a shot on goal. With 14 minutes remaining in the second half, Ohio State had a chance to tie the game when freshman goalkeeper Stacey Van Boxmeer came out of the box to grab a loose ball. An Ohio State forward attempted to put the ball in the goal, but it was deflected by a Hoosier defender.\nSunday, the Hoosiers took on No. 13 Penn State, in search of another upset. Penn State began pressuring the Hoosier defense from the beginning and scored after only three minutes of play. The Hoosiers began putting more pressure on the Nittany Lions, but it wasn't enough as Penn State was able to score another goal with 1:30 left before halftime. Six minutes into the second half, the Hoosiers were able to score a goal as sophomore Kristen Zmijewski put in a header from a corner kick. The goal wouldn't be enough as Penn State withstood a barrage of shots as the game was ending.\nZmijewski said the team lacked intensity in the first half.\n"I think that in the first half, we didn't come out with as much intensity as we did in the second half," Zmijewski said. "Once we got the intensity back, that's when we found our scoring opportunities increase."\nThe Hoosiers record now falls to 3-6-0 (1-3-0) on the season. The team next travels to Iowa City to take on Iowa on Friday. The Hoosiers return home Sunday for a non-conference match up against Marshall.\n-- Contact staff writer Cory Steger at csteger@indiana.edu.