In-state rival poses tough task for IU

The Hoosiers continue their long season-opening road trip this Friday when they head to Indianapolis to take on the Butler Bulldogs. In-state bragging rights are up for grabs as both teams are competing for a win. Coach Mick Lyon said he expects the Bulldogs to come to the game with a lot of intensity.\n"This will be (Butler's) biggest game of the year, other than their conference championship," Lyon said. "Their coach, their team, and their school will be fired up to play this game. To them, this is the David and Goliath battle, and it will be full of emotion and enthusiasm."\nThe Bulldogs enter the game with a 3-0-1 record on the year, with the tie coming at the hands of Louisville in double overtime. The Hoosiers come into this game sporting a record almost opposite of Butler's at 1-3-0.\nSo far this season, goals have been hard to come by for the Hoosiers, having scored just one. The same can't be said about the Bulldogs who are averaging two goals a game while the defense has only allowed two goals all season. If the Hoosiers expect to win this game, they will need to find a way to get their offense to put some points on the board. The Hoosiers will also need to find a way to shut down Butler's Meredith Buemi, who has already tallied four goals and one assist on the season. Lyon said he believes the Hoosiers will be able to stop Buemi.\n"I think we've got good players out wide, whether we match her with (freshman) Megan Pipkens, (freshman) Carrie DeFreece, or (sophomore) Kristen Zmijewski," Lyon said. "Any of those players we have who play in her area will have more pace than she's got. They'll be quicker to the ball, and they're all very smart players. We will stop her from getting time and space on the ball, which is the way she's able to score so many goals."\nJunior midfielder Kim Grodek said she anticipates a tough game with Butler.\n"Butler is always a hard fought game because it's a rivalry and we play them every year," she said. \nThe Hoosiers have been tinkering with their formation in practice and they've also been rotating players around in an attempt to find the best combination. Pipkens said the team has been working hard in practice this week in preparation for the Butler game.\n"We've been working on creating space for the offense and getting people in the right positions so we're able to score," Pipkens said.\nThe game takes place today at Lawrence Park in Indianapolis at 7 p.m.\n-- Contact staff writer Cory Steger at csteger@indiana.edu