IU rolls past NKU in exhibition opener

With three 30-minute periods replacing two 45-minute halves, the IU women’s soccer team had the opportunity to play a blend of returners and newcomers in its exhibition versus Northern Kentucky University on Saturday. The opener yielded a 6-3 victory for the Hoosiers.

“I felt very confident that we’ve got a lot of our fundamentals down, and it just really was a case tonight of how quickly we could blend in those nine or 10 freshmen who got to play,” IU Coach Mick Lyon said.

After a bit of confusion early on and a turnover deep in IU territory that left a wide-open net five minutes into the game, NKU’s Allison Ponzer scored the lone goal of the first period. IU fought back the remainder of the period with five shots on goal, but the team failed to find the back of the net.

“In the first 15 minutes they were trying to sort a few things out,” Lyon said. “We looked a little bit lost, but then they settled down and started to think about it a little bit more and took charge of the game.”

And take charge they did. A thru ball in the 35th minute allowed sophomore Abby Smith to defeat the keeper, tying the game. Four minutes later, freshman Jessie Bujouves, playing in the first game of her collegiate career, scored off a corner kick to bring IU into the lead.

Goals in the 51st and 59th minutes by Bujouves and junior Lisa Nouanesengsy, respectively, left IU with a solid lead, and NKU struggled to respond near the end of the second period.

Bujouves found the back of the net a third time in the final period, securing a hat trick for herself and setting the tone for the rest of the match. Despite two more NKU goals, IU held strong until the finish, scoring one last goal to top off the score at six.

“I’m really pleased with how the team played,” Bujouves said. “I came out and I was planning on scoring two goals. I wanted to win, and I wanted to put goals in the back of the net. I thought two was a great way to start, but three is better.”

Senior captain Ciersten Burks said she was pleased with the team’s overall performance, particularly in terms of how it came together with the passing of time.

“We were all so excited to have our first game of the season, even it being just an exhibition game,” she said. “I thought we did really well. Our shape got better as the periods went on and on.”

With a different formation than in previous seasons, and one vastly different than what other teams utilize, Lyons said the victory meant a great deal for IU.

“It’s a great start,” he said. “You can’t beat it when you get to play all the players who were available to play. The only thing we’ll change is we won’t give up three goals.”