Hoosiers shut out Musketeers in 5-0 road victory

The IU women’s soccer team, after suffering a 5-0 loss to No. 5 Pepperdine on Sept. 2, returned the favor against Xavier on Friday in Cincinnati, taking down the Musketeers in a 5-0 shutout victory of its own.

“We had good commitment, excitement, passion with them, and it showed in the game,” IU Coach Mick Lyon said. “They played some terrific soccer.”

A quick goal by sophomore midfielder Rebecca Dreher in the fourth minute initiated a first-half scoring streak for the Hoosiers.

Successive goals by junior forward Rebecca Candler, sophomore midfielder Monica Melink and sophomore midfielder Jordan Woolums rounded out the score for the half.

The four first-half goals were the most in a half for the Hoosiers since scoring five in the second half of a win against Butler in 2010.

A lone goal in the second half by sophomore midfielder Bekah White, her first career goal as a Hoosier, completed the scoring for the Hoosiers.  

Lyon said he made a few adjustments in the team’s shape on the field and shuffled a few players around, and the modifications worked very well.  

“We moved a couple of people around, so that was a bit of an experiment — just throwing them feet-first into the fire,” he said.

Despite a 45-minute delay due to inclement weather, the team remained focused, Lyon said.

“At that point it was not just to win this game,” he said. “It was to win this game with a shutout. That was the focal point right there.”

The team will return home this week, playing against Indiana State at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

— Kourtney Liepelt