The Hoosiers were back in the friendly confines of Bill Armstrong Stadium on Sunday, following the conclusion of five games in a three-week road trip.
The first half was stagnant for IU. However, with the play of senior goalkeeper Sarah Stone, the Hoosiers were able to notch a result against their in-state rival.
Senior midfielder Jessie Bujouves’ left-footed finish with six minutes to play in regulation was enough for IU to draw Ball State, 1-1.
Stone, who finished with seven saves, kept the Hoosiers alive throughout the game. Her only blemish was Ball State’s Chelsy Swackhamer’s 73rd-minute finish. Swackhamer was able to drill a close-range rebound after a brilliant goal-line save from Stone.
“I thought our first half was the worst half of soccer all year,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “We need to play better soccer. We had way too many unforced errors in the first half — we literally kept giving them the ball.”
The Hoosiers, once again, were able to claw back into the affair, courtesy of play from sophomore forward Kayla Smith. Smith set up Bujouves’ goal with a blocked bicycle kick and consequent sliding shot. Bujouves was able to fire a left-footed rocket past Ball State goalkeeper Alyssa Heintschel on the far corner.
“Right place, right time,” Bujouves said of her second goal of the season. “You had to be scrappy. It was a whole team effort, I just got my foot on the ball. There were people setting picks, pushing each other and getting in the way.”
The two teams were involved in physical play toward the end of the affair. Ball State defender Lorina White was issued a yellow card for a late challenge, while both teams combined for more than 20 fouls.
“We didn’t crumble after being scored upon,” Berbary said. “That was the first time that I saw our team fight and scrap inside the penalty box to score that goal. I honestly didn’t even know who scored until they announced it. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t put another one in to win it.”
Stone led the Hoosiers in yet another late-game survival, fending off a Cardinal attack with two minutes to play in the first overtime. Swackhamer’s bicycle kick shot attempt hit the crossbar before Stone saved a point-blank rocket off the rebound.
“Sarah’s a beast,” Bujouves said. “She’s just incredible. I’m just thinking ‘Thank you, thank you so much.’ She has come up so big for us over and over again. She’s probably going to do that the rest of the season, so obviously she’s a huge part of our team.”
IU was coming off a 2-0 defeat Friday at the hands of No. 13 Notre Dame, while Ball State had not played for a week. To Bujouves, the Hoosiers’ fatigue was not evident as the game reached its final minutes, though.
“I don’t think we were tired,” Bujouves said. “We’ve worked so hard over the past eight months to be in the best shape that we can be. I think fitness worked to our advantage. You just have to get used to Friday and Sunday games. That’s just how it’s going to be for the rest of the season.”
IU will now turn to Big Ten play after finishing 3-3-2 in the non-conference portion of its season. IU will stay in Bloomington this weekend as it plays host to the University of Illinois and Northwestern University on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
“I think we’ve exceeded my expectations with these first eight games,” Berbary said. “I would have liked to get another win so we would have been above .500. I’m happy with where we are, bottom line.”
