Indiana women’s soccer played its first Power 5 matchup Sunday night against Virginia Tech on Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Although the Hoosiers outshot the Hokies 11-4, the night ended in an unsatisfying 0-0 draw.
Assistant coach Tim Verschuren echoed the feelings of players and fans following the game.
“We feel really good about the game but disappointed in the result,” Verschuren said. “We felt that we could have gotten more out of it, but it definitely shows how far we have come from a year ago where we played (Virginia Tech) away.”
In August 2022, Indiana traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia where it scraped out a scoreless draw, taking just four shots while giving up 19 to the Hokies. Just one year ago the Hoosiers were held on their heels and on the defensive for nearly a full 90 minutes. Fast forward 364 days and Indiana dominated the time of possession, controlled the pace of the game and was consistently on the attack.
Virginia Tech had the game’s initial scoring opportunity in the third minute, rifling a shot from within the 18-yard box, but the sure-handed junior keeper Jamie Gerstenberg was there for the save. Gerstenberg would collect her second save later in the first half following the Hokies’ only other shot on goal.
The second half saw a tough-nosed Virginia Tech defense stopping a barrage of Hoosier opportunities, including a promising run from freshman midfielder Kennedy Neighbors, but none of the Hoosiers’ four shots on goal found the net.
Despite the disappointing result, Indiana showed aggression on both sides of the ball which was rarely seen throughout the historically subpar 2022 season that featured few goals scored and a 3-7-7 record. If Indiana can continuously play its brand of soccer as it did on Sunday, the Hoosiers could be in contention to improve from their 2022 campaign.
After starting the season with a dominant 3-1 win versus Illinois State University on Aug. 18, Sunday’s result moved the Hoosiers’ record to 1-0-1. Indiana will look to stay undefeated as it hosts Morehead State at 8 p.m. on Thursday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The match will be broadcast on B1G+.
Follow reporters Quinn Richards (@Quinn_Richa) and PJ Katona (.@PJ_Katona) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s soccer season.
