Indiana women’s soccer received its first conference honors Tuesday afternoon when junior defender Lauren Costello and freshman defender Piper Coffield received individual awards. Costello was named Big Ten Defender of the Week while Coffield earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
The awards, which cover the second week of the Hoosiers season, are backed by two clean sheets against Morehead State University and the University of Evansville. In both games, Costello and Coffield were the backbone of a stingy Hoosier defense that consistently denied opposing scoring opportunities.
Additionally, both players were active on the offensive side of the ball across both games. While taking on Morehead State on Aug. 24, Costello assisted a goal in the 46th minute while Coffield netted a penalty kick to push the Hoosiers to a dominant victory. In Sunday’s game against Evansville, Costello once again provided the assist for an early goal that would ultimately be the deciding score.
Costello is the first Indiana player to take home Big Ten Defender of the Week since 2018. The Hoosiers will return to action Thursday evening against the University of Tennessee, as Indiana travels to Knoxville to take on the Lady Vols. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network +.
Follow reporters Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and PJ Katona (@PJ_Katona) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s soccer season.
