Indiana women’s soccer came to Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium on Thursday night with one central question to answer: could the Hoosiers’ offensive attack support one of the Big Ten’s top defenses which has allowed just one goal all season?
That question was answered in just the 10th minute when junior midfielder Sydney Masur sailed a grass-grazing blast past the outstretched keeper and into the back of the net. The goal was the first of her career and came as a relief to an Indiana squad that was held scoreless in a draw to Virginia Tech four days prior.
“That’s been the focus, going forward, putting them on their toes right away, being aggressive and not hesitating,” Masur said postgame. “Maybe last year we would’ve said just play it backward, but we wanted to go forward right from the start.”
Indiana’s defense held up its end of the bargain throughout the first half, squandering any opportunities Morehead State had of scoring, which were few and far between. The first forty-five minutes wrapped up with the scoreline being 1-0.
That scoreline, however, was short-lived in the second half, as Indiana’s leading scorer graduate forward Paige Webber found herself in a one-on-one opportunity against the Eagles’ goalkeeper just a minute into the half. A smooth right-foot finish gave Webber her second goal in the young season and gave the Hoosiers their second goal of the game.
Morehead State saw its best opportunity of the game minutes later when senior forward Hadley Cytron ran down a long cross to the far post. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Hoosiers junior goalie Jamie Gerstenberg quickly threw herself in the shooting lane to stifle the scoring chance.
Indiana’s final goal would come in the 69th minute when Morehead State committed a foul inches inside the 18-yard box. Freshman defender Piper Coffield converted the penalty, earning her first career goal for the Hoosiers.
“All preseason she scored every single one of her penalties, and she’s pretty calm,” head coach Erwin van Bennekom said afterward. “So, I’m happy for her, and it’s a nice first career goal.”
The win brings Indiana’s record to 2-0-1 as they prepare for their first stint of away games against the University of Evansville and the University of Tennessee. The Hoosiers will be in Evansville Sunday night taking on the Aces with kickoff starting at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Follow reporters Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and PJ Katona (@PJ_Katona) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s soccer season.
