Following a frustrating 2-2 tie against No. 25 University of Tennessee on the road Aug. 31, Indiana women’s soccer bounced back at home with a dominant 2-0 victory over Northern Illinois on Sunday.
The Hoosiers dominated the match from beginning to end as they outshot the Huskies 20-5 and did not allow a shot on goal. Junior goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg earned her fourth clean sheet of the season.
Graduate forward Paige Webber opened the scoring in the 36th minute of the match, as sophomore forward Marsia Grzesiak received a cross and was able to backheel it to Webber, who put it past the goalkeeper. Grzesiak has now recorded an assist in the last two matches for the Hoosiers.
Heading into halftime, the Hoosiers seemed to be in control as they forced the Huskies to defend in their own half for a majority of the first 45 minutes. The Hoosiers outshot the Huskies 13-3 in the first half.
The Huskies struggled all night to keep possession of the ball, but in the 61st minute they had their best scoring opportunity of the game as sophomore forward Amber Best’s shot deflected off the crossbar and Indiana was able to clear the ball from danger.
Just a few minutes after the Huskies’ scoring opportunity, in the 64th minute of the match, Indiana junior midfielder Hope Paredes played a phenomenal ball over the top of the Huskies’ defense and was able to find Webber, who snuck it past the Huskies’ keeper for her second goal of the night. The assist from Paredes allowed her to join Grzesiak in having assists in back-to-back games.
The game marked the Huskies’ second loss of the season. The dominant victory was much needed for the Hoosiers, as they return to the win column and remain undefeated this season.
The Hoosiers will take on the University of Louisville on Thursday, Sept. 7 at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The match will be streamed live on B1G+ and kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
