After holding Youngstown State University to just three shots on goal in season opener, the Indiana women’s soccer defense made an early season statement with their decisive 6-1 win in the opener. Their statement only grew louder Thursday night in Indiana’s 1–0 win over Ball State University in Bloomington.
The matchup between the two in-state teams marked their sixth meeting in history. The Hoosiers entered with a 2-2-1 record against the Cardinals. The meeting also marked the first time head coach Josh Rife matched up against his former squad.
Rife took over as Indiana head coach roughly a month after former coach Erwin van Bennekom resigned in January.Rife, who was a member of the Indiana men’s soccer program in the early 2000s, returned to Bloomington after six seasons at the helm of the Ball State program.
The Cardinals entered 0-1 on the season after dropping their opening match to Purdue on Sunday afternoon. Ball State began the season with a first-year head coach as well, with Andy Stoots leading the program after numerous stops as an assistant coach in his career.
The Hoosiers controlled the pace in the match for the majority of the first half. Indiana doubled up Ball State in the shots category with six, but neither team was able to find a goal in the first 45 minutes.
The second half of the matchup saw more action but not much more scoring. The two teams combined for 12 shots in the second half. Both teams had stretches of consistent offensive opportunities, but Indiana’s defense found its rhythm and never let Ball State convert.
Indiana took control halfway in the 62nd minute when a corner kick opportunity provided the spark the Hoosiers needed. Senior forward Marisa Grzesiak lofted a beautiful ball into the center of the box, where sophomore forward Aleyna Quinn elevated and knocked in a header for the first and only score of the match.
Quinn followed Rife to Bloomington as a Ball State transfer and made an impact against her former teammates. The goal was the sophomore’s second goal of the season, tying her for the team lead with sophomore midfielder Maggie Ledwith and senior forward Sarah Sirdah.
Ball State had opportunities late in the match but couldn’t capitalize. In the 69th minute, the Cardinals pushed to even the score. With one shot missing off the crossbar and the Hoosiers deflecting another, Indiana continued to hold on to a 1-0 lead.
The Indiana defense continued to come up with timely stops down the stretch. The final few minutes of the match consisted of Ball State taking numerous chances at the goal without any luck. Senior goalkeeper Dani Jacobsen recorded the first clean sheet of the season and tallied 2 saves to hold the Cardinals scoreless.
The Hoosiers will look to continue their winning ways on Thursday Aug. 28 when they head to St. Louis, Missouri to face the nationally ranked Billikens of St. Louis University.
Follow reporters Noah Gerkey (@Noah_Gerk) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s soccer season.
