For the first time in the Josh Rife era, the Indiana women’s soccer offense went quiet.
After scoring six goals in the season opening win over Youngstown State University on Aug. 14 and tallying 13 shots in their victory over Ball State University on Aug. 21, Rife — Indiana’s head coach — and the Hoosiers’ attack set an early expectation. Indiana failed to build on early season momentum Thursday night when Indiana fell to Saint Louis University 1-0 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium in St. Louis.
Throughout the first two matches, the Hoosiers totaled 45 shots, with 20 of those being on goal. On Thursday, they were able to put just six shots in the air, with only two of those being on goal.
The lackluster shooting tells the story of a night where chances to score were hard to come by for the Hoosiers. While Indiana showed moments of promise on the attack, many of its opportunities fizzled out and resulted without good looks on goal.
The lack of opportunities proved costly for Indiana, as its defense was constant rotation throughout the night. The Billikens held possession for most of the contest, putting consistent pressure on the back line of the Hoosier defense.
Two of the Billikens’ goals were called back due to offside penalties. In the 23rd minute, senior forward Rylee Howard knocked in a header to seemingly give Saint Louis an early 1-0 lead.
However, the far side official ruled Howard offsides, keeping the score even.
In the 47th minute, sophomore forward Hope Kim received a cross and deposited a goal in the back of the net, only to see the far side official yet again holding that neon and orange checkered flag high, signaling for offsides.
Both opportunities for the Billikens came off Indiana giveaways. Lost opportunities by Indiana turned into instant offensive chances for Saint Louis, which almost resulted in the Hoosiers falling behind by a pair of goals.
Graduate student Sally Rainey had a near-perfect game in goal for Indiana, with her only blemish coming in the 77th minute. A cross into the middle of chaos resulted in Saint Louis sophomore forward Audrey Smith providing the one and only score of the night.
Saint Louis would hold on for a 1-0 win and continue its impressive start to the 2025 season. The Billikens currently sit as the first team out of the NCAA Top 25 and are off to a 3-1 start this year.
The scoreless result is the first time in three games this season the Hoosiers were held without a goal. However, this is a trend the program was all too familiar with last season; in nine of Indiana’s final 11 games during the 2024 campaign, the Hoosier offense went quiet.
First year head coach Josh Rife, and his teams have had success in the past scoring goals. Last season, his Ball State squad was held scoreless just six times throughout the year.
The Hoosiers’ historical lack of scoring may cause some concerns the rest of the way for the team, but with plenty of opportunities left in the season, Indiana looks to get back on the right track.
The Hoosiers fell to 2-1 with the loss and face a quick turnaround before resuming their road trip. Indiana has just three non-conference matches remaining before diving into the Big Ten slate.
Indiana will now travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to take on Bellarmine University at 1 p.m. Sunday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Follow reporters Noah Gerkey (@Noah_Gerk)and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15) for updates throughout the Indiana women's soccer season.
