After back-to-back one-goal losses that showcased Indiana women’s soccer’s defense in one and its attack in the other, the Hoosiers finally put the pieces together Thursday night.
Against No. 24 Xavier University at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana, showed resiliency and balance, battling back twice to earn a 2–2 draw that felt like a statement of midseason growth.
Just a week ago, Indiana fell 1–0 at Saint Louis University on Aug. 28 despite a standout defensive effort led by graduate student goalkeeper Sally Rainey. On Aug. 31, the Hoosiers controlled nearly every phase at Bellarmine University,piling up 22 shots and nine corner kicks, but still came away empty-handed in a 1-2 defeat.
Indiana head coach Josh Rife said those frustrations made Thursday’s result that much more rewarding.
“I would say both games, I thought we played well enough to get a point,” Rife said after the game Thursday. “But you have to own those results. The crazy thing about soccer is you can do everything right and it only gives you about a 50% chance of a win. Today it flipped — we earned that point against a really good opponent.”
Freshman defender Grace Hamm provided the spark Indiana was missing, scoring both goals. This included a composed penalty just minutes after Xavier had taken the lead in the second half, marking the first two goals of her promising Hoosiers career.
“Scoring goals is hard,” Rife said. “But we got two today against a top-25 opponent. I think that shows the resiliency of this group. All it takes is the ball finding the net and things look to have turned our way.”
That resilience was evident beyond the scoresheet. The Hoosiers, who looked hurried in the first half, found their rhythm after halftime and matched Xavier’s pace with composure.
“You can play with emotion, but you can’t get emotional,” Rife said. “John Wooden would say, ‘fast, but not in a hurry.’ We got a little hurried in the first half. In the second, we settled in and played our game.”
For Indiana, the performance represented the climb over the hump that had defined the last two weeks.
Against Saint Louis, the Hoosiers proved they could defend with discipline but lacked the finishing touch. At Bellarmine, they generated wave after wave of attacking chances but couldn’t turn dominance into goals. On Thursday, they finally combined both pieces.
“These players came in hungry,” Rife said. “From day one they’ve said last year’s record was an anomaly, and they want to put it past them. Tonight was a statement — we went toe-to-toe with a top-25 team and walked out with a hard-earned draw.”
That success on the field has been rooted deeply in the stellar play in goal, where Indiana has leaned on a tandem of goalkeepers, Rainey and senior Dani Jacobson.
Rather than settling on one starter, the coaching staff has rotated the two in recent matches, even splitting halves Thursday night in an effort to maximize their different strengths.
“I think both are playing at a high level,” Rife said of the goalkeepers. “They bring different skill sets, and today we thought it was best for the group to use them both. We wanted to set them up to succeed, and I think it showed.”
The duo’s presence adds a layer of stability to an already resilient back line. Communication, especially in tense moments, is a point of emphasis for the Hoosiers.
“When things get hard, the tendency is to get quiet,” Rife said. “But our keepers see everything. They’ve been great about vocalizing, organizing and making sure the group stays composed.”
Even junior goalkeeper Emma Payton, who hasn’t seen much game time, has drawn praise for her daily commitment in training, her effort a reflection of the depth and buy-in across the entire roster, that is demanded of teams pushing for more.
“That’s the culture we want,” Rife said. “All three are showing up every day, and that gives us a chance in every game we play.”
The Hoosiers’ mix of resiliency, depth and leadership has them trending upward as Big Ten play approaches. What started as narrow setbacks at Saint Louis and Bellarmine turned into a hard-earned result against a ranked opponent, with momentum leading them to their next match against Ohio University at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Follow reporters Noah Gerkey (@Noah_Gerk and ngerkey@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women's soccer season.
