With just three games remaining in the regular season following its match against Michigan on Sunday, Indiana women’s soccer is running out of time and chances to secure a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
After a thrilling 2–1 comeback victory over Northwestern on Oct. 9 at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, the Hoosiers seemed to be building momentum at the perfect time. The victory marked their first conference win of the season and reignited postseason hopes that had faded during a stretch of draws and missed opportunities.
Freshman defender Grace Hamm and sophomore midfielder Maggie Ledwith provided the spark, scoring in the final 10 minutes to flip a 1–0 deficit into a crucial win — a moment that felt like a turning point.
Only the 10 top-ranked Big Ten teams make the Big Ten Tournament, and Indiana coming into its match against the Wolverines sat as the 12th-ranked squad with seven points.
Indiana’s push for the postseason felt fully reignited the moment the ball hit the back of the net in the first half against Michigan on Sunday in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In just her first career start, junior midfielder Paige Droner made an immediate impact, scoring in the 14th minute with a smooth finish on a cross. The assist was from Ledwith, who continues to be a driving force in Indiana’s midfield.
Droner’s breakthrough moment gave the Hoosiers an early lead and injected confidence into a team that had struggled to find consistent scoring.
Ledwith then doubled the lead in the 51st minute, scoring her fifth goal of the season — a team high — and putting Indiana in a commanding position.
At 2–0 up, the Hoosiers were cruising. All they needed to do was close the game out and secure three crucial points that would vault them into 10th place in the Big Ten standings, the final qualifying spot for the conference tournament.
But Michigan responded quickly. Just under four minutes after Ledwith’s goal, Indiana’s momentum was interrupted when Michigan’s senior forward Kali Burrell found space and fired a shot to the bottom right corner, cutting the lead to 2–1 in the 62nd minute, shifting the energy on the pitch.
From that point on, Michigan pressed harder, and Indiana struggled to regain control. The Wolverines were gaining momentum, and the Hoosiers found themselves increasingly playing defense.
In the 78th minute, graduate goalkeeper Sally Rainey came up with a game-saving moment that kept Indiana’s lead intact — at least temporarily. As Michigan’s sophomore forward Elle Ervin launched a shot toward the left corner of the net, Rainey made a full-extension diving save, punching the ball away and misdirecting it from its target.
Now, fighting to maintain its lead, Indiana rushed forward but lost possession once again, sending Michigan on an attack.
A pass to senior midfielder Jenna Lang found her in the corner just outside Indiana’s 18-yard box. With a touch and a quick step, she slipped past the Hoosier defenders converging to stop her. Lang then delivered a magnificent cross into the box, where Burrell met it with a composed touch and slotted it past Rainey’s dive into the back of the net.
The adage that a two-goal lead is the most dangerous in soccer proved true, as Indiana surrendered its advantage late. Michigan capitalized and escaped with a crucial draw keeping them one point ahead of Indiana in the standings and securing a spot in the playoffs as of now.
Following the draw, the Hoosiers face a challenging stretch with three crucial matches: Michigan State, which is currently ranked fifth in the Big Ten, Penn State and Iowa, which are ranked eighth and second, respectively. These matchups will be pivotal in determining Indiana’s postseason fate.
Indiana plays next at 7 p.m. Oct.16, in East Lansing, Michigan, against Michigan State. The Hoosiers are still searching for their first road victory.
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.
