Indiana women’s soccer didn’t have to wait long for its first goal of the 2026 season.
Just 94 seconds into Wednesday night’s season opener against Hampton University, junior defender Bella Haggerty found the back of the net. By the end of the night, she had done it twice.
Haggerty provided both Indiana goals in its 2-1 victory over Hampton at Bill Armstrong Stadium, delivering the offensive spark the Hoosiers needed to begin the season with a win.
Her first came at the 1:34 minute mark. Graduate student midfielder Jenna Chatterton set up Haggerty, who took a dribble into open space before firing off a strong shot into the top corner of the net from several yards outside the 18-yard box.
“It was great. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. My teammates set me up,” Haggerty said in a post game press conference.
Haggerty added that her decision to fire from outside the 18-yard box came from the support she receives from her teammates and coaches.
“My teammates and coaches just pour so much confidence into me,” Haggerty said. “They gave me the confidence to score.”
The Hoosiers continued to generate opportunities throughout the first half but couldn’t add to their lead, finishing the half with 12 shots, three of which were on goal, compared to Hampton’s two shots. Indiana kept the pressure on with three first-half corner kicks, while Hampton junior goalkeeper Avery John kept the Pirates within one.
Indiana carried that attacking pressure into the second half, continuing to search for an insurance goal as its one-goal advantage held.
Haggerty eventually provided it in the 65th minute.
Senior midfielder Ella Stanley found Haggerty, who put away her second goal of the night into the top-left corner of the net to give Indiana a 2-0 advantage.
This time, the Hoosiers didn’t have long to celebrate.
Just seconds later, Hampton sophomore forward Caitlyn Peace responded, cutting Indiana’s lead to 2-1. The quick response made Haggerty’s second goal all the more important, as it ultimately stood as the game-winner.
Indiana continued to push forward rather than sit on its one-goal advantage, creating opportunities down the stretch while preventing Hampton from finding an equalizer. The Hoosiers held through the final whistle to secure their first victory of the season.
For Haggerty, the two-goal performance provided an immediate offensive impact to begin her junior season. For Indiana, both of her finishes proved necessary to start the season in the win column.
The Hoosiers’ offense came out firing in its first match of the season, attempting 19 shots, seven of which were on goal. Indiana consistently pressured Hampton’s back line and created opportunities throughout the night, with Haggerty ultimately capitalizing twice to account for both Hoosier goals.
After generating chances from the opening minutes to the final whistle, Indiana’s attack showed its potential from the start. And on opening night, Haggerty was at the center of it.
Indiana will return to Bill Armstrong Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday August 16 to face Youngstown State.
The matchup comes a year after the Hoosiers opened the 2025 regular season against the Penguins with a 6-1 victory, the first win of head coach Josh Rife’s Indiana tenure. The Hoosiers tallied 32 shots, including 15 on goal, in the offensive blitz.
Follow reporters Leonardo Vesperini (@leovmedia and lvesperi@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women's soccer season.
