In preparation for its regular season schedule, Indiana’s women’s soccer hosted the University of Dayton at Bill Armstrong Stadium Saturday. The match ended 1-1 in regulation and went to a five-person penalty shootout, ending at 3-3.
Indiana started the game out hot, with four shots attempted within the first 20 minutes of play, all of which were saved, and ended the game with 15 total shots. After the game, the Hoosiers’ second-year head coach Josh Rife was pleased with the team's aggressiveness but knows there's room for improvement.
“I was pleased with the opportunities that we created today ... getting ourselves into good spots,” Rife said. “[Being] a little more clinical when we’re in front of goal is definitely something we need to work on.”
Indiana maintained control of the ball for most of the match, maintaining possession of the ball within Dayton’s half of the field. Despite having possession and attempting multiple shots in the first half, Dayton was able to attack Indiana’s backline with the little time they had the ball.
In the 37th minute, Dayton freshman forward Reese Gallagher put a goal past Indiana junior goalkeeper Kendell Williams to make the score 1-0.
Coming out of halftime, Indiana’s defensive strategy changed, focusing more on controlling the pace of the game and keeping constant pressure in Dayton's half.
“We did a much better job in the second half of dictating tempo, getting on the ball ... which then pushes them back into their own half,” Rife said.
This constant pressure helped the Hoosiers maintain more possession and control.
Attacking chances from senior midfielder Kennedy Neighbors and second-year defender Grace Hamm put pressure on Dayton redshirt junior goalkeeper Casey Cannistraro with well-placed shots that were batted away.
In the 72nd minute, freshman midfielder Emma Ehret broke through Dayton’s defensive line with a well-placed shot inside the box to tie the game.
The pressure continued to the end of regulation, where the score stood 1-1 to start Indiana’s second five-person penalty shootout of the preseason.
Indiana started out hot with two goals from junior midfielder Maggie Ledwith and senior midfielder Krista Murphy. A pair of saves from Williams gave the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead. After a goal from Dayton junior midfielder Lauryn Contini, sophomore defender Grace Hamm put Indiana ahead 3-1.
Ultimately, Indiana’s last two shots were saved, and Dayton was able to connect on their final opportunities, ending the game in a draw 1-1 and 3-3. Despite the neutral outcome, Rife is optimistic about his players’ ability to perform under pressure after the shootout.
“I think they handled [the pressure] well,” Rife said. “We starting to identify some folks that if we really need to in critical moments ... we feel comfortable [going to] and who's confident to go take a penalty when the situation arises.”
This draw against Dayton concludes Indiana’s preseason matches. The Hoosiers now host Hampton University at Yeagley Field for their home opener on Aug. 12, with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m.
Follow reporters Leonardo Vesperini (@leorunner06 and lvesperi@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women's soccer season.
