Indiana women’s soccer showed fearlessness in the Hoosiers’ regular season opener against Hampton University on Wednesday, as the team took home their first victory of the season with a final score of 2-1 at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington.
Unlike their preseason match against Dayton, Indiana wasted no time getting on the board. Junior defender Bella Haggerdy launched a shot well outside the box into the top left corner past the reach of Hampton junior goalkeeper Avery John to put the Hoosiers up 1-0 in just the second minute.
Although the rest of the half would be quiet offensively, Indiana’s defense controlled the pace of the game and kept Hampton away from their goal.
Twenty-three minutes in, Indiana had possession pushed back into their half. A misplaced pass from graduate goalkeeper Dani Jacobson turned into imminent offensive pressure from Hampton junior midfielder Nylah Jennings. However, the ball was taken away by senior defender Piper Coffield.
Hampton’s back line then sent a pass deep into Indiana’s half in the 33rd minute. Before their players could maintain possession, junior defender Haden Vlcek and senior midfielder Kennedy Neighbors regained control and converted the takeaway into an offensive opportunity.
After the game, Indiana head coach Josh Rife commented on Neighbors’ ability to help on the defensive side of the ball.
“I think Kennedy Neighbors is someone who's kind of taken on a different role this year,” Rife said postgame. “Her movement today to get on the ball was really good, and I think she continues to get comfortable with that, and it just helps us in possession and helps us in build moments.”
In the second half, Indiana’s backline saw more action but were still able to keep their defense solid. A shot from Hampton sophomore forward Caitlyn Peace in the 49th minute was blocked by Jacobson and cleared.
Soon after, in the 55th minute, Hampton tried to cross the ball in but was once again cleared by Vlcek. The Springfield, Illinois, native played all 90 minutes in Wednesday’s match, stopping many of Hampton’s advances into Indiana’s final third.
All throughout the second half — even after a second goal in the 65th minute from Haggerty and a quick Hampton response with a goal by Peace in the 70th minute — Indiana stayed patient and calm and Rife took notice.
“There are a lot of good moments where I think we didn't force the ball as much today,” Rife said. This was evident in the way the team took their time in passing the ball around to find the best offensive looks while also keeping the ball in their own half out of reach of Hampton’s attackers.
Having a solid defensive group that limits the opponent to three shots and only one on goal in the game like what Indiana did against Hampton today also helped the offense feel confident to apply pressure and attempt 19 shots with seven on goal.
“If your attacking group knows ‘Hey we’ve got a back line that's not going to give up goals’... It gives your attacking group a little more confidence going forward,” Rife said after the game.
Indiana looks to improve on this defensive performance in its next home match against Youngstown State University on Aug. 16, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Coverage will be available on B1G+.
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.
