Indiana women's soccer continues to struggle on both sides of the ball with small mistakes preventing winning moments. The Hoosiers have been unable to string together consistent defensive performances with four consecutive Big Ten losses.
On Sunday, the Hoosiers fell 2-0 to Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, with both goals allowed in the second half.
Both teams attempted 11 shots during the match. All six of Indiana’s shots on goal were firmly stopped by Wildcats sophomore goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson, who has allowed just six goals so far this season.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats were able to convert both of their shots on goals into points on the board. Despite both shots passing Indiana fifth-year goalkeeper Dani Jacobson, her contribution to the team went beyond the box score.
With less than 15 minutes left to play in the first half, the Wildcats sent a cross in to Indiana’s box, with two white jerseys ready to score. Before they could, Jacobson dove out of her goal to punch the ball away. This clearance led to an Indiana fast break and an earned free kick just outside the Northwestern penalty box.
The Hoosiers’ free kick was taken by senior defender Piper Coffield who took the shot low, hoping the wall of Wildcat defenders would jump. However, Northwestern stayed grounded and the ball rebounded to Coffield, who took another shot Nelson saved.
Similarly, Jacobson came out of her goal to stop a one-on-one opportunity with a Northwestern attacker. While stopping her opponents before they can shoot does not show up in the box score, the contribution was still felt by her teammates.
Northwestern’s first goal came in the 62nd minute when senior forward Keira Wagner attempted a shot, which ricocheted off a Hoosier defender. The rebounding ball sat at the feet of freshman midfielder Camryn Freeman, who sent the ball into the bottom left corner of the Indiana net.
After an official review, the goal was upheld, and Freeman was onside.
From here, the Hoosiers looked uncomfortable on defense, as Northwestern placed pressure on Indiana’s back line.
This discomfort was no more apparent than in the 66th minute. Off a Northwestern throw in, the Wildcats managed a through ball to Freeman in the middle of the field in front of the Hoosier box. She found junior forward Alex Fallon on the right side of the field, but her cross went out of bounds instead of inside a box filled with Wildcats.
In this moment, Indiana narrowly avoided going down 2-0, but the flow of the game was fully in favor of the Wildcats.
Similar to Indiana’s opponents in recent matches, Northwestern broke through Indiana’s defense for another goal. Once again, Freeman’s teammates found her, as she scored a top right corner ball to put the Wildcats up 2-0 with less than 13 minutes left to play.
Even after the second goal, Northwestern tried for a third goal in the 83rd minute, as senior forward Megan Norkett sent a shot Jacobson’s way. But it sailed over the goal. This was Northwestern's last attempt to score a goal, as the game ended 2-0.
The Hoosiers’ loss highlighted a constant that has resulted in being outscored 9-1 in their last four matches: an inability to get shots into the net while also lacking defensive consistency for the entirety of the game.
Indiana showed flashes of defensive prowess with no goals allowed in the first half of Sunday’s match. But the Cream and Crimson could not hold that pressure long enough to earn a shutout victory.
While a few costly mistakes can discard a well-played game of soccer, Indiana looks to tighten up its defensive play when it returns to Bill Armstrong Stadium on Oct. 4 to take on Michigan. Kickoff is scheduled for noon with coverage available on Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) and Leonardo Vesperini (@leovmedia and lvesperi@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s soccer season
