Indiana women’s soccer returns to Bloomington with consecutive road victories and a much tougher opponent waiting.
After defeating nonconference opponent Ohio University 3-2 on Sept. 6, Indiana opened Big Ten play with a 1-0 victory over Nebraska on Thursday. The Hoosiers will now host No. 6 Ohio State at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Ohio State enters the matchup 5-0-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Since opening the season with a scoreless draw against Clemson University, the Buckeyes have won five straight, most recently defeating Penn State 1-0 on Thursday.
Indiana’s victory over Nebraska was highlighted by its best defensive performance of the season.
Fifth-year goalkeeper Dani Jacobson made three saves to secure the Hoosiers’ first shutout. Jacobson entered the match with only three saves through Indiana’s first six games and had been replaced by senior goalkeeper Emma Payton at halftime against Ohio.
Head coach Josh Rife then gave Jacobson the start against Nebraska, and the fifth-year goalkeeper kept the Cornhuskers scoreless for 90 minutes.
Junior forward Maggie Ledwith eventually rewarded Indiana’s defensive effort, scoring in the 89th minute to break a scoreless tie and secure three points with a win. The goal gave Indiana its first victory in Lincoln, Nebraska, since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011.
Jacobson and Indiana’s defense will face a Buckeye attack that has scored 11 goals through six matches.
Senior forward Amanda Schlueter leads Ohio State with four goals and two assists. She has scored in two of the Buckeyes’ past three matches and assisted senior forward Jadin Bonham’s game-winning goal against Penn State.
Ohio State also has scoring options beyond Schlueter. Senior forward Elle Britt has scored three goals, while Bonham has added two. Five Buckeyes have scored this season.
Scoring against Ohio State presents another problem for Indiana.
The Buckeyes have conceded only two goals through six matches, tied for the fewest in the Big Ten, and have recorded four shutouts. No opponent has scored more than once against them this season.
Indiana has relied on several players for its 12 goals this season. Ledwith became the latest to provide a decisive finish Thursday, while senior defender Piper Coffield scored the game-winner against Ohio. Senior midfielder Kennedy Neighbors and Coffield have each scored twice this season, while freshman forward Amaya Falzarano has emerged as another option in the Hoosiers’ attack with two shots on goal.
Sunday’s match will let Indiana measure its recent improvement against one of the nation’s top teams. The Hoosiers have gone from consecutive losses to consecutive road victories and their defense enters the matchup after its first clean sheet.
A win would give Indiana a 2-0 start to Big Ten play for the first time since 2023, after the Hoosiers opened conference play 0-1-1 last season.
Indiana and No. 6 Ohio State kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
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.
