Indiana women’s soccer head coach Josh Rife entered Sunday’s matchup against Ohio University looking for answers.
The Hoosiers did not take long to provide them.
After consecutive losses to Xavier University and Saint Louis University, Indiana needed to convert opportunities into goals Sunday. The Hoosiers did that, responding with two goals in the opening 12 minutes.
Indiana’s pressure began almost immediately.
Senior defender Paige Droner attempted Indiana’s first shot in the fifth minute before the Hoosiers earned a corner less than a minute later. Sophomore defender Bella Haggerty finished the ensuing opportunity off Droner’s assist, finding the bottom-left corner to put Indiana ahead 1-0 in the sixth minute.
The Hoosiers kept coming.
Indiana earned two more corners and attempted two more shots over the next four minutes. Then, in the 12th minute, sixth-year midfielder Jenna Chatterton found the bottom-left corner to double Indiana’s advantage.
It was the type of start Rife had been searching for. The Hoosiers entered Sunday averaging 14.2 shots per game but struggled to consistently turn those opportunities into goals. Against Ohio, Indiana played quickly and decisively, flipping the field after defensive stops and using both open play and set pieces to pressure the Bobcats.
After Indiana’s loss to Saint Louis, Rife discussed just how quickly matches can change. He described a 90-minute match as 5,400 seconds, but said the sequence leading to the Billikens’ opening goal took roughly eight.
“A few seconds here, a few seconds there, is really what becomes a difference in games,” Rife said after the loss.
Against Ohio, Indiana began making those seconds work in its favor.
But its early advantage did not eliminate adversity.
Fifth-year goalkeeper Dani Jacobson preserved the 2-0 lead with a save on Ohio freshman midfielder Camille Francis in the 30th minute. Three minutes later, Ohio senior forward Jaimason Brooker found a way past Jacobson, cutting Indiana’s advantage to 2-1 at halftime.
Indiana then turned to a new option in the net.
Senior goalkeeper Emma Payton made her first appearance of the season when she replaced Jacobson to begin the second half.
The goalkeeper position had not seen strong production to start the season. But Payton’s play may have provided Rife with an answer to the spot.
With Indiana protecting a one-goal lead, Ohio mounted its most dangerous stretch midway through the second half. Payton went to the ground to stop an initial attempt before reacting to the loose ball, throwing a leg into the air to knock away a follow-up. She quickly returned to her feet as Indiana cleared the danger.
Payton was credited with a save on senior forward Melia Peer in the 71st minute before Indiana recorded a team save on an attempt from junior midfielder Iro Fakinou less than a minute later. Ohio produced three shots during the stretch but failed to find the equalizer.
Payton’s work kept Indiana ahead when Ohio threatened to erase the Hoosiers’ fast start.
Then, Indiana flipped the field again.
Just over two minutes after Ohio’s flurry of chances, Indiana senior defender Piper Coffield found the bottom-right corner in the 74th minute, restoring the Hoosiers’ two-goal cushion at 3-1.
The sequence encapsulated Indiana’s afternoon. Instead of allowing Ohio’s pressure to dictate the match, the Hoosiers absorbed it and quickly turned defense into attack.
That two-goal cushion proved crucial late. Haggerty was called for a foul in the box in the 89th minute, and Ohio junior midfielder Lillian Weller converted the ensuing penalty kick into the bottom-left corner, cutting Indiana’s lead to 3-2 with just over a minute remaining.
Suddenly, a match Indiana controlled early required one final display of composure.
Indiana held off Ohio in the final moments to secure a 3-2 victory and its first road win of the Rife era.
The win came at a crucial time as well, answering some questions Rife left for his team, and giving the Hoosiers the proper boost heading into a crucial stretch of the schedule.
Indiana now turns toward Big Ten play, where the composure it displayed Sunday will immediately be tested. The Hoosiers open conference play against the University of Nebraska at 8:05 p.m. Sept. 10 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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.
