Ten losses. One draw. One win.
Nebraska has historically dominated in its 12 all-time matches against Indiana women’s soccer. The Hoosiers have never beaten the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Nebraska with a 0-6 record away. That is until Thursday when Indiana’s late game execution led it to a 1-0 victory over Nebraska at Lincoln’s Hibner Stadium in the 13th matchup against the teams.
Nebraska came out the gate hot with a quick cross inside Indiana’s box. But it was quickly shut down by fifth year goalkeeper Dani Jacobson. Jacobson saw significant action in this game, saving all three of Nebraska’s shots on goal and clearing many chances away from her box.
Through the majority of the first half, the Cornhuskers’ strikers kept the Hoosiers on the backfoot. The 14th minute saw Nebraska senior midfielder Ella Rudney send a cross for senior forward Nathalie Lewis whose header went just over the crossbar.
Nebraska was constantly on the left side of the field sending crosses into the box of Indiana, but the Hoosiers’ defenders kept the goal safe. Indiana repeatedly cleared shots away from its goal. Indiana’s offense, however, struggled to find its footing early in the first half.
In the fourth minute, sophomore defender Grace Hamm took a shot from just outside the Nebraska box which sailed far over the Cornhuskers goal. The Hoosiers continued offensive inconsistencies with shots from senior midfielder Kennedy Neighbors and Hamm unable to find the back of the net.
In the 30th minute, freshman forward Amaya Falzarano checked in for the Cream and Crimson, immediately making an impact on offense.
Despite not scoring a goal, Falzarano made the most of her opportunities as soon as she entered the game, dribbling the ball up the field on her first touch. Soon after, in the 31st and 32nd minute, Indiana junior midfielder Maggie Ledwith and freshman midfielder Emma Ehret attempted shots generated by Falzarano pushing the pace up the field.
Going into the half, Indiana was firmly in control of the match, and the momentum continued into the second half.
In the 47th minute, Hamm had a shot on goal that was saved by Nebraska senior goalkeeper Avery Gillahan. Soon after, Hamm sent another strong shot towards the Cornhuskers poles, which bounced off the top crossbar and fell out of bounds.
From then on, the Hoosiers consistently applied pressure on offense, while their defense stayed solid. Junior defender Haden Vlcek regularly stayed near the ball, shutting down and clearing Nebraska offensive pushes away alongside senior defender Piper Coffield.
In the 82nd minute, Nebraska had their biggest offense chance of the match. Lewis took a shot inside the box, which Jacobson jumped out to save. On the rebound back, Rudney fired another shot while Jacobson was on the ground. Her attempt hit the left pole of Indiana’s goal and cleared away. However, the chance by Nebraska wouldn’t have counted, as Lewis’ initial shot was called offside.
With three minutes left in the match, Nebraska earned a free kick just outside of Indiana’s box. The Cornhuskers elected to pass, which was intercepted by the Cream and Crimson back line. Immediately, the Hoosiers turned it into a counterattack.
On the left side of the field with less than two minutes remaining, Ledwith found the ball at her feet. With a defender on her right side, she switched the ball to her right foot as the defender went past her. Ledwith sailed the ball past Gillahan into the back of the Cornhuskers’ net, sealing the victory for Indiana.
Indiana now returns home to Bill Armstrong Stadium to play Ohio State at 1 p.m. on Sept. 13. Coverage will be available on B1G+.
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.
