Indiana women’s soccer finally ended its six-match losing streak Sunday.
The Hoosiers erased a two-goal deficit with a pair of second-half scores to draw USC 2-2 in Los Angeles, earning their first point since defeating Nebraska on Sept. 10.
The comeback was a needed response given the circumstances of the streak. For Indiana’s postseason hopes, one point may not be enough.
Indiana entered Sunday six points behind the Big Ten Tournament qualification line. A victory would have added three points and significantly closed that gap. Instead, the draw leaves Indiana with just four conference points and only 12 available over its final four matches.
That made the two first- half goals Indiana conceded particularly costly. The Hoosiers produced the second half they needed, outscoring USC 2-0, but both goals were spent erasing a deficit rather than building a lead.
That disadvantage began almost immediately.
USC scored just 53 seconds after kickoff when sophomore midfielder Jaiden Rodriguez found freshman forward Rhea Moore, who sent an attempt into the bottom-right corner.
Indiana responded with opportunities of its own. Junior midfielder Maggie Ledwith missed high in the second minute before junior defender Bella Haggerty forced USC freshman goalkeeper Josie Biehl into a save in the sixth.
The equalizer didn’t come.
Instead, USC doubled its advantage in the 38th minute when freshman forward Jordan Hill scored off an assist from freshman defender Rhiannon Mahon. Indiana entered halftime facing a 2-0 deficit.
The Hoosiers responded quickly after the break.
Senior midfielder Kennedy Neighbors and senior defender Piper Coffield combined to find sophomore defender Grace Hamm in the 48th minute. Hamm sent her shot into the bottom-right corner, cutting USC’s lead in half less than three minutes into the second period.
Indiana continued pushing forward until the equalizer arrived in the 70th minute.
Neighbors provided her second assist of the afternoon, finding freshman forward Amaya Falzarano. Falzarano finished into the bottom-left corner to level Indiana at 2-2.
For the second time in three matches, Indiana scored twice after halftime. Unlike its 3-2 loss to Michigan on Oct. 4, the Hoosiers paired that production with a shutout defensive half.
With the deficit erased, Indiana had 20 minutes to turn one point into three.
The Hoosiers continued generating opportunities late. Sophomore forward Emily Graham had an attempt blocked in the 81st minute before sixth-year midfielder Jenna Chatterton had another denied in the 85th.
Chatterton missed another opportunity in the final minute before freshman midfielder Emma Ehret put Indiana’s final shot on goal with eight seconds remaining. Biehl made the save to preserve the draw.
Indiana now has four conference points with four matches remaining. Only the top 10 teams advance to the Big Ten Tournament, and No. 1 Michigan State remains on the Hoosiers’ schedule.
Even winning all four remaining matches would leave Indiana with 16 points. Last season, the 10th-place team finished with 14 points, while the teams in seventh, eighth and ninth each finished with 17.
Those numbers don't establish where this season’s qualification line will fall, but they illustrate how narrow Indiana’s path has become. With only 12 points still available, the Hoosiers have little room to leave points behind over their final four matches.
Sunday’s second half showed what Indiana needs in its final stretch.
The Hoosiers scored twice, kept USC off the board and created opportunities for a winner late. Instead of those goals building an advantage, however, both were required to erase the damage from the opening 45 minutes.
The Hoosiers found the response they needed Sunday. They just gave themselves too much to overcome.
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.
