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(10/31/08 7:25pm)
Coaches and players will be at the mall today from 6-7 p.m. handing out candy and signing autographs. According to their media relations person, Shana Daniels, she thinks the team will be set up near Dick's Sporting Goods. I'm curious if any players or coaches will be dressed up this evening.
(10/31/08 2:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the IU women’s basketball team looks to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002, it will take the all-important first step at 4 p.m. Saturday in Assembly Hall against Southern Indiana in the season-opening scrimmage. The scrimmage will take place after the conclusion of the football game. IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she is eager for her team to get on the court.“It’s always exciting,” Legette-Jack said. “We really want to get on the court and play against somebody else for a change. This will kind of give us a gear-up a little bit, how we are going to sit, what we are going to say, who sits in the middle, where the coaches sit, all the kind of fun stuff.”Players said they are also excited and ready to play someone other than themselves in order to see if some things they practiced will work.“After a while, you know what the team is going to do, and you start thinking stuff isn’t going to work,” said sophomore guard Jori Davis. “So getting to play a different team, things are going to be more open and stuff like that, so it’s real exciting. It kind of feels like you’re in your room all day and you finally get to go out, so we finally get to go out and play another team.”Legette-Jack admits she is unfamiliar with the Division II Screaming Eagles, who went 10-17 last year. However, she said not knowing your opponent doesn’t have to be a bad thing.“I don’t know anything, but that’s cool, because we’ll get to think on the fly,” she said. “You think you know another team, and all of a sudden they change something up and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, that’s not in the scouting report.’ Sometimes the element of surprise might be helpful.”One thing Legette-Jack wants to see from her team in Saturday’s scrimmage is tough play on the defensive side of the floor.“We are looking for competition, and we are looking for our kids to compete,” she said. “We are looking for them to go hard defensively. We want them to put our staple on defense and on rebounding. If we can do those things, I think we can really grow our offense and put some points on the board, only if we can stop them on defense.”For one Hoosier, this scrimmage comes at a good time. Last Sunday at Big Ten Media Day in Chicago, coaches and media members alike picked IU to finish in the bottom half of the conference, a position senior forward Amber Jackson isn’t too happy with.“Our biggest focus is proving everyone wrong,” Jackson said. “We were picked to finish eighth in Big Ten by the fellow coaches of the Big Ten. As players and this whole program, we take that very personally, and we are offended by that. So right now our goal is to come up and show we are not an eighth-place team.”
(10/28/08 12:42am)
Although the IU women's soccer team did their part winning their two games over the weekend they still fell just short making it to the Big Ten Tournament due to Illinois defeat over Ohio State. This was not how the Hoosiers anticipated ending their season after last year's bow out in the round of sixteen in the college cup. However, this team can build on the fact that graduate no seniors and played very competitive in conference play losing every game by just a goal. Going 3-0-1 to finish the season is something junior midfielder Kristin Arnold said her team can be proud of.
(10/27/08 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s soccer team’s final weekend is probably best described as bittersweet.IU came into the weekend needing two wins and some help to make the Big Ten Tournament in two weeks in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hoosiers (8-10-1, 3-6-1) did their part, winning both games over Michigan State and Michigan, each 1-0. But because Illinois defeated Ohio State on Sunday, the Hoosiers will not play in the conference tournament.“I think it was just a tremendous effort by the girls,” IU coach Mick Lyon said. “I told them they faced a lot of adversity, and they’ve stuck with it. I told them all (that) all they could control was their own results, as they got mighty close, but unfortunately couldn’t quite get there.”Friday’s game against the Spartans pitted the Hoosiers against the highest-scoring offense in the Big Ten. However, the Michigan State offense couldn’t get on track, and the Hoosiers shut it out. After a scoreless first half, IU didn’t waste much time in the second, as sophomore forward Leigh Anne Cummings scored her first goal of the season just six minutes into the second half.The play was started on a long ball by freshman forward Devon Beach into the 18-yard box. Cummings received the pass to place to slot the ball in the back of the net.“We were looking for the weak side, and we knew we had one extra player in the midfield,” Cummings said. “We kept playing balls looking for me, and I just really wanted to score.”In the first half, the Spartans missed their best opportunity to score. Laura Heyboer, who leads the conference in scoring, had a one-on-one with Hoosier goalkeeper Lindsay Campbell. Campbell was able to cut down Heyboer’s angle, and the Spartan could not capitalize.Campbell recorded her second consecutive shutout while recording just one save.“Certainly I thought in the second half we came out totally energized,” Lyon said. “I thought we created some good chances. Then the last the 10 minutes was just great defending. They have some very good players, and Heyboer is a legitimate national team-type player.”Sunday against Michigan, the Hoosiers played a scoreless first half with the Wolverines as well.Like Friday’s game, IU was then able to score early in the second half. This time, the goal came just two minutes into the half.Junior forward Kristin Arnold netted her second goal of the season with a shot from the 18 that went into the upper left corner of the goal.“I was at the top of the 18, kind of open and I knew I didn’t have enough time to take a touch,” Arnold said. “So I just hit it first time, I wasn’t exactly sure where I was hitting it. It was good, because I knew that we needed a win, and that’s what we talked about in the locker room at halftime.”Although the season came to an end Sunday, Lyon said he is still happy with what his team accomplished.“Collectively as a group, I couldn’t be more proud of the kids,” he said. “For the fact that there aren’t any seniors on the team and playing a ton ... it was outstanding.”
(10/26/08 2:25pm)
Because of losses from Illinois and Wisconsin on Friday night this kept the door open for the Hoosiers to still make the Big Ten Conference tournament. This afternoon at 2:00 p.m. the Hoosiers will take on Michigan, a team the Hoosiers have to defeat if they look to play in Iowa City in two weeks. Along with an IU win, they will once again need losses from Illinois and Wisconsin. Illinois will host Ohio State today at 1:00 p.m., while Wisconsin will play Iowa at 2:00 p.m.
(10/25/08 2:37am)
Perfect time for sophomore Leigh Anne Cummings to net her first goal of the season. Cummings goal in the 51st minute was enough for the Hoosiers to defeat the Spartans, Friday night. After a scoreless first half, IU couldn't afford to tie Michigan State tonight. The Hoosiers came into tonight's game needing three points in the conference to keep their chances alive for the Big Ten Tournament next weekend in Iowa City.
(10/24/08 3:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU coach Mick Lyon has never missed a Big Ten Conference tournament since he began coaching the Hoosiers, but this year he and his team are in danger of breaking the streak.The Hoosiers (6-10-1, 1-6-1) finish up their regular season with two matches this weekend. At 7:30 p.m. Friday the Hoosiers host Michigan State, and at 2 p.m. Sunday they play Michigan. Both games will take place at Bill Armstrong Stadium.IU currently sits in 11th place in the Big Ten – bad news because only the top eight teams make the conference tournament.To further complicate tournament chances, one of the teams IU must beat is ninth-place Iowa. The Hawkeyes get an automatic bid for next weekend because they will be host to the tournament.Lyon knows he can’t control the outcomes of the other matches this weekend, so he’s trying to keep his team focused on winning both games.“They are only focusing on what they can do, because if they don’t hold up their end of the bargain and win two games, it doesn’t really matter what everyone else does,” the seventh-year coach said. “Surely over the weekend they will look at other people’s results, but they just need to take care of what’s here on Yeagley Field.”Lyon’s teams have been in this position in the past, and he said this time can be thrilling.“It can make games exciting, because it’s a win-or-go-home type thing,” he said. “We’ll be coming out with an attitude that we are going to win two games on the weekend.” Winning both games over the weekend will definitely improve the Hoosiers’ chances for the tournament, but the players aren’t getting ahead of themselves.“At least in the past, I think we have freaked ourselves out saying, ‘We have to win this game,’” junior defender Kelly Lawrence said. “I think if we go at each game just worrying about that game, I think we can win them.”The one game the Hoosiers have to take care of first is against Michigan State. The Spartans lead the conference in total points with 137, 49 points more than the second-place team. They also lead the conference in goals scored with 44, 14 more than the next team behind them. Anchoring that high-powered offense is two-time Michigan Miss Soccer and two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, freshman Laura Heyboer. She leads the conference with 18 goals, averaging a goal a game. Trailing her in goals is junior teammate Lauren Hill with 11 goals. Junior defender Jessica Boots said she thinks the Hoosiers are up to the challenge in trying to stop the Spartan offense.“I think it will be good,” she said. “I think we just need to not let them get the ball. If they get it, we stay on them tight. We can’t let them shoot.”Lawrence points to the season thus far to show how good the Hoosiers’ defense can be.“I think we’ve proven in the Big Ten if anyone scores on us or beats us, it’s going to be one goal,” she said. “We have held teams with only seven shots. So as a defense we are going to do our part to keep those shots as minimal as possible and hope our forwards can do us a favor and get some goals.”
(10/20/08 4:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It took four scrappy, heartbreaking weekends, but the IU women’s soccer team was finally able to pick up important Big Ten Conference points. Coming into the weekend 0-6 in conference play, the Hoosiers had received zero points. After this weekend’s play, the Hoosiers (6-10-1, 1-6-1) now have four points after tying conference leader Purdue on Friday night 1-1 and getting their first conference win Sunday afternoon, defeating No 25. Illinois 1-0.“We told them destiny is in their own hands, and they need to start getting points and winning games,” IU coach Mick Lyon said. “There are no passionate rah-rah speeches from the coaches. It’s turned over to them.” In Friday’s matchup against in-state rival Purdue, both teams played the first 45 minutes without scoring. In the second half, however, the Boilermakers found their breakthrough at just 4:02 into the game. Kellie Phillips scored off a rebound shot by teammate Loredana Riverso. The score stood pat until just under four minutes left, when the Hoosiers were finally able to get their equalizer. Sophomore forward Jocelyn Moses provided the goal for the Hoosiers. “In the first half, Jocelyn had a couple of chances where she shot from the top of the box,” Lyon said. “At halftime, we talked about it and told her, ‘You’re not going to score like that, you’ve got to take right at the goalkeeper get that touch, make the goalkeeper move and you’ll score on a toe ball,’ and she did exactly that, so credit to her for listening, learning and becoming better.”In the first overtime period, the Hoosiers kept the aggressive tempo up, as they outshot their rivals to the north 3-0. Junior forward Kristin Arnold’s header went just wide of goal, and she also had an opportunity in the 99th minute, as a pass from freshman forward Carly Samp went just off target. The second overtime period saw Purdue outshoot the Hoosiers 5-1, although freshman goalkeeper Lindsey Campbell only had to make one save in that period. Campbell finished with eight saves.Sunday’s game against Illinois also featured a scoreless first half. In fact, the game went scoreless until the 83rd minute, when Samp, who missed last weekend’s games due to injury, scored her second goal of the season off an assist from sophomore midfielder Chloe McKay. The assist was McKay’s 10th of her IU career, which puts her in the top 10 all-time on the Hoosiers career assist list. It was the only goal the Hoosiers would need to notch their first conference win. “We had been working on through balls,” Samp said. “Chloe did exactly what we had been working on. She told me to go, I went, and she hooked it, and I finished it far post.”The Hoosiers had never led at any time in conference play before Sunday, so when Samp scored with less than eight minutes to play, one of the most excited Hoosiers on the field was goalkeeper Campbell, who before Friday’s tie against Purdue hadn’t won since Loyola (Chicago) on Sept. 21.“Oh my god, I jumped in the air,” Campbell said. “It was a great feeling. We’ve been looking for that all season, and it just finally happened.”
(10/17/08 5:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s soccer team will return home this weekend, enjoying the comforts of Bloomington for the first time since Sept. 28. The Hoosiers (5-10-0, 0-6) have been on the road the last four games, narrowly losing each game by a one-goal deficit.“I think the kids are going to be excited to get back on their pitch,” IU coach Mick Lyon said. “You know, with short, fast grass, instead of this thick, mush stuff they have up north, that’s definitely going to be to our benefit.”This weekend’s games don’t get any easier for the Hoosiers, as they play at 7:30 p.m Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium against in-state rival and Big Ten leader Purdue (10-4-2, 4-1-1). The Hoosiers will then take on Illinois (9-6-0, 3-3-0) at 2 p.m. Sunday.Besides the rivalry that these teams have built, there will be another interesting matchup to watch between two women who have no Indiana ties. Freshman defender Kirsta Kellin from Arizona will be playing against a former teammate from her club team when the Hoosiers take on Purdue.“I personally have a friend – one of my teammates is on Purdue – so I want to kill them,” Kellin said. “She (Kellie Phillips) played with me on Sereno for two or three years, so it’s a big rival. “I’m really excited for this game. Our Big Ten record hasn’t shown what we can do, and hopefully this game will prove that all wrong.”Currently on a six-game losing streak, the Hoosiers say they believe a win against Purdue would be a big deal. Still, Lyon said he doesn’t care who the opponent is, he’s just looking for a win.“It would be fairly big,” Lyon said. “I don’t care who’s coming to town, we’re coming out here on this pitch and we are going to score and we are going to win. That’s the only mind-set that I have.”For a team that had high hopes coming into the conference season, an 0-6 start thus far is something no one expected. However, one thing Lyon and players say about this team is that unity is carrying this team through their current rough patch.“The one thing I love about this team is the team dynamic,” said junior defender Kelly Lawrence. “We always stick together, there is no blaming. We just get on with it and go to the next game and fight again.”Kellin said she agrees with Lawrence’s assessment of the team being supportive.“We are a team,” she said. “We are really together, and the coaches help a lot. When something goes wrong, we always pick each other up. It’s a long season and so many things could happen.”Lyon said this Hoosier team is one of his all-time favorites. “Even after last weekend’s games, I told them this is one of the best teams I have ever coached because of their character and their attitude,” he said. “I’ve never seen one player dropping their head or pointing a finger. They are all stepping up asking what can I do, and you can’t ask for more than that.”
(10/17/08 5:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack and her team hope the expression “third time’s a charm” will pay big dividends this year. With two straight WNIT appearances to her credit and a host of returning talent this season, the Hoosiers are looking to turn the corner to make it to the NCAA Tournament. On Friday, Hoosier Hysteria will mark the start of that quest.Legette-Jack will begin her third year as coach of the Hoosier women’s basketball team when they take the floor after the completion of the IU volleyball game Friday night.For the first time in three years, Legette-Jack will have an intrasquad scrimmage when her team takes the court. In prior Hoosier Hysterias, the Hoosiers didn’t have enough players to play an intrasquad game.“This is going to be a benefit for us this year since we have more bodies,” Legette-Jack said. “We’re just excited to start the season in front of our colleagues, peers and brothers – the men’s basketball team.”Players are also ready to kick off the season.“It means the start of a new season, which is always exciting,” junior point guard Jamie Braun said. “I’m just as excited for our freshmen too, because once you’ve done Hoosier Hysteria that means our season has started and preseason is over. No more 6 and 5 a.m. (practices).”Sophomore guard Haylie Linn said Friday night being the official start of the season is exciting, but she also recalls past moments that have made this night special.“I would have to say just running out and seeing all the fans there. It’s just so much energy, so much support for the men’s and women’s team,” Linn said. “It’s just a really great night.”A new addition to the women’s part of the year’s festivities is a three-point shootout with Linn and Braun competing against B97’s morning crew from Alex’s Playhouse, Alex and Josh.Legette-Jack is hopeful the event will help get the campus enthused about the upcoming season.“We are just bringing fun to it and hope to get the community excited about us,” she said.Four freshmen will be getting their first taste of the rowdy Hoosier fan base. Legette-Jack’s only advice to them has been just to live it.“I told them just to go through it,” she said. “Their teammates have told them some things to expect. They’re going to find out what being a part of Hoosier Nation is all about.”This will be Braun’s third Hoosier Hysteria, but she remembers the first time she took the floor.“I was scared,” she said. “It was too many people. The spotlight was on me, but after it got going and you got back out there, it was like this is what all the hard work during preseason was for.”
(10/13/08 4:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Coming into the weekend’s match-ups with Wisconsin and Northwestern, the IU women’s soccer team was still looking for its first conference win. Without two of their starting forwards, things where complicated for the Hoosiers. Junior Liz Holby, who leads the team in points and goals, and freshman Carly Samp did not play because of injuries.“It was a challenge playing without those two, especially since we had been struggling to score goals,” IU coach Mick Lyon said. “With those two out, players knew they had to step up. Both (Devon) Beach, and (Leigh Anne) Cummings did tremendous, and (Jocelyn) Moses did a great job as well.”Two goals in the final minutes of each game doomed the Hoosiers (5-10-0, 0-6-0), as Wisconsin squeaked by them 1-0 on Friday, and Northwestern won 2-1 Sunday.“Being shorthanded played a part in the giving up the goals,” Lyon said. “We know, though, the last five minutes is a crucial part of the game. I feel we haven’t given away any goals, we have just been terribly unlucky in some cases. We had great opportunities in the first half against Wisconsin, and against Northwestern we were the much stronger team; just the last five minutes I think we got fatigued.”IU lost its fifth consecutive game Friday night against Wisconsin by the score of 1-0. The Hoosiers were just 1:20 from reaching the overtime period against the Badgers until forward Taylor Walsh scored her seventh goal of the season to edge the Hoosiers. Walsh’s goal came off a rebound she was able to knock into the back of the net.Before the game-winning goal in the 89th minute, freshman goalkeeper Lindsey Campbell made three consecutive saves in the 74th, 75th and 77th minutes of play, as the Badgers turned up their offensive attack. Campbell finished the game with five saves. The first half was when the Hoosiers had their chances to score, putting five of their total six shots on goal in the opening half. Junior Kristin Arnold’s corner kick in the fourth minute of the game to Cummings went just high. Beach had a goal-scoring opportunity in the first half, but her shot on goal in the 30th minute was handled by the Wisconsin keeper.In Sunday’s game, after getting down in the first half due to forward Jenny Dunn’s third goal of the season, IU answered, scoring its first goal in 506 minutes of play. Beach scored her fourth goal of the season, by beating Northwestern defenders to net the equalizer.“I was shocked kind of,” Beach said. We hadn’t scored in so long, everyone was really excited. It felt like things were going to start going our way.”However, the Wildcats answered in the 87th minute with a goal to narrowly beat the Hoosiers. Campbell was again the hard-luck losing goalkeeper making four saves. Campbell won her first career start for the Hoosiers earlier in the season, but has lost all her other starts all by one goal.“It is tough,” Campbell said. “I feel (we) have been playing pretty well, but you can’t be extremely perfect every game.”The Hoosiers return to action 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium to take on rival Purdue.
(10/10/08 3:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>At this point last season, the IU women’s soccer team found itself with a 10-1-2, 3-0-1 record usually finding a way to win the close game, winning nine games by one goal, but the Hoosiers have yet to find the success they had last year. The Hoosiers (5-8-0, 0-4-0) are on a current four-game losing streak, with all the losses coming by a 1-0 deficit. IU will again look to get its first conference win this weekend as they go on the road to take on two teams they were able to defeat last year at Wisconsin and Northwestern.“This year we are just getting a little bit unlucky,” said junior midfielder Kristin Arnold. “We are taking things out of the games. We have been playing really well. Luck just isn’t necessarily going our way. “We just need to stay focused, because it’s still a chance so don’t think we’ve forgotten about that.”Despite the four losses coming in the Hoosiers’ first four conference games, junior co-captain Jessica Boots reminded her team that the goal to make it to the postseason isn’t out of reach.“I’m just trying to make everyone stay positive,” she said. “We still have a chance to make it to the NCAAs. I’m just reminding the players that we had four losses last year and we have four losses now, so we still have a chance to make it to the tournament.”To go along with the current four-game losing streak, the Hoosiers have not scored in four games and will use this weekend’s games to switch things up to try and generate more offense.“We are looking to play a little bit of a different formation to try to get more people in the attack,” Arnold said. “We were playing with two up top, so we are going to try to change that up a little bit. “I think we’re going to play a formation similar to what we played last year, and we’ll probably get success out of that.”IU coach Mick Lyon confirmed a different formation for this weekend’s game, but was quick to say the change is not all his team needs. “The new formation will help us, but the key is finding that player who is going to break through and be a little bit more decisive when they’re finishing,” Lyon said. “For the most part we’ve had chances, we’ve just lacked composure trying to finish.”Through this rough stretch in the season, Lyon said he and his team must stay optimistic.“As coaches we’ve just got to remain positive,” Lyon said. “We are talking about all the good things we are doing and not dwelling on the negatives. If we talk about good, good things will happen.”
(10/06/08 3:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>MINNEAPOLIS – Coming into Saturday’s matchup against Minnesota, it looked as though the IU football team’s offense might be able to score big against the host Golden Gophers. The Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2) came into Saturday’s game ranked second in the conference in both total offense and rushing offense.By contrast, Minnesota entered the contest ranked ninth in both total defense and rushing defense. Statistics aren’t always what they appear to be.Despite the difference in rankings, the Gophers prevailed to defeat the Hoosiers, 16-7.In the first half, the Hoosiers only held the ball for 9:27, and out of their seven possessions in that frame, the visitors from Bloomington went three-and-out four times, and none lasted more than three plays.As a result, the Hoosiers were limited to 17 first-half plays as opposed to the 40 plays the Golden Gophers ran.IU coach Bill Lynch said getting into third-down situations limited what the Hoosiers could do offensively.“We were just three-and-out,” Lynch said. “Sometimes, when you run a play and get first downs, you can go to (different plays), but when you don’t get a first down (because) our first three of four (possessions) were three-and-out – that’s 12 plays, and four of the twelve are third-down plays, where you have to be more specific about what your doing. We just didn’t play well enough in the first half.”Senior running back Marcus Thigpen followed up Lynch’s remarks on how the Hoosiers could not keep offensive continuity in a game that saw them reach the red zone just once.“It seemed like we would sustain a drive, but then we would end up killing ourselves with a penalty or a sack,” he said. “It was tough with all of our three-and-outs and mental mistakes to keep something going, but I give a lot of credit to the Minnesota defense as well.”Another issue that plagued the IU offense was third-down conversions – the Hoosiers were a dismal 1-of-10 on third downs.“They came in and made big plays when they needed to,” junior quarterback Kellen Lewis said. “On the big-play downs, third downs, they would have a nice little run on first down and make sure they got it on second down. They played a great game out there today.”Minus two big pass plays of 77 and 47 yards from sophomore quarterback Ben Chappell and Lewis, respectively, the Hoosiers only managed 169 total yards. Still, although their offensive production was not where the Hoosiers would have liked it Saturday, Lewis said he feels his team needs to continue to do what it has been doing.“We think we need to just get better at doing what we do,” he said. “We had four or five drives where we were driving and driving and we would shoot ourselves in the foot or have a lack of preparation for ourselves when we would miss a block, and we’ve been blocking since camp. “They did a good thing switching things on defense and moving guys around.”
(10/03/08 3:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s soccer team comes off a weekend where it was unable to pick up its first Big Ten win, losing two at Bill Armstrong Stadium by a 1-0 count in each.Now, the Hoosiers (5-6-0, 0-2-0) will attempt to pick up their first conference win on the road when they play Iowa on Friday and face Minnesota on Sunday. Iowa (5-5-1, 0-1-1) comes off last weekend after tying Michigan and losing to Michigan State.As for the Golden Gophers, they enter the weekend as the surprise team in the conference with an 11-1-0, 1-1-0 record, suffering their first lost to the Michigan State Spartans last week.Despite the slow conference start, IU coach Mick Lyon said he doesn’t believe it’s time to panic.“We just have to get some points,” he said. “I don’t think we are in desperate mood. If we keep playing at a high level, we have told them that they will get results. We will emphasize to them this weekend that if you want to get results, you’re going to have to put the ball in the back of the net. “It’s going to be tough against both teams, particularly Minnesota, because it will be their only game in a week.”Junior midfielder Kristin Arnold agreed with her coach and said the time for the Hoosiers to get back on track is now.“With two games on the road, we have to start winning games and picking up points in order to keep our hopes up for the Big Ten title,” she said. This weekend’s conference contests on the road will also be the first for five Hoosier freshmen, who are likely to start in the hostile Big Ten environments.Two years ago while playing in Iowa City, Iowa, Arnold recalled how rabid the fans were. But Lyon said the experience these freshmen had playing games on the road against ranked opponents earlier this season was the groundwork they needed to prepare to play road conference games.“Playing on the road in Texas early in the year, that’s part of the preparation of what it will be like playing on the road during Big Ten play,” he said. “When we played Texas A&M, their fans weren’t particularly friendly, and we talked about the mental part of the game and to tune it all out. What we’ll do is just get them to focus on what is between the boundary lines of the pitch, that’s all that matters. At A&M it wasn’t ever an issue, and I don’t think it will be an issue at Iowa, Minnesota or anybody.” Defender Kerri Krawczak, one of those freshman playing in her first conference road battle, said she will play the same as she would during any other game.“Every game is a big game no matter whether you’re at home or away,” she said. “I think as long as we stay focused and keep our heads in the game, we’ll be fine.”
(09/29/08 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Losing Big Ten Conference games at home is not something to which the IU women’s soccer team is accustomed. In the previous two years, the Hoosiers have gone a combined 7-1-1 in-conference at Bill Armstrong Stadium. This weekend, however, the Hoosiers (5-6-0) dropped two home games as they opened conference play against No. 22 Penn State and Ohio State. Friday, IU lost to the Nittany Lions 1-0, and yesterday they were defeated by the Buckeyes by that same score.“It’s unusual for us to lose at home, it really is,” said junior defender Kelly Lawrence. “It’s hard to take, especially for me being a junior and having one year to go, but we really just have to take strength from our performance. We really did play well and probably deserved to win (the Ohio State) game, but you have to put the ball in the back of the net to win the game.”Friday night, the Hoosiers and the Nittany Lions played a scoreless first 39 minutes of the first half. Penn State’s lone goal came in the 40th minute from freshman substitute Meghan Gill. Gill took advantage of a loose ball, which bounced to her feet before she sent a spinning shot just inside the right post for the goal.The Hoosiers were outshot significantly – 9-2 – in the first half, but in the second frame found a bit more offense, getting off seven shots, yet they were still unable to come up with the equalizer. Despite the loss, IU coach Mick Lyon said he feels his team held its own against a squad that has won the conference the last 10 years.“We played the best team and highest-ranking team for our opening act,” he said. “The freshmen in particular got to see the best of the Big Ten and know that they can play with them.”Sunday, the Hoosiers played an Ohio State squad with much fresher legs, not having played since Wednesday. Despite that disadvantage, IU still came out strong in the first half, outshooting the Buckeyes 8-4 and taking five corners to the visitors’ one, but outstanding goalkeeping by Ohio State’s Lauren Robertson kept the ball out of the net for the Buckeyes.The game was deadlocked at zero until the 79th minute, when the Buckeyes scored off a corner kick that deflected off the head of junior midfielder Christie Kotynski into the goal.“We played outstanding today,” Lyon said. “The fact that we came back less than 48 hours later and played in this late-September heat, while your opposition hasn’t played in four or five days – I can’t say a bad word to the kids about how they played because it was tremendous.”Although the Hoosiers dropped both games at home and will not be back at home until Oct. 17, freshman forward Carly Samp said she feels her team should have no problem being ready to play next weekend, first at Iowa on Friday, then at Minnesota on Sunday.“We are definitely going to bounce back,” she said. “Our mentality has only grown. I think we are having a lot of energy coming into games now since we are in the Big Ten season.”
(09/26/08 3:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If the IU women’s soccer team is looking to take the next step as an elite program, the Hoosiers (5-4) will have to start this process against a team they have only defeated once in the last 17 tries.At 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium the Hoosiers will open Big Ten Conference play as they take on No. 22 Penn State, a team looking for its 11th consecutive conference title. Although the Hoosiers are opening up against a team that has dominated the conference the last decade, junior defender Taylor Fallon wouldn’t have it any other way.“No matter who we play in the Big Ten, it’s going to be a tough game,” she said. “I’m glad we are playing the hardest team for the first game. I think it will be a good start to the Big Ten season.”The Nittany Lions come into Friday’s match just a game over .500, as they have had an up-and-down start after beginning the season ranked No. 9. Despite the Nittany Lions’ tough start, IU coach Mick Lyon points out they have been competitive this season, even in their losses.“The fact is they lost a couple of games, with one of them being against the No. 1 team in the country, Notre Dame,” he said. “The games they have lost have been just by a goal. It’s not like they are getting killed in any game.” “They’ve been playing high-level, big-time teams, so we need to perform at our highest level and get the absolute most out of our players.”Lyon acknowledges that if they want to beat the Nittany Lions, the Hoosiers will have to do a good job containing their exceptional players, singling out junior forward Katie Schoepfer and sophomore forward Danielle Toney.“The key will be stopping their top players,” he said. “If we stop them from performing, particularly Schoepfer and Toney from getting goals, we are going to have some success.”The Hoosiers wrap up play this weekend at 2 p.m. Sunday – at Bill Armstrong Stadium – where the Hoosiers will take on Ohio State. The Buckeyes come into play picking up their first three wins of the season in their last three games. Although the Hoosiers lead the all-time series 10-6-2, the Buckeyes defeated the Hoosiers twice last season.Against two solid conference foes, another key to the Hoosiers’ success in their matches this weekend will be the play of their goalkeepers, sophomore Lauren Hollandsworth and freshman Lindsay Campbell, who are both expected to see action. The duo has been battling both in practice and in games to prove their starting worth to Lyon.“They’re both making a mistake here and there, and you don’t want to criticize too much for one mistake here and there,” he said. “Certainly, Lauren has the talent and experience playing in Big Ten, but Lindsay has some talent, so it’s a good little battle between the two.”This being the opening weekend for conference play, junior co-captain and defender Jessica Boots wants her team to come out with an attitude that will carry it through the rest of the Big Ten season.“I think we need to come out and set the level and tone we want to have the whole Big Ten season,” she said. “We’ve been working hard, so I think we are ready to get our name out there and let people know we are here.”
(09/22/08 3:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior midfielder Kristin Arnold has been in this position before. Arnold and the Hoosiers (5-4) were dead-locked at 1-1 with Loyola (Chicago) after the end of regulation. Arnold, who led the Hoosiers in points last season, netted her first goal of the season in the second minute of the sudden-death overtime period, securing the win for IU. Arnold has a knack for coming up big for the Hoosiers in these situations. This was her fourth career extra-period goal and her sixth game-winning goal. After missing an opportunity on a breakaway early in the first half, the Beavercreek, Ohio, native was looking to redeem herself.“I had a chance in the first half that I really should have put away,” she said. “So it was one of those things where I knew I had to hit it early. That’s what we talked about all day was exploiting their back line and getting behind them. (Junior Jessica) Boots played a great ball in, and it was my job to finish it.”The Hoosiers got on the board early in the first half. At the 6:33 minute mark, freshman Carly Samp netted her first career goal. The goal started when Arnold crossed a ball into the box, where junior Christie Kotynski blasted a shot on goal. Loyola keeper Katie Groesch made the initial save, but Samp was right on the doorstep to collect the rebound and knock the ball past Groesh. “It felt good,” Samp said. “It’s difficult obviously to score a collegiate goal as a freshman, and we are all starting to get our chances and it feels good.”For scoring threats Arnold and Samp, IU coach Mick Lyon knows how important it is for his goal scorers to finally pick up their first goals of the season.“It was great for (Arnold) to get a goal and for Carly to get a goal,” he said. “For those two, when you’re searching for your first goal and you get one under your belt and you think now you can get a dozen, so that’s good stuff. I am really, really pleased with the pair.”The Ramblers’ lone goal came in the 62nd minute, as Cynthia Morote-Ariza took the ball from 25 yards and sent a curving shot high into the left corner of the net.IU freshman goalkeeper Lindsey Campbell is now a perfect 2-0 in her first two career starts.Another bright spot for the Hoosiers was the return of junior Taylor Fallon. Fallon, who played and started all 23 games and was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team last season, missed the first eight games of the season due to a knee injury.Fallon entered the game with 12 minutes remaining and immediately got taken down from a tackle by a Loyola player. The fall was something Lyon thought was needed for Fallon to get back and adjust to game action.“It was huge getting her in and playing,” he said. “Her first touch was that crunching tackle, and it couldn’t have come a better time. It was exactly what she needed, and that’s what she said to me at halftime. Once that happened, she was, ‘Oh I’m back,’ and she did well.”The Hoosiers open Big Ten play at 7 p.m. Friday at Armstrong Stadium against No. 17 Penn State.
(09/19/08 4:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Thursday night, Butler did something they have not done
since the 1997 season – beat the IU women’s soccer team.
(09/18/08 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the IU women’s soccer team (4-3) plays at 7:30 p.m. today against Butler (3-4) at Bill Armstrong Stadium, one Hoosier player will be doing something she has never done before – play against her sister.Junior defender/midfielder Christie Kotynski will face her younger sister, Mandi Kotynski, who is a freshman defender/midfielder for the Bulldogs, a team IU has beaten the last seven times they’ve faced off.“It’s going to be a lot different,” Kotynski said. “I never really played against her. We did a one-v-one thing in high school, and that was really the only time we played against each other, and we really didn’t talk to each other on the way home.”Kotynski said she expects to see her sister often, considering they play the same position.Not only will this be an emotional game for the Kotynski sisters, it will be hard for their parents as well, who are coming to the game to support both girls. They will do their best to show no favoritism. Christie Kotynski’s grandfather, on the other hand, will be rooting for her, she said.“I think (my parents) have T-shirts made,” she said. “I think they have half-IU, half-Butler T-shirts being made. I know Grandpa is on my side, but I know it will be hard for (our parents).”Although the sisters recognized they would be facing each other since the schedule came out this summer, Christie Kotynski said they have hardly discussed the scenario.“We’ve known about this game for awhile, but we really haven’t talk about it,” she said. “We have obviously known we were going to play against each other. Last time I talked to her was Sunday, just asking her about how her game was, and I said, ‘I’ll see you Thursday.’”In 16 years of coaching, two siblings playing against each other is an unfamiliar tune for IU coach Mick Lyon.“You know what? I don’t think I have seen this before,” Lyon said. “It’s going to be interesting. I know her sister Mandi well, and I’m sure both of them will be playing with a little more emotion.“Christie has guaranteed me that she’s got no hesitation about putting her sister on her back if that’s what it comes to. They are both really good players and I think it will be fun for them, and it will be one for them to put in the record books.”As for the simple matter of the game, Wednesday’s practice saw the Hoosiers work on long service balls into the six-yard box. It’s something the Hoosiers feel they can improve when they take on the Bulldogs.“It’s something we need to work better on,” junior Liz Holby said. “We feel like we are not getting the keeper as involved as we should. On our services, we want to make sure that we are putting the ball between us and the goalie, so that we have a better chance (to score) and there is more of a chance for them to make a mistake on their part.”
(09/15/08 3:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the first five games of the season the women’s soccer team has traded wins and losses, but after this weekend’s results the Hoosiers have their first two-game winning streak.The Hoosiers (4-3) won both their games away from Bloomington. On Friday, IU defeated George Mason 4-1, and Sunday the Hoosiers downed Loyola (Md.) 2-1.“It was very important to us to get two wins, because when the Big Ten season starts you will have to play Friday and Sunday games on the road,” said IU coach Mick Lyon.Lyon said the team needed to prove to itself they could sweep a weekend.In Friday’s game, sophomore Chloe McKay was the key playmaker. Despite not being in the starting lineup, McKay totaled five points on two goals and an assist on the night.McKay and the Hoosiers got on the board first in the 27th minute, when classmate Leigh Ann Cummings crossed the ball to McKay, who then headed the ball past the George Mason goalkeeper. “When I came in I knew I was going in at offensive midfielder, so I just kept thinking all we needed is one goal,” McKay said. “I didn’t have to be the one to score it, but I just knew after we got one goal we would get it going.”IU kept the pressure on the Patriots, scoring three minutes later. Junior Christie Kotynski scored her first goal of the season at the 30th minute, receiving a pass from freshman Devon Beach. McKay achieved her first career multi-goal game, scoring off a corner kick deflected off a George Mason player. Junior Liz Holby concluded the scoring for the Hoosiers, scoring her third goal of the season in the 85th minute. Hoosiers goalkeeper Lauren Hollandsworth narrowly missed a chance of earning a shutout, when the Patriots spoiled the opportunity in the 88th minute. In yesterday’s game, the Hoosiers had to battle more than just the Loyola Greyhounds. The two teams played in a heat index of more than 100 degrees and ended the first half in a stalemate.Beach broke the tie, stealing the ball away from a Loyola defender and firing her third goal of the season. The Greyhounds tied the game at one in the 61st minute. But IU responded 35 seconds later, as Holby scored her fourth goal of the season off a rebound from a Beach shot.McKay said these wins this weekend were ones the team had to have.“Going on the road and winning these games was needed,” she said. “We have put pressure on ourselves with the earlier struggles, and we can’t give away anymore games.”Hollandsworth said although two wins on the road were good, the team will stay humble. “It’s going to give us momentum heading into next week, but for us we don’t want to get too confident and get ahead of ourselves,” she said.The Hoosiers have a short week and are back in action at 7 p.m. Thursday in Bloomington against an in-state rival, the Butler Bulldogs.