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(12/21/13 10:44pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU women’s basketball is off to the best start in program history after defeating Cleveland State 107-73 Saturday in Cleveland.With the win, IU (12-0) ties with the 1971-72 team for the most wins to start the season. The 1971-72 season was the program's first as an IU varsity sport.The team’s 12th consecutive non-conference win also sets a new record for most non-conference wins in a season, with one non-conference game remaining against Xavier on Dec. 29.“We are really proud of it,” IU Coach Curt Miller said of the record. “We celebrated it that they can never take us out of the record books right now as the most wins in non-conference and with the Big Ten going back to 18 conference games, we don’t even play 12 non-conference so maybe it’s a record that will stand for a while.”After being tied 7-7 after the first 4:58 of play, IU went on an 11-0 run during which four different Hoosiers scored.IU found success in getting high percentage shots off of extra passes. The team recorded 27 assists on 37 made field goals and shot 58.73% from the field during the game.IU’s 107 points scored is the highest total scored since they put up 107 points against UAB in 1991. The offensive outburst came just one game after a season low 51 points against IUPUI.“I thought we did a good job getting off to a good start tonight which had focus,” Miller said. “We had energy in the beginning. I thought a fast start was much needed for an offensive confidence coming off of the IUPUI game.”IU added a 12-0 run between 9:55-6:24 remaining in the first half to stretch the lead to 19. IU would take a 46-26 lead into the half and managed to remain in control the rest of the game. During the second half, IU’s bench players were able to help extend the lead to as high as 37 points.Sophomore guard Nicole Bell and freshman center Jenn Anderson combined for 23 points off of a combined 72.73 percent shooting from the field to fend off any sort of Cleveland State comeback.“Coming out of the locker room against an explosive team, (we) showed the maturity and the focus not to be on Christmas break quite yet and got up on them big,” Miller said. “Which allowed us to play everybody on our roster significant minutes, sending everyone home for Christmas with a big smile on their face.”Senior forward Tabitha Gerardot had her best game as a Hoosier. The Valparaiso transfer had 19 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two assists in the game.Freshman guard Larryn Brooks led IU in scoring with 23 points in 27 minutes of play. Brooks shot 50 percent from the field and was 3-5 from behind the arc.On the defensive end, IU was able to prevent Cleveland State from creating any significant scoring runs to challenge the Hoosiers’ lead. The Hoosiers out-rebounded the Vikings 51-20 which limited Cleveland State’s second chance scoring opportunities.The Hoosiers have a small break before playing Xavier on the road in the final tune-up before the Big Ten season starts. Miller was happy that his older players could reflect on what has been their most successful year at IU over break.“Not a lot of success with those seniors in the locker room throughout their careers so to watch them smile and be proud of something, it means probably more than people realize,” Miller said.
(12/21/13 10:15pm)
IU women's basketball is off to the best start in program history after defeating Cleveland State 107-73 on Saturday in Cleveland.
(12/19/13 6:59pm)
When IU takes the floor in Cleveland, OH against Cleveland State, the Hoosiers will have a chance to match a record that has stood since the inception of women's basketball at IU.
(12/19/13 6:53pm)
Seventeen IU women's soccer players were named Big Ten Academic All-Big Ten award winners on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
(12/13/13 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Curt Miller called Sunday’s game against IU-Purdue University Indianapolis a potential statement game for his young IU women’s basketball squad. The Hoosiers (10-0) will travel to Indianapolis for a 2 p.m. matchup against IUPUI (7-3) with the opportunity to win their 11th consecutive game to start the season. Doing so would equal IU’s win total from all of last season.IUPUI is coming off a 68-64 win against Indiana State. During that win, a late defensive stop with fewer than 30 seconds remaining sealed the victory.Defense has been a calling card for IUPUI all season. The Jaguars are limiting opponents to 63.3 points per game. Not once have they allowed an opponent to score more than 80 points, a feat IU has accomplished seven times this season.“They’re one of the quality teams on our non-conference schedule,” Miller said. “Not only could it be a statement game, it could be a verification that we are playing well, that we are maybe playing ahead of schedule this season.”The defense is anchored by junior guard Dee-Dee Bellamy, the reigning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, who has 23 steals this season.“This will be without question — in our 10 games — the best defensive team we have played all year,” Miller said.On the defensive end for IU, the Hoosiers will look to contain an IUPUI offense that has remained balanced throughout the season.Seven IUPUI players are averaging more than six points per game, four are averaging more than eight points per game.“They make you pick your poison,” Miller said. “They have great one-on-one players that can hurt you on dribble penetration, but they always have enough three-point shooters out there to keep you honest.”IUPUI’s offense is led by a First-Team Preseason All-Summit team member, senior guard DeAirra Goss. She is averaging 11.2 points per game while also logging the most minutes per game on the team (26.7). Miller recalled game planning for Goss and the Western Michigan Broncos when he was the head coach at Bowling Green. “DeAirra’s a tough matchup for us,” Miller said. “She’s really tough to contain off the dribble. You guard her with small guards, she can overpower you and post you up. You guard her with bigger kids, and she normally can beat all those kids off the dribble.”To combat Goss’ versatility, Miller said the Hoosiers will give her a variety of different looks defensively.“One thing you talk about with a player like Goss is that you’ve got to keep her off balance,” he said. “We might switch our matchups, we might give her different types of kids and guard her with size sometimes and guard her with speed sometimes.”Two wins in the next three games would make this year’s non-conference record the best in IU history.Miller said earning that recognition would point the program in the right direction. “We certainly know we’re in a building stage,” Miller said. “They’re steps, but we’re certainly making the right steps.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(12/12/13 4:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fending off a late comeback attempt from Milwaukee, the IU women’s basketball team won their 10th consecutive game Wednesday, defeating their opponents 87-68.With the win, the Hoosiers moved to a 10-0 record on the season, the program’s first such start since the 1994-95 season.In the midst of a 17-5 Milwaukee run in the middle of the second half, which saw IU without a field goal for almost seven minutes, Larryn Brooks revived the offense.The freshman guard stole the ball underneath the basket and tossed an outlet pass to senior forward Sasha Chaplin.After the pass, Brooks made her way to the corner. She called for the ball and proceeded to drain a 3-pointer to put an end to the Panthers’ run.That shot seemingly put the game away.“It was really big for us,” Brooks said. “I mean, it was a team win tonight so it wasn’t really all about that play, but that was definitely where it changed.”IU controlled the fast-paced tempo for most of the first half, heading into the break leading 48-35 and finding high-percentage shots, shooting 18-35 from the field.But after pulling out to a lead as high as 24 points with 15:05 remaining in the second half, the game started to turn the other way. The Hoosier offense had slowed, allowing Milwaukee’s offense to go on a 17-5 run.“We took our foot off the pedal for just a second and because of that we went through a stretch of being held scoreless,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “We were leaking some oil at that point.”He said Brooks’ three helped turn the game around and seal the victory.“That big play by Larryn got the crowd back in it and we were able to take a deep breath,” Miller said. “They were making threes in that stretch, and it energized us to get more stops.”The Milwaukee offense was pushing tempo throughout the game, which caused IU to struggle at times, as they did during the seven-minute run where they failed to convert a field goal.Freshman guard Taylor Agler said the Milwaukee’s tempo forced IU to struggle.“I think that’s the fastest team we’ve played so far,” freshman guard Taylor Agler said. “I think we could have done a lot better getting back after we scored or whether it was after a rebound.”Miller said it was Brooks’ ability to limit Milwaukee guard Angela Rodriguez to 6-15 shooting that made a big difference in containing the Milwaukee offense.“We never switched her off Rodriguez,” Miller said. “For her to spend a lot of energy on the defensive end and do what she did offensively was pretty impressive for a young freshman.”Miller said IU found their most success off of switches that led to mismatches for the taller Hoosier players like Chaplin, who scored 16 points in only 15 minutes of play.Chaplin credited the Hoosiers’ willingness to share the ball to their success. IU had 16 assists which led to the Hoosiers shooting 50 percent from the field.“We’re winning as a team, not just individuals this year,” Chaplin said.The win maintains the Hoosiers’ undefeated record as they prepare for three road games in a row before starting Big Ten play.After struggling last season, Chaplin said she has seen progress and is excited to move forward.“I think it’s a great experience just being part of the new era and having something actually start to build here at Indiana for women’s basketball,” Chaplin said. “It’s been a long time coming and I think we’re finally on the move up.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/23/13 6:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>North Carolina defeated IU 4-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in dominating fashion Friday night, eliminating the Hoosiers from NCAA championship contention.Defending champion North Carolina’s offense kept the Hoosier defenders on their heels throughout most of the game. The Tar Heels managed to get off 23 shots, 10 of which were on goal. “We played one of the best team’s we’ve seen all year today in a UNC team,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “Very dynamic players and that’s the way an NCAA second round game goes.”After a number of stops by the Hoosier defense, North Carolina senior forward Crystal Dunn broke through to put the Tar Heels on the scoreboard. Just four minutes after she checked in for the first time in three games, Dunn got the ball inside the box and sent it to the back of the net to go up 1-0.“She’s one of the best players in the country,” Berbary said of Dunn. “When she came in, the special player that she is, she made it count.”Dunn’s goal would be the lone score of the first half . The Hoosier offense managed a few threats early on but were not able to capitalize in the final third of the field.“I thought we put together a good first half there with a couple of chances of our own,” Berbary said. “It was no secret North Carolina was probably going to have most of the possession in the game and we were going to get opportunities.”Coming out of the half, North Carolina would tally a second goal in the 50th minute when Dunn sent a cross to freshman forward Amber Munerlyn who finished from eight yards out to increase their the deficit to 2-0.IU (15-7-1) would not find a goal in response the rest of the game.The IU offense was stymied by the Tar Heels throughout the night. The Hoosiers managed to fire off only two shots, neither of which was dangerous enough to have been needed to be saved by the North Carolina goalie.The Tar Heels would add a third goal in the 80th minute from senior forward Kealia Ohai and a fourth goal in the 86th minute from sophomore midfielder Paige Nielsen to extend the North Carolina lead to 4-0.After starting the year to be picked by the Big Ten Coaches’ Poll to finishes 12th in the conference, Berbary said she is still happy with the progress the team showed this season and how it might help moving forward.“We saw one of the best teams in the country and we know how hard we’re going to have to work to get to an elite level,“ she said. “I’m just so proud and thankful for our seniors with the remarkable job they’ve done in helping change the culture of this program in the last nine months.”The Hoosiers wrap up their 2013 campaign and first season under Berbary as coach having broken the single-season school records for wins (15), goals (43) and assists (46). “This program has taken a huge step towards what you play college soccer for and this team will be remembered for years to come as the first step into a run deep into the NCAA Tournament,” Berbary said.
(11/23/13 3:34am)
North Carolina scored their first goal in the 38th minute off the foot of senior forward Crystal Dunn who made a run through the Hoosier defense and sent a touch to the back of the net. The goal put the Tar Heels up 1-0 which is where the score would stay for the rest of the first half.
(11/22/13 5:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers will play top-seeded and defending national champion North Carolina in Chapel Hill.IU women’s soccer was just beginning preparation for Friday’s 6 p.m., second round NCAA Tournament game when IU Coach Amy Berbary asked the question.“Why not?” Berbary asked her players. “Why not beat the reigning national champions?”No. 5 North Carolina (18-4) is the biggest test IU (15-6-1) has faced all season. The Tar Heels have outscored opponents 44-12 and have only given up five goals at home all year.Entering the game, IU once again finds itself the underdog. It’s a position the team, predicted to finish last in the Big Ten, has been in before.“I think that’s going to be something that drives us,” Berbary said. “Now we have no pressure, which I think is good for our team. We’re not supposed to win the game.”North Carolina enters the game after having little trouble advancing to the second round, which features 32 teams. They beat Big South Conference champion Liberty 4-0 in the opening round.The win came without leading scorer and member of the 2012 FIFA World Cup winning U.S. Women’s U-20 team, Crystal Dunn. The senior forward was sidelined with a leg injury the previous two games and could be out again Friday.“I think we’re going to approach it the same way, whether they have her in or not,” junior forward Monica Melink said. “We can’t let one player hold us back from playing our best.”IU has not played North Carolina in the regular season since losing to them 5-0 in the Collegiate Cup in 1995.To combat that, the coaching staff has segmented aspects of the Tar Heels game and compared them with teams IU has played.“Our coaches are doing a really good job of scouting,” junior midfielder Rebecca Dreher said. “We’re combining other teams’ strengths and trying to picture how North Carolina is going to play.”Dreher explained that North Carolina pressures like Penn State, is as organized as Michigan and is very fast. She added that there has been extra emphasis on scouting.“That’s going to be as crucial as our practice this week,” she said.IU is coming off one of its best performances of the season in the opening round where it beat DePaul 1-0.“That was a great game for us to have before this game against UNC,” Melink said. “We started out really strongly, and we really think if we have that same mentality and bring it to UNC that there’s nothing that can stop us.”If IU defeats North Carolina on Friday, they will advance to the Sweet 16 on Sunday in Chapel Hill. The Hoosiers would play the winner of Texas Tech and Texas A&M.Despite being an unranked team going against the defending national champion, Berbary said the game could go either way.“Soccer is a funny game. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day,” Berbary said. “In my heart of hearts, I believe this team thinks they can win.”Melink said the Hoosiers are confident and excited to play against the top-seeded Tar Heels.“We definitely have the mentality to face any team in the nation,” Melink said. “This is the perfect opportunity for us to shock the nation once again.”Follow women's soccer reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/20/13 2:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Lisa Nouanesengsy’s statistics speak for themselves.The senior midfielder’s 56 career points and 24 career goals are both sixth most all-time at IU. Her three hat tricks are the most of any Hoosier.She has played in 79 games, starting 77, making her the sixth most experienced all-time.Her 11 goals and three assists this season earned her second team All-Big Ten selection. Her play has etched her name in the IU record books as one of the most colorful offensive players in school history.But her coaches and teammates said an immeasurable trait separates Nouanesengsy from other players.“She’s the engine that makes us go,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “People want to play for her. I want to succeed for her.”Along with running the IU women’s soccer offense through the midfield, Nouanesengsy has been the leader off the field.She has been behind a number of the motivational strategies the team has rallied around this year, from being a part of “#12ISEABOVE” to the “play every game like it’s your last” attitude.“She’s our leader,” junior forward Monica Melink said. “She just sets an example for us all on how to compete at the highest level.”Her teammates and coaches said Nouanesengsy has made a habit of pushing her teammates to try to match her work ethic.“She’s really not afraid of calling people out and making sure our team has the same goals with trying to win,” Melink said.Nouanesengsy said she inherited her work ethic from her parents, Sam and Bouvanh. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Laos in 1981 following a civil war there that ended in 1975. Thousands of Laotian people migrated to other parts of the world to escape the communistic government coming to power.“I’ve seen them work hard to raise four kids and to help me go to college,” Nouanesengsy said. “They’ve really inspired me to work hard at everything I do and take advantage of every opportunity I get.”Berbary said her willingness to improve has been evident in the gains she has made both statistically and mentally.“She’s just so good technically, and she just wants to learn,” Berbary said. “Her maturity as a person and a player just helps her lead this team.”Nouanesengsy has been the anchor of a Hoosier offense that broke single-season school records in goals (43), assists (45) and — most unexpectedly — wins (15).She has led IU to the postseason for the first time since 2007. It’s a place where Nouanesengsy, despite her individual success, had never been.Her journey to the big dance came unexpectedly in a year marred with change and doubt. Former IU Coach Mick Lyon — the man responsible for bringing Nouanesengsy to IU — retired. In his place is Berbary, a first-year head coach.IU was expected to rebuild and was selected to finish 12th in the preseason Big Ten Coaches’ Poll.But rebuilding was not an option for Nouanesengsy. She wanted to make one last shot at a postseason run, which Berbary assured her could happen.“It was just reassuring that when she came in she told us it wasn’t going to be a rebuilding year,” Nouanesengsy said. “It’s my last year, I didn’t have time to rebuild this program.”Not settling for a rebuilding season paid off. IU will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a second round NCAA Tournament match against top-seeded North Carolina at 6 p.m. Friday.The postseason run has been Nouansengsy’s first and only chance to play on the biggest stage in collegiate soccer.“Being in the postseason in my last year is great,” Nouanesengsy said. “Some people don’t get to experience it at all in their four years. I’m really excited to be playing, especially playing a great team like North Carolina.”Junior midfielder Rebecca Dreher said there is a little extra motivation to win knowing that it is Nouanesengsy’s first and final chance at an NCAA Tournament run.“Lisa’s an unbelievable player, someone I’ll never forget playing with and somebody who we need to win this game for,” Dreher said.For Nouanesengsy, Friday will be the 80th time she takes the field wearing an IU uniform and just her second time surrounded by the NCAA Tournament logo. She said all she can do is take it one game at a time.“I’m going into this game on Friday how I’ve been every game this year,” Nouanesengsy said. “You just have to go into it like it’s your last.”Regardless of the outcome of Friday’s game, Berbary said Nouanesengsy’s impression on the program is undeniable.“She will be a player that has left her mark on Indiana soccer forever,” Berbary said. “A lot of people go through college soccer and play, but Lisa will be remembered.”Follow women's soccer reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/18/13 4:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the 69th minute of IU’s first-round NCAA Tournament game Saturday against DePaul, freshman midfielder Veronica Ellis subbed in.Seven minutes later, she found herself at the bottom of a dog pile of overjoyed teammates. She had scored what would prove to be the lone goal of the game — the game-winning goal.With Ellis’ goal, IU (15-6-1) defeated DePaul (13-6-2) 1-0 at Jerry Yeagley Field to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where it will face top-seeded North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.It was the biggest goal of her career, her third game-winner of the season. And it came less than 24 hours after the death of her grandfather.“It made me think he was just watching over me tonight,” Ellis said.In the 74th minute, senior midfielder Lisa Nouanesengsy sent a corner kick into the box that was cleared out by the DePaul defense. Junior midfielder Tori Keller gathered the cleared ball and chipped it back into the box.Senior forward Rebecca Candler gathered the ball and settled it. She drew the DePaul goalie Alejandria Godinez toward her. Candler flicked the ball toward Ellis.With the DePaul goalie out of place, Ellis got to the ball.“I saw the keeper coming out,” Ellis said. “I knew that I just had to beat her to it and put it past, just get anything on it.”Her touch was just enough to send it rolling into the goal.“She’s a very mature kid,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said of Ellis. “She’s been through a lot in the past 24 hours with her grandfather dying suddenly, and for her to be able to kind of get herself ready for this game and mentally prepare and come in for us — she was big for us.”The goal came at an opportune time for IU. The Hoosiers dominated possession the entire second half, out shooting DePaul 13-2, but IU could not find a way to get on the scoreboard until Ellis’ goal.It was the Hoosier defense that was the story for most of the game.After struggling throughout the Big Ten Tournament, the IU defense was almost perfect Saturday. Senior goalie Shannon Flower recorded a school-record setting ninth shutout of the year while only needing to make two saves.“I think the defense made my job really easy tonight,” Flower said. “They just held the pressure so high that the forwards couldn’t even turn on them, so really it was all them. I didn’t really have to do too much tonight, which is great.”Flower made a crucial save in the 86th minute when a DePaul forward found space and had a chance to tie the game. Flower made a step to the left, got in position and made a diving save of a ball seemingly destined for the back post.“I don’t think your typical goalkeeper saves that,” Berbary said. “We ask our goalkeepers to make one big save a half, and that sure was a big one for us.”After the game, Berbary was already looking forward to IU’s game against North Carolina.“Absolutely thrilled. It’s amazing,” Berbary said. “We’re going to their place to play the reigning national champions. If you would have told me that last February when I was hired, I would have told you you were nuts.”Follow women's soccer reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/15/13 3:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Monday, the IU women’s soccer team found out they would be playing DePaul at 7 p.m. Saturday at Jerry Yeagley Field in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.It will be IU’s (14-6-1) first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2007. It will be the first time any of the players have gone to the big dance.Shortly after learning the team was in, IU Coach Amy Berbary gathered her players in a huddle to talk about the week ahead, and the team got back to work.Berbary is now the fourth first-year head coach in Big Ten women’s soccer history to lead a team to the NCAA Tournament. The previous three coaches had all inherited a team that had gone to the Elite Eight the previous year.DePaul (13-5-2) enters the game coming off of a 2-0 loss to Marquette in the Big East Tournament Finals.A trademark of DePaul this season has been its defense. The Blue Demons, anchored by Big East Goalkeeper of the Year Alejandria Godinez, have only allowed 14 goals this season.DePaul has only had three games where it has given up multiple goals this year, but junior midfielder Abby Smith is confident that the Hoosier offense will be able to create scoring opportunities.In IU’s most recent game against Nebraska, the Hoosiers struggled to create offense in the second half. “We just couldn’t connect on passes from the defense to the midfield to the forwards,” senior forward Rebecca Candler said. “I think there are just a couple of things there that we are working on, fine tuning to get that final piece and get back in there.”The bigger concern for IU right now is the defensive side of the pitch. IU’s defense has struggled in its most recent games, allowing nine goals in the last three games.“We have to be better defensively,” Berbary said. “We’re having trouble at the midfield. We’ve given them the ball. We just need to take care of the ball a little better and stay more compact.”The defense face Blue Demon offense that has struggled at times this season. The offense is led by Else Wyatt, who has accounted for seven of the team’s 25 goals this year.IU ended 27th in RPI rankings. Smith said the recent success other IU teams have had has proven it is possible for a team such as hers to make a postseason run despite not being favorites.“I think that’s something to think about with our men’s (soccer) team and even our baseball team,” Smith said. “I don’t think anyone thought (IU baseball) would make it to the World Series and they just shocked everyone. I definitely think that’s going to be in the backs of our minds. We know anyone can beat anyone on any given day. We just need to come out strong every game.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/15/13 3:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Entering the 2013 IU women’s soccer season, there were some questions surrounding the Hoosier offense.They would be without 2013 graduate Orianica Velasquez, last season’s leading scorer and Brazilian national team member. She finished fourth in team history in goals (26), fourth in points (64) and has the record for shot attempts (261).When the coaching staff came in, it was not quite sure who would replace her scoring.“In the spring, it was just kind of scoring by committee,” assistant coach Benji Walton said. “As a coach, there were some times where you can be a little nervous when you don’t know for sure where the scoring would be.”The Hoosier offense responded to any doubt in record-setting fashion.IU set single season school records in goals (42) and assists (44) during its 2013 campaign. The Hoosiers have an opportunity to increase those records against DePaul at 7 p.m. Saturday at Jerry Yeagley Field in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.“I always knew any team I coached was probably going to score way more goals just because of my personality,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “I used to always tell my old boss, ‘Well who cares how many goals we get scored on as long as we have one more at the end.’ This season we’ve seen that.”Berbary and Walton both said IU’s ability to score goals from anywhere on the field has been key to the program’s success. Scanning through box scores, the diversity of the scoring becomes apparent.In a Sept. 8 win against Eastern Kentucky, senior forward and leading scorer Lisa Nouanesengsy recorded a hat trick, carrying the Hoosiers to a 5-0 win.A week later against Eastern Michigan, Nouanesengsy’s name was nowhere to be found. Junior midfielder Abby Smith scored once and sophomore forward Kayleigh Steigerwalt netted a game winning goal with only five minutes remaining.“Lisa’s always going to be on everybody’s scouting report,” Berbary said. “If we can just have one or two more players step up in the game, we’re going to be better off.”IU has had 12 different girls score this season to accumulate the record setting 42 goals. The Hoosiers have only been shut out twice all season.“You don’t have to depend on one person,” senior forward Rebecca Candler said. “There are so many people who can pick it up.”Walton, who works primarily with the offense, holds pre-practice shooting sessions to prepare all the players for scoring opportunities which Berbary said has developed better goal scorers.“He has an offensive mind that continuously runs,” Berbary said. “Having kids come out early to do some extra finishing, having them hit an extra 50 shots every day has helped us so much. It helped the kids gain confidence in themselves.”That confidence across the lineup to score has been evident in the results. Along with the goals and assists records, IU has matched a single-season high in wins with 14.“That’s definitely a strength of our team,” Candler said. “It’s something that we’ve lacked the past three years. We have had so many people step up and make a difference, and it has shown.”IU’s offense will be tested Saturday against a DePaul team that has only allowed 14 goals all season.Walton said he does not know who is going to step up as a scorer, but somebody is going to have to if IU wants to move on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.“There’s no way of knowing who’s going to come up. My experience with postseason soccer is that somebody has to step up each game,” Walton said. “We know we’re capable. It’s just a matter of who’s turn it is and hopefully we can execute.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/12/13 6:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s soccer team packed into the I-Lounge inside Assembly Hall to watch the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, waiting to hear if its name would be called.The Hoosiers failed to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after losing to Nebraska 3-1 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Friday. The Hoosiers were relying on an at-large invitation to keep their season alive.“I think everyone was pretty nervous,” senior forward Rebecca Candler said.Before the selections began, players and coaches looked over numbers and rankings trying to predict who they might be playing.“I need to stop,” assistant coach Benji Walton said, joking. “I’ve guessed, like, 30 different teams.”Just past 4:30 p.m., the guessing ended.IU appeared on the screen, and anything the announcer said after that went unheard. The room had already erupted with cheers.The Hoosiers will play DePaul in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. It will be IU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007.“It is so exciting, especially for the seniors going three years previous never making it to the postseason,” Candler said. “It’s new. It’s exciting.”IU is the higher seed, which means it will be the home team and play at Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday.“It’s amazing to be able to play in front of our old fans and our new fans,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “We’ve had tremendous supporters throughout this season and we really appreciate it.”Berbary said now is the time for IU to attempt to make a run.“Now it’s a new season,” she said. “It’s a one-game season and we’re ready to go.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/11/13 4:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Three unanswered goals in the second half put an end to the IU women’s soccer team’s Big Ten Tournament Championship hopes Friday.The Hoosiers fell to Nebraska 3-1 in Champaign, Ill.IU got on the board first in the eighth minute when junior midfielder Bekah White scored to the upper right hand corner of the goal from 20 yards out.Nebraska answered the Hoosier goal with a fast-break response that led to Nebraska having numbers and only the goalie to beat.Senior goalie Shannon Flower was able to make a diving save to preserve IU’s one goal lead, which it took into the half.“We did control the first half, but soccer is a game for 90 minutes, and anything could happen,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “At halftime we said one will not be enough to win this game, and sure enough that was true again.”Coming out of the halftime break, Nebraska forward Jaycie Johnson scored in the 46th minute to the upper left side of the net to even the score at 1-1.In the 54th minute, IU was charged with a foul in the box, giving Nebraska a penalty kick and the opportunity to take the lead.Flower was able to deflect the ball over the net to preserve the tie and momentarily put a halt to the Cornhuskers’ attack.“That was a huge save by Shannon,” junior defender Rebecca Dreher said. “That was huge for us.”But after allowing the tying goal, Flower said the Hoosiers had already lost their momentum.“They got a quick one in the first five minutes, and I don’t think we had that fire anymore,” Flower said. “I saw a few people put their heads down, and I brought everyone into a huddle and I said, ‘You’re going to have to fight now that it’s all tied up.’”After a handful of Hoosier offensive attacks were stopped, the Cornhuskers scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal in the 67th minute.Nebraska defender Kylie Greischar sliced through the Hoosier back line and was able to beat Flower one-on-one for the goal to go up 2-1.The Hoosier offense would not find a response.“They were marking our forwards really well,” Dreher said. “We needed to work harder to get into passing lanes. It was hard for us to find passes because they knew what we were trying to do. They had a good scouting report.”Nebraska would then add another goal in the 87th minute to finalize the victory.“That’s a tough one to swallow just because we played so well in the first half,” Flower said. “I just don’t think we rose to the occasion. It’s a good thing to learn from, but it’s tough right now.”The Hoosiers current record (14-6-1, 6-4) ties the school record for regular season wins with the 1998 season.IU’s 42 goals scored ties a single season team-high with the 1993 and 1998 seasons.The team will continue to practice this week in preparation for a potential NCAA Tournament run.IU will find out if it qualified for the NCAA Tournament at 4:30 p.m. today.“I think we exceeded even our own expectations,” Berbary said. “We know we have a lot more soccer in us. We’ll head home today, we’ll refocus and get back to work this week. Hopefully on Monday our name shows up on that bracket.”Follow women’s soccer reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/08/13 6:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU lost to Nebraska 3-1 in the regular season finale in Lincoln, Neb., while playing in weather IU Coach Amy Berbary described as a “hurricane.”The Hoosiers struggled to move the ball throughout the second half, going against the gusting wind and rain. To add to the offensive struggles, IU allowed a goal off a Nebraska goal kick late in the second half to wrap up the 3-1 loss.The loss spoiled IU’s chance at improving to a No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and snapped a three-game conference winning streak.On Friday, the Hoosiers (14-5-1) will have a chance at redemption at 2:30 p.m. in Champaign, Ill., in a rematch against the Cornhuskers (16-3-1) in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.“They’re fresh in our minds,” Berbary said. “It was adverse conditions that we played in at Nebraska, so we’ll just sit down, we’ll go through the film and try to figure out what adjustments we have to make.”Top-seeded Nebraska is coming off of a 4-1 first round win against Minnesota on Wednesday.After allowing a Minnesota goal in the opening minute, the Cornhuskers rallied to score four unanswered goals to advance 4-1.The Hoosiers entered the game having defeated Illinois 5-3 on Wednesday.“That has given us some huge confidence,” sophomore forward Kayleigh Steigerwalt said. “Nebraska is a great team but I think we can play with them if we play our game.”It was the first time that any of the Hoosier players had been in a postseason matchup.“We’re feeling great,” senior forward Rebecca Candler said. “It is the first time for our entire team in postseason play. We just have to grind it out.”During the win against Illinois, IU was able to create scoring chances from getting crosses into the box from the outside.The Hoosiers will be looking to create similar chances Friday by setting one another up for easy scoring chances in the box.“I think that defines our team, to be honest,” Steigerwalt said. “Obviously we all want to score but we all want to make the assist, too. We all want to help each other. I think that’s why we do so well, because we’re not individuals.”The biggest question mark going into the game will be the health and availability of senior midfielder Lisa Nouanesengsy.She left the game Wednesday in the second half with an injury that left her unable to walk off the field on her own.Nouanesengsy is the Hoosiers’ leading scorer with 11 goals this season. If she cannot play, the IU offense will need to be able to find different players to create offense as they were able to do against Illinois, scoring two goals after she left the game.“Lisa’s a great player but we have a lot of people that could pick up the slack,” Candler said.A win on Friday would give the Hoosiers a spot in the Big Ten Championship game on Sunday against the winner of the matchup between Penn State and Iowa.Berbary said they are still trying to remain focused on the next game ahead and not get caught up in the excitement surrounding the tournament.“We are still under the mentality of ‘hashtag one game,’” Berbary said. “We’re already above everyone’s expectations, even our own. So now we just look forward and take it one game at a time.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/08/13 5:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU lost to Nebraska 3-1 in the regular season finale in Lincoln, Neb., while playing in weather IU Coach Amy Berbary described as a “hurricane.”The Hoosiers struggled to move the ball throughout the second half, going against the gusting wind and rain. To add to the offensive struggles, IU allowed a goal off a Nebraska goal kick late in the second half to wrap up the 3-1 loss.The loss spoiled IU’s chance at improving to a No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and snapped a three-game conference winning streak.On Friday, the Hoosiers (14-5-1) will have a chance at redemption at 2:30 p.m. in Champaign, Ill., in a rematch against the Cornhuskers (16-3-1) in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.“They’re fresh in our minds,” Berbary said. “It was adverse conditions that we played in at Nebraska, so we’ll just sit down, we’ll go through the film and try to figure out what adjustments we have to make.”Top-seeded Nebraska is coming off of a 4-1 first round win against Minnesota on Wednesday.After allowing a Minnesota goal in the opening minute, the Cornhuskers rallied to score four unanswered goals to advance 4-1.The Hoosiers entered the game having defeated Illinois 5-3 on Wednesday.“That has given us some huge confidence,” sophomore forward Kayleigh Steigerwalt said. “Nebraska is a great team but I think we can play with them if we play our game.”It was the first time that any of the Hoosier players had been in a postseason matchup.“We’re feeling great,” senior forward Rebecca Candler said. “It is the first time for our entire team in postseason play. We just have to grind it out.”During the win against Illinois, IU was able to create scoring chances from getting crosses into the box from the outside.The Hoosiers will be looking to create similar chances Friday by setting one another up for easy scoring chances in the box.“I think that defines our team, to be honest,” Steigerwalt said. “Obviously we all want to score but we all want to make the assist, too. We all want to help each other. I think that’s why we do so well, because we’re not individuals.”The biggest question mark going into the game will be the health and availability of senior midfielder Lisa Nouanesengsy.She left the game Wednesday in the second half with an injury that left her unable to walk off the field on her own.Nouanesengsy is the Hoosiers’ leading scorer with 11 goals this season. If she cannot play, the IU offense will need to be able to find different players to create offense as they were able to do against Illinois, scoring two goals after she left the game.“Lisa’s a great player but we have a lot of people that could pick up the slack,” Candler said.A win on Friday would give the Hoosiers a spot in the Big Ten Championship game on Sunday against the winner of the matchup between Penn State and Iowa.Berbary said they are still trying to remain focused on the next game ahead and not get caught up in the excitement surrounding the tournament.“We are still under the mentality of ‘hashtag one game,’” Berbary said. “We’re already above everyone’s expectations, even our own. So now we just look forward and take it one game at a time.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/07/13 5:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU women’s soccer Coach Amy Berbary said IU didn’t play flawlessly Wednesday.But they got the job done.IU (14-5-1) defeated Illinois 5-3 in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament in Champaign, Ill., to claim its first Big Ten Tournament win in 17 years.The win secures a Friday matchup at 2:30 p.m. in Champaign, Ill., against Nebraska in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers were outshot 22-11 in Wednesday’s game, and Berbary said the team made a number of mistakes but managed to capitalize on its opportunities when it needed to the most.“It wasn’t perfect,” Berbary said. “But I said to them after the game, ‘Welcome to postseason play.’ That is what it takes to grind it out. It’s not perfect.” Senior midfielder Lisa Nouanesengsy created a spark early, finding space from 18 yards out and scoring to the inside of the right post for the game’s first goal.Senior forward Rebecca Candler said getting on the board early was crucial.“We’ve been stressing that the entire season,” she said. “The first 15 minutes are huge for us because that’s kind of how we finish the game. Lisa coming out with a huge goal pushed us through.” The Hoosiers added two more goals before halftime including a 20-yard goal to the upper right hand corner from junior defender Tori Keller to go up 3-0. “We said at halftime that three is not going to be good enough,” Berbary said. “That sure was the case today.” Illinois came out of the halftime break with a changed system that gave the Hoosiers a new-look offense to defend.Illini forward Vanessa DiBernardo scored six minutes into the second half to cut the lead to 3-1. Minutes after that goal, Nouanesengsy went down with an injury that left her needing to be carried off the field. Nouanesengsy is the Hoosiers leading scorer and a team captain. After her injury, her teammates came together to talk about what they would do moving forward.“We huddled, and we just said we play our game still,” sophomore forward Kayleigh Steigerwalt said. “Nothing changes. We go out, and we get a win. We have a ton of great players on this team that have stepped up.” Junior midfielder Abby Smith responded with a cross to junior forward Monica Melink, who headed the ball home for a goal to put IU up 4-1 in the 62nd minute. Just more than 10 minutes later, senior defender Lara Ross sent a ball toward the goal from just inside midfield that bounced over the Illini goalie’s head to put the Hoosiers up 5-1. “They did a really good job in responding,” Berbary said. “I think we did a good job with the adjustments we made.” The Illini went on to add two more goals late in the second half, but the Hoosiers’ two second half goals were enough to propel them to the 5-3 win. Steigerwalt said she is excited to move forward in the tournament, especially after being picked to finish 12th in the Big Ten at the beginning of the year.“Our team slogan is ‘rise above’ because we were ranked 12th,” Steigerwalt said. “But our goal this year is to shock the nation. So far, I think we are doing a pretty good job.”
(11/06/13 7:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the first time since 2007, IU will take the field for the first round of the Big Ten Tournament at 5:30 p.m. in Champaign, Ill., against tournament host Illinois tonight.On Monday, IU Coach Amy Berbary asked her team how excited it was to be practicing in the month of November.“They all kind of laughed,” Berbary said.But they had reason to.This has been a turnaround season for the No. 4 seed IU (13-5-1, 6-4), which will be making its first appearance in the Big Ten Tournament in five years to play No. 5 seed Illinois (10-7-2, 5-5-1).Both the Illini and Hoosiers play a very similar style of possession offense that will make for an intriguing matchup of who can retain possession and make plays.“I’m excited to play them again,” Berbary said. “They’re one of the few teams in the Big Ten that play that possession style. They like to put the ball down, so I think it’s going to be a fun game between the two teams.”The game will serve as a rematch of an Oct. 6 game in Bloomington that IU won 3-2.The win came against an Illini squad that was missing senior midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo, who was nursing an injury.DiBernardo has recorded a team high six assists this season despite only playing in 11 games.“(DiBernardo) is going to make a big difference,” senior midfielder Lisa Nouanesengsy said. “We should never focus on one or two players, but knowing that she is going to be on the field can give us a heads up to watch out for her.”Alongside DiBernardo will be unanimously selected Big Ten Forward of the Year Jannelle Flaws, who has scored a conference high 20 goals this season.“We just need to account for her,” Berbary said. “She is very dynamic and dangerous. She is a goal scorer. There are forwards and there are goal-scoring forwards, and she’s in that category, and that’s very rare.”Berbary said it will be senior defender Lara Ross who will need to anchor the back line and make sure those two dynamic players are kept in check.In the first matchup, Flaws beat the Hoosier defense for a goal, but Ross said she is confident in the system the Hoosiers have in place.“We just need to keep an eye on them and stay tight,” Ross said. “We know how they both kind of play. We just need to keep our feet and keep the ball in front of us.”IU dominated Illinois 11-0 in terms of corner kicks taken in its 3-2 win earlier this year.Despite that, IU has struggled to convert on corner kick chances, only managing five scores off corners this year.“If we can do that again and not give them any corners that would be great,” Nouanesengsy said. “We’ve been working on trying to finish set pieces. Hopefully if we get that many tomorrow, we can finish those.”Rain is in the forecast, and the 8:30 p.m. matchup in Illinois will allow Illini students to get to the game, which means there could be an electric atmosphere.That, thrown on top of the opportunity to win their first Big Ten Tournament game since 1997, has the Hoosiers excited.“They are going to be fired up,” Ross said. “They were on the edge of getting into the tournament, so they have a lot to fight for just like we do. I know they’re going to be pumped up. But we’re ready to go.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/06/13 3:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>All season long, players and coaches have been saying the same thing.“We’re just taking it one game at a time. We’re treating this like it’s our last game.”It is one of the overused clichés in sports, but that mentality has been embraced by the IU women’s soccer team this season.“I think it was Lisa (Nouanesengsy) who said that she plays like every game is her last,” senior defender Lara Ross said. “I think that’s kind of the mentality that we have tried to foster with the whole ‘one game at a time’ thing because really that’s all you’re guaranteed.”Senior forward Lisa Nouanesengsy said she was on the bus when she came to the realization that it was her last season.She wanted to make sure she got the most out of her final year and did not graduate having let any opportunities slip by.“I realized this is my last year, and I don’t know why I didn’t think about it in my past years, but it really helped me,” Nouanesengsy said. “If we go into every game thinking like it’s our last game you’re ever going to play, then you should just leave everything on the field.”When IU takes the field against Illinois tonight at 5:30, the first round of this year’s Big Tournament, the “playing like this is our last game” mindset becomes reality.Only the Big Ten champions earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Every other team needs to wait to see if they’re given an at-large bid.Winning games in the Big Ten Tournament is the only way for IU to pad their RPI ranking in an attempt to secure a bid.One of the major obstacles facing IU is that not a single player on the Hoosiers roster has played in the postseason during their collegiate career.In response to that, IU Coach Amy Berbary put an added emphasis on the regular season games throughout the season to prepare her team for a game like tonight.“We’ve taken the focus of using (regular season games) as postseason play because our kids don’t have postseason experience,” Berbary said. “That’s something you can’t teach. We’ve been using these games as, ‘Oh, all right, this is our last game. Leave everything on the field.’”Berbary said treating every game as if it was the final game of the year has been key in preparation for a game like tonight’s where “like it’s our last” becomes the reality of the situation.The Hoosiers have no experience with postseason play to fall back on, which means tonight will be their first taste of what the Big Ten Tournament is like.“It’s unbelievably different,” Berbary said. “There is more pressure. There is a little bit more nervousness. But I think it could be the best thing that ever happened to us that we haven’t been in it.”The team’s “one game at a time” mindset has been its only real opportunity to counter its lack of postseason experience.“I think it definitely prepared us for the postseason,” Nouanesengsy said. “None of us have been to the postseason. It is a great attitude, and it helps us become more motivated and focused to play. By doing that all season long, I think it’s definitely going to help us.”When the Hoosiers take the field tonight, it will be the first time IU has been in the Big Ten Tournament since 2007.Ross said the excitement throughout the team to be playing in the first Big Ten Tournament since then, coupled with the future NCAA Tournament implications of winning, makes up for the lack of postseason experience.“I think our motivation for never having been there will combat it,” Ross said. “I know that we all don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but I know we all really want to get to the big dance. But we can only focus on one game at a time, and it’s just really exciting to be there.”Follow reporterSam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.