Indiana women’s soccer looked to bounce back after Friday’s crushing last-second goal, which forced the Hoosiers to draw against Bellarmine. Instead, the Hoosiers found themselves facing another tough task with a road matchup against the reigning Big East champions, Xavier. Speed and attacking pressure are the name of the Musketeers' game, which proved to be too much for the Hoosiers on Wednesday as Xavier won 3-2.
Xavier came out firing, immediately putting the pressure on the Hoosiers’ backline. Indiana struggled to settle into the match. A loose ball in the sixth minute of the game got the Musketeers off and running. Peyton Kohls capitalized on the Hoosiers’ sloppy play to put Xavier up 1-0.
The Musketeer pressure didn’t stop there, constantly using their speed to catch Indiana’s backline off guard in transition. Despite the Hoosiers testing Xavier’s goalkeeper Taylor Thomas early, Indiana didn’t have much going. Grace Hamm had an opportunity off a free kick to tie the match, but it was unsuccessful as Thomas stood tall to preserve the Xavier lead. Indiana goalkeeper Dani Jacobson faced constant pressure at the beginning of the game as the Musketeer offense was peppering this Indiana defense with chances.
The Musketeers then doubled their lead in the 16th minute as Brooklyn O’Brien took advantage of another Indiana defensive mistake. The Musketeers continued to win the loose balls and possession, forcing the Hoosiers' defense to play a lot in their lower third, despite the Hoosiers being able to create some chances and outshooting Xavier at this point of the first half.
The Hoosiers then began to settle down defensively after the opening 20 minutes, but the Indiana offense still struggled to generate offensive momentum. Maggie Ledwith had a chance to get Indiana on the board, but once again the Xavier backline stepped up. The frustration continued to build for the Hoosiers, with head coach Josh Rife receiving a yellow card late in the opening half. Indiana went into halftime trailing 2-0. The Xavier speed and relentless attack proved to be way too much for the Hoosiers in the first half.
Xavier picked up right where they left off to start the second half as they continued to apply pressure and force Indiana to play on their side of the pitch. Ledwith had another opportunity early in the second half to get the Hoosiers on the board. Thomas and the Musketeers' backline once again prevented the Hoosiers from cutting into their lead.
The Musketeers weren’t done there as they added their third goal in the 55th minute when Sarah Parker headed home a cross from Kohls. Kohls was all over this match for the Musketeers, as she continued to cause problems for Indiana with her playmaking ability. The goal expanded the Xavier lead to 3-0 as the Hoosiers didn’t have an answer for this Musketeer attack with time beginning to run out.
Indiana continued to battle despite the struggle offensively to create chances. The Musketeer defense continued to remain organized and limit the Hoosiers from having chances. Xavier’s speed made it really difficult for Indiana to build up any sustainable momentum.
As the second half progressed, the Hoosiers were able to find themselves more space and a goal to break through on this tough veteran backline. Amaya Falzarano used her speed to create an opportunity and set up Ledwith on the doorstep. Ledwith was able to finish and cut the lead to 3-1. The goal gave the Hoosiers some much-needed momentum. With just 25 seconds remaining, Kennedy Neighbors found the back of the net to bring the Hoosiers within one. Suddenly, it looked like the Hoosiers had found a little life after trailing by three goals.
The Indiana comeback attempt ultimately fell short, as the Musketeers held on for the 3-2 victory. The Hoosiers showed a lot of fight in the second half, but Xavier’s ability to control possession and consistently keep the Hoosiers from finding momentum proved to be the difference. The Musketeers' speed proved to be one of the biggest differences throughout the match. Indiana didn’t have the speed to keep up with the reigning Big East champions.
The Hoosiers will look to rebound and find themselves back in the win column Sunday when Indiana returns home against Saint Louis.
