Indiana women’s soccer continued their opening week slate with a 3-1 win over Youngstown State at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers entered the match after an opening day win on Wednesday over Hampton.
The Hoosiers controlled the pace of play right from the opening whistle. Indiana immediately put the pressure on the Penguins, controlling most of the possession as the majority of the action was on Youngstown's defensive third. Goalkeeper Dani Jacobson didn’t see that much first half action, as an aggressive Indiana defense did an excellent job putting pressure on the Penguins’ offense every time they crossed midfield.
For the second straight game, Kennedy Neighbors got the Hoosiers off and running, with an impressive header. Maggie Ledwith delivered a great pass that set up Neighbors on the doorstep with the game's first strike. The play was reviewed for offside but the call on the field was upheld and the score was 1-0 Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers' strong start was a reflection of the mentality they brought into the match, especially on their home pitch. After scoring being able to find the net in back to back games, Neighbors underlined the importance of starting strong and protecting Bill Armstrong Stadium.
“We want to out-work, out-think the other team and out-fight them, and I think that's how we came into the game today,” Neighbors said. “Just very confident in protecting our home turf was the biggest thing. So I think that's our big thing. This year is, especially whenever we're at the Bill to protect it.”
After allowing the early goal, the Penguins defense then settled into the game with goalkeeper Kendall Sears making a number of saves to keep Youngstown State in striking distance. Indiana continued their dominance throughout the first half, as the Hoosiers were able to earn themselves eight corner kicks. The Hoosiers were unable to capitalize on their opportunities, failing to score on all eight corners in the first half.
Indiana entered the half with a 1-0 lead. Youngstown rarely crossed the midfield as the Hoosiers’ defense did an excellent job controlling the midfield and limited the Penguins’ time at the Indiana side of the field.
Indiana didn’t waste much time before they found the scoreboard in the second half. Just three minutes after the break, Aleyna Quinn scored a magnificent header off the feed from Neighbors to make it 2-0 Hoosiers.
After that goal the Penguins’ played with more urgency which led them to find the back of the net. Ghita Haouzi cut the Indiana lead in half with her first career goal. The Penguins’ push didn’t last long as Indiana regained the momentum by pushing the play to the Youngstown lower third.
The Hoosiers had several opportunities to extend their lead throughout the second half including a Piper Coffield penalty kick with just 18 minutes remaining in the game. Coffield's attempt was pushed wide left keeping the match at 2-1. In the 73rd minute the Hoosiers finally added some insurance off the foot of Maggie Ledwith. She snuck one through Sears’ five hole to restore Indiana’s two-goal lead.
The Hoosiers continued to pressure the Youngstown backline forcing 14 corners throughout the match. As the Indiana defense continued to make sure that Jacobson didn’t face many shots in the second half.
Despite the Hoosiers’ 3-1 win over Youngstown, Indiana head coach Josh Rife knows his team will have to be more efficient with the scoring opportunities that they have, especially on the set pieces.
“We talk about, like, earning corners is a really important thing. Because it means you're probably in good spots,” Rife said. “If we could improve in another area, it's like, how do we take those chances that teams are knocking out for corners? How can we turn that into actually us just serving a ball and scoring from a run of play?”
The Hoosiers had created a ton of offensive chances but making those opportunities into results will be critical for Rife and his team as their non conference schedule continues.
The Hoosiers will look to build on their 2-0 start on Friday vs Bellarmine at 8 p.m.
