It took 88 minutes for the lid to come off the goal in Lincoln on Thursday night, but with 1:54 remaining in the game, junior midfielder Maggie Ledwith capitalized on a breakaway opportunity, giving the Hoosiers the lone goal in their 1-0 win over Nebraska. This moves them to 4-2-1 for the season, as they pick up their second win in a row and start conference play with a win.
The game started out rough for the visiting Hoosiers, as Nebraska was in control of the game for the first 20 minutes. The Cornhuskers were awarded three corner kicks in this segment, something they led the Big Ten in last year, but weren’t able to capitalize. After not playing in the second half of Sunday’s game at Ohio, Dani Jacobson was back starting at goalkeeper and had her best game yet. Along with some help from her backline, the Indiana defense was able to contain a potent Nebraska offense despite their commanding possession early in the half.
The Hoosier offense was finally able to gain some momentum later in the first half, with a long attempt from Grace Hamm, followed by a strong offensive possession resulting in a saved shot from Emma Ehret. The Hoosiers had one last opportunity late in the first half, with a collision between Piper Coffield and Nebraska goalkeeper Avery Gillahan. However, the call did not go the Hoosiers’ way, and the game went into half tied at zero.
The first half did not lack physicality from either side, as there was a total of 14 fouls, each team responsible for seven. Additionally, Huskers junior forward Ava Makovicka was issued a yellow card 17 minutes into the match. Because of this, it was difficult for either team to get into a rhythm offensively, leading to the scoreless half.
The second half nearly opened up with some fireworks for the Hoosiers, as Ledwith nearly converted from outside of the box after just two minutes. The attempt came from nearly 25 yards out, and was a beautiful kick, hitting the top crossbar and deflecting behind the goal. This would’ve been the third goal of the year for Ledwith, and her eighth as a Hoosier.
After the energetic start to the second half, the game fell back into a defensive struggle, similar to the first half. However, with just eight minutes remaining, Nebraska provided a scare for the visiting Hoosiers, as senior forward Nathalie Lewis found herself with a shot from inside the box. However, Jacobson came up with a nice save, and Lewis was ruled offsides, so the game remained tied with six minutes left.
With just three minutes left, Nebraska earned one last shot to come up with a win, with a free kick from just outside of the box. With the game on the line, the Indiana backline was able to come up with a clutch stop, as senior Kennedy Neighbors was able to clear the ball out. This led to a counterattack from Indiana. Hamm led the break and found Ledwith on the left wing, just outside of the box. Then, Ledwith was able to capitalize, with a nifty move on the Nebraska defender, and a bending kick into the bottom left corner of the goal to give the Hoosiers a 1-0 lead with less than two minutes remaining. Following this, the defense was able to hold off a desperation push from Nebraska and leave Lincoln with a win.
Indiana returns home on Sunday, as they will face the 5-0-1 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes picked up an early conference win Thursday night as well, as they defeated Penn State 1-0 in Columbus.
Indiana defeats Ohio 3-2
