Indiana women’s soccer fell 2-0 to No. 5 Michigan State on Friday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Indiana struggled to generate consistent offense against one of the nation’s top teams, while the Spartans controlled possession for the majority of the match. Despite a resilient effort from Indiana netminder Dani Jacobson and the Hoosiers’ backline, the Spartans capitalized on two opportunities to secure the win in Bloomington.
The Spartans started the game aggressively, as they controlled possession and kept the ball on the Indiana side of the pitch. Indiana struggled to move the ball forward as the Spartan attack had constant pressure. The Spartans generated multiple corner kick opportunities in the beginning stages of the match. These chances forced the Indiana defense to remain organized early, clearing any dangerous opportunities away from there net.
Jacobson played a significant role in keeping the Hoosiers in the match during the first half. Bella Najera nearly opened the scoring for the Spartans, but her attempt hit the right post after the shot beat Jacobson. Emerson Sargeant followed that opportunity with a chance of her own as her shot hit the left post. Even with a number of shots hitting the iron the Hoosier defense stood its ground in the first half. The Spartans recorded seven corner kicks within the first 22 minutes of the match, yet the Indiana backfield kept the score even.
Following the match, Indiana head coach Josh Rife praised the team’s defensive performance and talked about the key contributors tonight. Rife highlighted the importance of having Oliva Albert back and recognized the work of the freshman on the team who stepped up Friday against a top-10 opponent.
Rife also highlighted the performance of Blair Satterfield for the work that she has been put in during the season, he also made a point to Jacobson’s first half saves as a key part of Indiana’s defensive performance.
“First half, Dani came up with some really big saves as well,” Rife said. “I think that’s a group that today really, really stepped up, and I thought we did a lot of good things for us.”
The Hoosiers eventually found an opportunity when Emily Graham found herself one-on-one with Spartan goalkeeper Noelle Henning. The Michigan State defense recovered before Indiana could capitalize. The Spartans eventually broke through when Sargeant scored to give Michigan State a 1-0 lead.
The Hoosiers looked to respond quickly but Emam Ehret sent an attempt over the crossbar off the feed from Grace Hamm. Kennedy Neighbors had a chance of her own to tie the match but her attempt went wide right. The Spartans entered halftime with a one-goal lead after controlling much of possession and creating a ton of scoring chances.
Indiana came out of the break looking for the equalizer but the Spartans continued to apply early pressure in the second half. Indiana started to find momentum as they put additional pressure on the Michigan State defense. The Hoosiers thought they found the game-tying goal when Jenna Chatterton snuck one past Henning, but the goal was overturned following a foul during the play. The review kept The Spartans in front as their lead remained 1-0.
Michigan State nearly doubled their advantage when LJ Percy struck the left post. Jacobson continued to make key stops to keep the Spartan lead from doubling on multiple attempts.
However despite Jacobson’s best efforts Michigan State found the back of the net once again. Renee Watson capitalized on the Indiana turnover finding the bottom corner of the net, which extended the Spartans lead to 2-0. Michigan State maintained control for the rest of the match to secure the 2-0 victory. The Spartans used their speed and defensive organization to beat Indiana, while the Hoosiers limited the Michigan State attack to two goals despite the inability to find consistent pressure and the struggle on offense.
Indiana will look to regroup on Thursday against rival Purdue at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
