Indiana women’s soccer returns home to Bill Armstrong Stadium on Friday night as they take on the No. 5 Michigan State Spartans as they continue the Big Ten slate. The Hoosiers will look to build confidence from their latest performance vs. USC as they look to earn a huge result against one of the nation’s best squads.
Indiana enters the match with an overall record of 4-8-2 and a Big Ten record of 1-6-1. The Hoosiers have continued to struggle to find consistency during conference play. Indiana lost several matches in a row before drawing against USC on Sunday. The Hoosiers will now return to their home pitch and look to turn that performance into consistent momentum.
The Hoosiers started their West Coast trip with a 5-0 loss to UCLA on Oct. 8. The Bruins controlled the pace of play throughout the duration of the match. UCLA scored one goal in the first half but didn’t stop their scoring, adding four goals in the second half. Dani Jacobson stopped nine Bruins attempts, which was a career high for her. Indiana struggled to find much offense throughout the match.
However, Indiana showed signs of improvement in their 2-2 draw vs. the USC Trojans. The Hoosiers faced a two-goal deficit going into halftime and clawed back to force a much-needed draw after six straight losses. This result gives Indiana some momentum heading into Friday’s match. The Hoosiers will need to find more consistent play if they want to keep up with Michigan State.
One of the biggest keys for the Hoosiers entering Friday’s match will be their defensive performance. Goalkeeper Dani Jacobson has faced a ton of pressure in the Hoosiers’ recent stretch of matches. The Indiana backline will need to limit the majority of dangerous opportunities that the Spartans have, so defensive organization will be a big part of the game for the Hoosiers. Their backline needs to keep defensively sound for a full 90 minutes if they can withstand the Spartan attack.
The Michigan State Spartans enter the match with an overall record of 10-2-2 and a 5-2 record in Big Ten play. Michigan State has been a really impressive team to watch this season, as they have won matches against No. 1 North Carolina, No. 11 UCLA and No. 14 Washington. The Spartans handed North Carolina the only loss they have this season in a 3-2 match in late August.
Despite the strong season so far, the Spartans are coming off a 2-1 loss to No. 20 Purdue on Sunday. This loss ended a four-game winning streak for the Spartans, as they rallied off wins vs. Nebraska, Washington, Illinois and Minnesota. Michigan State will enter the match on Friday looking for a response to Sunday’s loss.
For the Hoosiers, the ability to find consistent offense will be key in this match. Indiana will need to control the pace of play vs. this high-flying Michigan State attack. Keeping the ball out of their side of the pitch is equally as important; this will limit the amount of dangerous chances that head toward Jacobson. Indiana will look to build on their draw against USC to get back in the win column vs. the Spartans.
The Hoosiers and the Spartans are set to kick off Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Hoosiers end losing streak, tie Trojans 2-2
