Women’s soccer wins two straight
The University of Indianapolis women’s soccer team wrapped up an undefeated road trip weekend in Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Oct. 6, defeating the University of Illinois Springfield PrairieStars 2-1.
Above: Junior back Tracie Meyer chases after a Quincy Hawks’ player with the ball. UIndy and Quincy tied after playing two overtimes on Sept. 29.
In the first half, it took the Greyhounds until the 32:36 mark to find the first goal of the game. The goal came from senior midfielder Kaitlyn Braunig, who scored off an assist from freshman forward Jocelyn Evans. The goal was the only one scored in the first half, which sent the Greyhounds into halftime with a 1-0 advantage.
In the second half, neither team scored for quite some time until the 80:04 mark, when the Greyhounds successfully made another goal. The goal was scored by Braunig, who added her second of the day and third overall for the season. Braunig’s goal extended the Greyhounds’ lead, putting them further ahead 2-0.
The PrairieStars did not go out quietly, however, as they answered with a goal of their own nearly eight minutes later at the 87:42 mark. The goal came from junior forward Kim Tokarski off assists from senior defender/midfielder Emily DeLong and senior defender Rachel Neudahl. The goal by the PrairieStars was not enough to get them back in the game, however, as the Greyhounds were able to hold on to their lead for the victory.
During the match, the Greyhounds edged out the PrairieStars in total shots attempted, posting 12 compared to their 10. The Greyhounds had nine shots on target, while just three were off. Braunig statistically led the Hounds with three shots, all on goal, with two successfully hitting the inside of the net.
Freshman goalkeeper Whitney Whitehouse claimed the victory in goal for the Greyhounds, making five saves in the match and allowing just one goal. The start was the first collegiate one for Whitehouse.
Earlier in the weekend, the Hounds added another victory to the win column on Oct. 4, defeating the University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 1-0.
After two complete halves of play, neither team successfully found a goal, which forced overtime. Nearly three minutes into the overtime period, the Greyhounds secured the victory at the 92:58 mark with a goal by Evans. The first goal of the year by Evans ended the game, giving the Hounds the win 1-0.
The Greyhounds were outshot in the match by the Screaming Eagles 17-10, but USI had just seven on target. Those seven shots were saved by junior goalkeeper Megan Fee, who took the victory for the Greyhounds in goal. Statistically, UIndy was led in shots by three different Greyhounds, who each finished with two apiece.
The Greyhounds played against the top-25 ranked Quincy University Hawks on Saturday Sept. 29, and held the Hawks to a scoreless tie. The Greyhounds were the first GLVC team to keep the Hawks from scoring in a game this season.
Both teams battled back and forth for possession of the ball throughout the match, which resulted in a score of 0-0 at the end of regulation. The score remained the same following two overtimes, leading to the tie.
Head Women’s Soccer Coach Kiley Cirillo said that there was no easy way to keep a positive drive into two overtimes, but the Greyhounds did find a way to keep the game scoreless.
“You show a little bit of grit and dig deep. There is no real magic potion for that. You just grind it out,” Cirillo said.
The Greyhounds were held to five shots, while the Hawks had 17 for the match. Fee saved ten shots in goal.
“All of the shots to her [Fee] were right to her and low on the ground, which makes it predictable. But our back line did a great job holding them back from scoring,” Cirillo said. “Our midfield had a fantastic day. We’re just still looking for that missing piece that puts the ball in the back of the net.”
UIndy’s tie with Quincy was an improvement after a 2-0 loss to the top-25 ranked Truman State University Bulldogs on Sept. 27. The Greyhounds kept the Bulldogs from scoring for the first half, causing both teams to go into halftime scoreless.
It was not until the 71st minute of the game that the Bulldogs scored on a penalty kick and then nearly eight minutes later added another point.
“We played a great first 45 minutes, and then it went out from there. We had a red card—so we’re down a man and a penalty kick—which is almost always a guaranteed goal. Overall, going 0-1-1 against two top-ranked teams is pretty successful,” Cirillo said.
Sophomore midfielder/forward Taylor Cotherman had one of the eight shots against the Bulldogs during the match and is currently leading the team in shots, with 20 total and three goals thus far.
To keep driving down the field for a goal, Cotherman said, takes a lot of motivation.
“It comes from an inner desire to win. You just have to keep pushing and keep working the hardest,” Cotherman said.
With the final regular season match coming at the end of this month, Cirillo said that the Greyhounds will continue to work and improve to make sure that match is not their last.
“We want to get into the tournament and have a whole new season. But right now, we’re taking it one game at a time,” Cirillo said. “The ultimate goal is to go 2-0 each weekend, but 1-0 each day.”
The Greyhounds will return to Key Stadium tonight as they will be taking on the Grand Valley State University Lakers at 6:30 p.m.
