Women's soccer team remains hopeful for upcoming games

The women's soccer team enjoys pressure. The Hoosiers like to put it on their opponents, and they like to put it on themselves.\nIU started 5-0 going into the Big Ten regular season, but the bottom fell out of their undefeated run as they lost their first three Big Ten games, including the first two at home. During the pre-conference schedule, IU had allowed only one goal. \nIn the Big Ten, the Hoosiers have allowed nine goals in four games. The offense has followed suit with the defense. When freshman forward Shelly Gruszka scored a goal Sunday, it was the team's first in 333 minutes. \nIU isn't the healthiest team in the conference either. IU has had seven players on the disabled list. Sophomore midfielder Lisa Tecklenburg and sophomore forward Jessie Rabin are out for the season.\n"We got away from that aggressiveness that we had the first nine games," coach Joe Kelley said after Sunday's game. "We didn't particularly play well but that's Big Ten soccer. Big Ten soccer is not pretty. We were the ones that dictated play today and that's what we have to continue to do. There's no reason we can't do that."\nIU got back on track, coming from behind for a dramatic win Sunday against Ohio State. The Hoosiers scored several goals in the final 10 minutes of play to defeat the Buckeyes 3-2.\n"That's just great to come back after losing to Penn State and just show people that we can really play and really do this," Gruszka said. "I don't think we surprised ourselves. We just finally knew it would finally happen."\nNow that IU is back to their winning ways, the Hoosiers are looking for a fresh start to the Big Ten season.\n"Losing the last three games, we knew that we had to step it up right here and this was the time to start anew," Gruszka said. "We're starting over, and this is a fresh starting point. We're going to move forward."\nFrustrations mounted during the three-game losing streak. The team went back to the drawing board to work out a winning plan.\n"We were all just fed up with losing, knowing that we should win," freshman back Carly Everett said. "Fighting in practice, fighting in every game and losing, we were just like, 'This is it. We're not going to lose anymore.'"\nEverett's said the loss to Penn State inspired the team to push harder.\n"If anything, it gave us another boost," she said. "It was kind of embarrassing. We never should have lost by that score, but if anything we were like, 'That's it. This is our time to shine.'"\nThe Hoosiers could get back on the winning track when they compete against three Big Ten teams at Bill Armstrong Stadium in early October. Playing at home could give the team the advantage needed to get back to the top of the conference.\n"I think in their minds that they are still contenders," Kelley said. "It would have been hard if that doubt was there, and you're 0-3, how can it not be(there). I still think we're contenders. (If) we win all the rest of the Big Ten games, which we're very capable of doing, anything can happen"