Women's soccer struggle in Big Ten games

Women's soccer coach Joe Kelley saw his team play its best this weekend. But the best they could do still ended with two losses.\nThe Hoosiers dropped a pair of conference games at Bill Armstrong Stadium, 2-1 to Wisconsin Friday in double-overtime and 1-0 to Minnesota Sunday.\nKelley said he thought his team controlled every facet of both games, despite the losses.\n"Isn't that just the best thing about soccer," Kelley said with a sarcastic grin. "You could totally dominate somebody and just come out on the wrong end of it."\nSunday, the Gophers (6-6, 4-3), fresh off a 2-0 win at Purdue, jumped out early, grabbing the lead in the game's fifth minute.\nMinnesota freshman forward Rachael Roth crossed a ball from the right of freshman goalkeeper Shaunna Daugherty. The ball sailed past the far post where sophomore Gopher midfielder Kyndra Hesse flicked it back toward the goal where senior forward Laurie Seidl was waiting.\nSeidl headed the ball past Daugherty for her fourth goal of the season.\nFrom then on, Kelley said his team controlled the game.\n"We made a mistake five minutes into the game," Kelley said. "It wasn't a huge mistake, but they were right where they needed to be. And that's it. They don't threaten the rest of the game -- never. We were a much better team today. We did everything right."\nThe Gophers first five shots were on goal in the first half. But from there, Minnesota only had one shot on goal, a harmless cross, corralled by Daugherty.\nThe second half was controlled by the Hoosiers, who possessed the ball in the Gophers' end for the most of the half. Kelley said the Hoosiers (7-5-1, 1-5-1) had chances, but were only able to put three shots on goal in the second 45 minutes.\n"It's so annoying," said freshman midfielder Emily Hotz about the team's inability to score. "I don't know what's wrong. We just can't score. We beat them down, and we just can't put it in the net."\nHotz took a game-high six shots at junior Minnesota keeper Julie Eibensteiner, but was only able to put one on goal.\nThe Hoosiers took 11 shots in the second half, but they were not able to beat Eibensteiner, who had five saves in the shutout.\n"We were there, we were creating everything," freshman forward Shelly Gruszka said. "But we just couldn't put it through. Nothing was going our way."\nFriday night's game was just as rough.\nThe Hoosiers lost in a 2-1 double-overtime loss to Wisconsin.\nThe game was physical as the Hoosiers set a season high with 24 fouls. There were also five yellow cards issued with the Badgers recording three and the Hoosiers two as junior midfielder Kelly Kram and junior back Stacey Peterson picked up cautions during the 110-minute game.\nIU came out firing in the opening minutes of the game, scoring the game's first goal on its first shot.\nGruszka placed the ball just over the head of Badger goalie Kelly Conway in the eighth minute.\nWith a little under 10 minutes remaining, Wisconsin midfielder Jenny Kundert placed the ball past senior keeper Chrissy Heubi, sending the game into overtime.\nThe teams battled through the first overtime scoreless. Then, with 10 minutes remaining in the second overtime period, Badger back Natalie Roedler was awarded a free kick at the top of the IU box after Peterson took her down on a breakaway.\nRoedler bent a ball around the five-man IU wall and to Heubi's right, ending the game.\n"The defense worked really well tonight," freshman back Erin Hesselbach said. "It was just a couple breakthroughs. I think at the end everyone was just getting tired."\nThe two losses are crucial for the Hoosiers who now will have to win their way into the Big Ten tournament. At 1-5-1, the Hoosiers might have to win their final three conference games to make the tournament.\nWith all the disappointment, from an inability to finish as well as a rash of injuries, Kelley still thinks the Hoosiers can be a force in the remainder of the Big Ten season.\n"We're a very good team," Kelley said. "Obviously, the scores don't show, and our record doesn't show it ... this is a good team.\n"This is the best team that has played at IU. People might not think that, but it's true. And we'll show that to them"