Hoosiers unable to capitalize offensively in loss to Illini

Friday night, the IU women's soccer team returned to Bill Armstrong Stadium to try and snap a two game losing streak. Instead, the Hoosiers were unable to capitalize on their offensive chances, and allowed two long goals in a 3-1 defeat to Illinois. \nIllinois controlled much of the first half action, keeping the ball on the IU side of the field for most of the early going, and they broke through at the 14:32 mark, when the Illini controlled a kick off the foot of Hoosier sophomore goalkeeper Shaunna Daugherty. From there, the Illini had a two-on-one rush on goal that Colleen Joyce was able to score on.\n"That first goal, I'm the one to blame" Daugherty said. "It was a mental error."\nCoach Joe Kelley said the goal, along with another long goal scored in the 56th minute, was very disheartening. \n"We can't let that happen. Those are balls that should not be turning into goals" Kelley said.\nThe Illini added another goal by freshman midfielder Tara Hurless to put the game out of reach at 60:13.\nThe Hoosiers added a late goal when sophomore forward Shelly Gruszka beat Illinois keeper Sarah Anderson to the far post at 81:26. Gruszka's goal came after midfielder Emily Hotz played the ball into the area for Lisa Tecklenburg, who quickly found Gruszka for the score.\n"The score didn't show overall how we played today," Gruszka said. "We created opportunities, but it's important to capitalize and keep our composure. We need to stay confident," Gruszka said.\nSenior Kelly Kram, one of the team's captains was upset with the way the team played the Illini. "We need to refocus," Kram said. "We have to put these last three losses behind us. We can't talk about them. Instead we have to try and focus on winning our next three games to solidify our place in the Big Ten tournament."\nAlthough the Hoosiers lost 3-1, they did control much of the game's action, and outshot the Illini 14-12, forcing Anderson to make nine saves.\n"They definitely have some great offensive players," said Illinois head coach Tricia Taliaferro. \n"They created some real threats, and we were very lucky a few times. They are a very impressive team."\nKelley was unhappy the team lost, but was satisfied with its effort. \n"We tried. We just made some silly mistakes," he said.