Hoosiers fall short against Ohio State

IU head coach Mick Lyon said he cannot ask much more from his team.\nPlaying on the road and in the rain, IU (5-7-1, 1-4 Big Ten) out-shot its opponent and scored two goals, but it was not enough for the Hoosiers to overcome Ohio State (5-5-2, 2-3 Big Ten). The Hoosiers lost 3-2 Friday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.\nOhio State scored the game's first goal and took a 1-0 advantage into halftime. The Hoosiers started the scoring in the second half when senior midfielder Kristen Zmijewski's shot deflected off a defender's leg and into the goal to tie the game. After the Buckeyes took the lead again, IU scored off of a corner kick to tie the game at 2-2. With 10 minutes remaining in the game, the score was still tied. One minute later, Ohio State scored. This time, IU did not have a response. The final nine minutes ticked away without another goal, giving Ohio State the victory. \nAfter the game Lyon noticed some of his players' faces were wet not just with rain, but tears as well. \n"I really felt for them," he said. "It is disheartening to lose a game that we played so well, but we won't dwell on it. We need to keep working and build upon this game."\nSenior defender Courtney O'Bryan, who scored her first goal of the season Friday, felt the Hoosiers dominated the game and should have come away with a win.\n"We played one of the best games we've played this season," she said. "It is frustrating to know that we go out on the field and are a better team than our opposition and still come away with a loss."\nZmijewski, the team's captain, has been a leader for the Hoosiers all season and leads the team in goals with four and points with 10. And Friday, she did everything she could to try and lead IU to a victory, scoring one goal and setting up O'Bryan for another. But for Zmijewski, playing a good game is not enough; she wants to win.\n"It was really upsetting," she said. "We came out with so much intensity and played so well. To have so many opportunities and in the end fall short, it really kills you."\nWith a 1-4 conference record, the Hoosiers are in eighth place in the Big Ten. Only the top eight teams make it to the Big Ten tournament, and if the season ended today, the Hoosiers would have to face the top-seeded team in the tournament. With five Big Ten games remaining for the Hoosiers, O'Bryan said they have a good chance to improve their conference standing. \n"The next five games are definitely winnable games," she said. "We don't want to be the eighth seed and have to play the top team. We need to get results out of the next five games."\nThe Hoosiers will be on the road again next weekend, traveling to Northwestern and Wisconsin. Both the Wildcats and Badgers are winless in Big Ten play.