IU has Carolina on its mind in weekend set

Offense wins games, and defense wins championships, according to an old coaching cliche.\nThis saying applied to the IU women's soccer team last weekend when it won two games on three goals by senior forward Carrie DeFreece and its defense shut out Northern Arizona University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to earn IU the Old National Bank Hoosier Classic Championship.\nThe Hoosiers (3-2-1) hope to improve on their three-game winning streak this weekend as they travel to North Carolina to take on the University of North Carolina-Charlotte Friday and UNC-Greensboro Sunday. The Carolina matches will be their last two matches before conference play begins.\n"I think we're excited about the wins we've had in a row and looking forward to getting a couple more this weekend," DeFreece said.\nIn the games against Northern Arizona and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the offense and defense worked together well, as the defense got involved with the offense. Two of DeFreece's goals over the weekend were assisted by IU defenders, junior Jenna Babcock and senior Lauren Lamping.\n"We've got to get those defenders into the offense to help support so we can get second balls so when they clear it, we're going to win the ball back," IU coach Mick Lyon said about the relationship between the offense and the defense. "And that's, most of the time, a Lamping or a (freshman Jessica) Boots coming forward."\nAll four defensive starters were honored with All-Tournament spots at the Hoosier Classic, and the offensive and defensive MVP went to IU players DeFreece and junior goaltender Stacey Van Boxmeer respectively. In addition to offensive MVP, the Big Ten named DeFreece offensive player of the week earlier this week.\n"I wasn't expecting to get that," DeFreece said, "but I'm very honored."\nThe two shutouts from the Hoosier Classic, along with a shutout against Texas Tech University the previous weekend, have given IU three straight shutouts. It has been 360 minutes and 17 seconds since the Hoosiers allowed their last goal, which was against Baylor University Sept. 1, the third longest shutout streak in the history of the IU women's soccer program. \n"I think we're pretty confident, although we're not getting over-confident by any means," Lamping said. "It's just two games, so we have a long season to go."\nShould the Hoosiers go six minutes and 22 seconds without allowing a goal in the game against Charlotte, they would pass the 2003 Hoosier team for the second-longest streak. Nabbing that record would require quite a bit more. In October 1993, IU went an amazing 808 minutes and 34 seconds without allowing a goal. The current Hoosier team would have to shut out its next five opponents to reach that mark.\nTo have success on the weekend, Lyon said the Hoosiers will need their defense to step up like it has the last three games. The Charlotte 49ers (3-2-1) feature sisters Hailey Beam and Lindsey Beam Ozimek, who together have four of the nine 49ers goals this season.\n"Charlotte's bubbling with a new coach," Lyon said. "John Lypsitz's a nice, good coach. They got a couple of really nice players and have had up and down results. ... They've certainly got some talented players. The Beam sisters are both talented players, but I think we will match up well with them because they have quite a lot of youth on that team."\nGreensboro brings a 1-6 record into the weekend, but three of those losses have come on the road to ranked opponents -- UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Tennessee and Wake Forest University. Lyon said the key to IU's success for this game lies in stopping forward/midfielder Carolin Feierabend.\n"If we shut her down," Lyon said, "and the things that she does well -- which is she's got a great left foot and she's good in the air -- we shut those down and we should have a good day"