IU womens soccer heads to Michigan State this weekend

After playing to a 1-1 draw in two overtimes against Michigan last night, the IU women’s soccer team will play Michigan State at noon on Sunday.\nThe Hoosiers got on the board first in the 24th minute as senior midfielder/forward Lindsay McCarthy blasted a shot into the Wolverine goal from 20 yards out. \nIU had its seven-game winning streak derailed with the draw, but still has a 10-game unbeaten streak going and an 8-1-2 record overall.\nAfter the Wolverines, the Hoosiers will be ready for another Michigan team, as they take on Michigan State on Sunday. The Hoosiers haven’t had two consecutive road games since the beginning of their season when they played two games in Florida against Florida and Jacksonville.\n“The atmosphere is a lot different,” sophomore forward Kristin Arnold said of playing on the road. “Especially this year, because we are so used to playing at home.”\n“I think it is (tougher to play on the road), but I also think we adjust to it very well,” McCarthy said.\nIU coach Mick Lyon said Michigan State will prove a tough opponent to play on the road, because they have a strong defense, but also have talented players who can score. \n“They play the same way every year,” Lyon said of Michigan State’s defense. “They play a 4-4-2, defending with a block of eight – four midfielders and four defenders. They try to make games into 1-0 affairs and low-scoring affairs, and they make it difficult to get multiple goals against them. Then they are looking to steal a goal here and there.”\nOn offense the Spartans are led by sophomore forward Lauren Hill and senior midfielder Maureen Pawlak, who have five and four goals respectively. \n“They’ve got two or three dangerous players that are creative,” Lyon said. “Lauren Hill ... leads them in points and is a dangerous player. She’s got a lot a little bit of quickness and speed and knows how to score.”\nHill leads MSU with 12 points on the season, while Pawlak is second with 11. Lyon said keeping the Spartans’ shot total down is a big goal for the Hoosiers this weekend. \n“We want to reduce that number,” Lyon said, “because I feel like at times we aren’t pressing close enough to the ball when they are 25-28 yards away, and when you get a player like Maureen Pawlak, she is looking to score when she is 25 yards away. I want our defense to get closer and put pressure on the ball so they don’t have that choice of shooting.”