Late goals plague Hoosiers' weekend

Big Ten conference play kicked off this weekend for the No. 19 Hoosiers.

They allowed game-winning goals in the final 10 minutes against both Northwestern and Wisconsin to drop to 8-3 (0-2) on the season.

The Hoosiers had plenty of opportunities throughout the game against Northwestern but failed to get the ball into the net. IU outshot the Wildcats 4-1 in the first half.

IU coach Mick Lyon said his team played very good soccer but were caught off guard this weekend.

“We put ourselves in a position where we were frantically trying to come back from two goals,” he said. “But you really need to win these games when you score two goals on the road.”

Sophomore forward Carly Samp had a chance on a through ball, but she was flagged on a controversial offside call.

Northwestern senior forward Alicia Herczeg was on the receiving end of a free kick and put home a header that ended up the game-winning 1-0 goal.

The Hoosiers then traveled north to play Wisconsin on Sunday.

IU dominated the ball during the first half, outshooting the Badgers 9-1. However, the opportunities did not amount to any goals and left the game scoreless going into halftime.

Wisconsin sophomore forward Laurie Nosbusch went on a scoring frenzy in the second half.

She netted goals in both the 52nd and 72nd minutes. In the 79th minute, sophomore forward Carly Samp put in a goal of her own with a short-range blast from an assist by sophomore midfielder Devon Beach.

“The ball was being worked out wide, which is what we’ve been working on,” Beach said. “And Carly (Samp) sent in a great cross, and I knew we needed to get on the board, so I just stuck my head out and it found the back of the net.”

But, ultimately, Herczeg would chart the game’s final goal and lead Wisconsin to a 2-3 win.

“I thought we played very well the first half,” Lyon said. “But, as a whole, we were so focused on shutting down key players that it hurt us in the second half.”