Women's soccer beats Butler on late goal

A late goal by freshman forward Orianica Velasquez-Herrera was all the No. 22 Hoosiers needed to ensure a 1-0 victory over Butler (3-5) on Wednesday night. The win pushed IU to 7-1 in non-conference play, the best start in the history of IU women’s soccer.

The Hoosiers controlled the majority of the game, dominating in time possession and shots on goal. They had multiple opportunities in the first half, including a shot by sophomore forward Carly Samp ricocheted off the right post, inches away from a goal.

“We had plenty of opportunities in the first half to score a couple goals,” IU women’s soccer coach Mick Lyon said. “Butler did a nice job defensively, and when you put 11 girls in the box, it’s tough to score goals.”

Finally, in the 79th minute, IU’s aggressive attack was too much for the Bulldogs to handle. Herrera took advantage of senior forward Liz Holby’s shot that was denied by Butler goalkeeper Jessica Schein and blasted the rebound in for her second goal of the year and the eventual game-winner.

“I think we played pretty well,”  Holby said. “We’re executing everything we learned in practice and really applying that in game situations.”

The defense would hold off a valiant comeback effort by Butler, as they sent everyone they had up the field. However, of the six shots by the Bulldogs, none of them were on-goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Lindsay Campbell did not have to make one save in the game.

“The good thing is we defended our set plays well, particularly in the end where they threw everything they had at us,” Lyon said.

Butler senior forward Molly Kruger, who had two goals to beat IU last year, was held shot less on Wednesday Night.

On Friday night, IU will finish its non-conference schedule at home against Green Bay (2-4).

“If we play up to our level right now, I mean we are playing like a top-25 team," Lyon said. "But, first whistle against Green Bay, we have to continue to play at that level. We don’t win (Friday) because of how we played against Butler.”