IU splits weekend matches, falls to defending champions

IU converted an opportunity early, taking a 1-0 lead against defending national champion Notre Dame in the 12th minute Sunday, but the Irish responded with four unanswered goals to earn a 4-1 win. Three came in the first half.

Senior midfielder Devon Beach said the Irish’s goals were due to small errors.
“We continued to play how we were playing,” Beach said. “We try to minimize the amount of mistakes we made. The goals they did score in the first half weren’t because of them creating offense. It was us making minor mistakes. Cutting down on those mistakes cut down their chances.”

In two of the team’s three games prior to Sunday, IU’s opponents scored first. Not this day, as senior forward Carly Samp scored early to give IU the early 1-0 lead. She said the goal encouraged her teammates.

“We’re always expecting to get on the scoreboard first,” she said. “Scoring first against Notre Dame gave us a lot of energy. It was really important.”

The Irish attempted 34 shots, nine of which were on goal. Senior goalkeeper Lindsay Campbell recorded five saves and was named goalkeeper of the tournament.

Campbell’s saves have come at crucial times, Beach said.

“She has been playing well this whole season,” Beach said. “She’s gained so much confidence. The saves that she’s making have kept us in games. I feel so comfortable with her back there. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Friday against Western Michigan, the Broncos scored in the fifth minute to quickly build to a 1-0 lead. The Hoosiers responded 16 minutes later with a barrage of goals, scoring three in a span of 5:07. Freshman midfielder Abby Smith scored unassisted in the 21st minute. Approximately four and a half minutes later, Samp scored off a pass
from Beach.

Following Samp’s goal, 35 seconds elapsed before junior forward Orianica Velasquez gave the Hoosiers a 3-1 lead.

“We did not get off to the best start, but give the players credit,” IU Coach Mick Lyon said. “We were able to regroup and put together a couple very exciting minutes of soccer and were rewarded with three very good goals.”

Redshirt freshman midfielder Monica Melink added a fourth goal, her first at the college level, in the 51st minute.

In goal, Campbell earned her 15th career win, tying her for fifth in IU history.

Despite the split, Lyon said his team will benefit from this tournament.

“We learn from each game,” he said. “We are a much better team after playing in this event this weekend.”

Beach agreed that the team played better than the score indicated.

“The high caliber of competition showed us that we can play our game whether they’re a ranked team,” she said. “We play the same way every time. The score doesn’t reflect how we played.”