Hoosiers look to boost conference record in weekend matches

Two games for the IU women’s soccer team this weekend will provide two opportunities to add wins to its 1-5 conference record.

The Hoosiers face in-state rival Purdue at 8 p.m. Thursday in Bill Armstrong Stadium, followed by a trip to Michigan State for a Sunday afternoon match.  

IU Coach Mick Lyon said his team is drawing inspiration from its match against Penn State on Sunday, in which the Hoosiers lost in last-minute goals after battling evenly through 70 minutes of play. He said this match left the team confident going into Thursday’s rivalry game against Purdue.  

“We’re going to bring the same attitude, intensity and desire to win into Thursday’s game,” Lyon said. “We play hard, we work hard, we win the game. That’s the way we’re going into it.”

Last year, the Boilermakers served the Hoosiers an 8-2 loss, but this time around, IU plans to get revenge as well as a victory, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sarah Stone said.

“I’m just excited to play Purdue,” she said. “I’ve never obviously stepped foot on the field against Purdue, and with the rivalry, I’m really excited to be able to play against them.”

IU suffered a loss against Michigan State last year as well, but Stone said the team has improved significantly this year in terms of cohesion and motivation and now has a competitive edge.

Lyon also said the team plans to maintain a similar attitude going into the game against the Spartans as they will have in the match against the Boilermakers. Essentially, individual and group confidence are key, he said.

“It’ll be the same going into Michigan State,” Lyon said. “They’ve got a nice little team, but we’re feeling very confident about the way we play.”

Senior defender Molly Buynak said the team needs to bring energy into each match, but the important thing will be carrying that energy through until the end.

“We just need to finish the game,” she said. “The last 20 minutes the last couple games we let some goals in, so we just need to go the whole 90 minutes.”

Despite a current losing record in conference play, Buynak said she thinks her team is up to par with any other Big Ten team it has faced or will face.    

“We’ve definitely competed, and I think we’re right in it,” Buynak said. “The last four or five games are going to be a true test to see if we can finish the season and get in the Big Ten tournament.”