Lyon achieves 200th career win as IU goes 2-0 during weekend

Thursday night’s rivalry match against Purdue proved to be one of history for IU women’s soccer.

It was the first time the Hoosiers tallied more than two goals against the Boilermakers since the two teams first met in 1999. It was the first time IU won against Purdue during IU Coach Mick Lyon’s tenure, with the only other IU victory occurring in that initial meeting.

To top it all off, it was Lyon’s 200th win of his career as a head coach.

“I think the best part about it was it was not just winning it, but the way we won it,” Lyon said. “It was very, very impressive, and to do that on the stage on national TV is great, and in front of a terrific crowd, as well.”

The Hoosiers scored for the first time less than 10 minutes into the first half. Sophomore midfielder Abby Smith knocked a ball into the back of the net from 14 yards out off an assist from junior midfielder Lisa Nouanesengsy.

The second two goals came from senior forward Orianica Velasquez within a six-minute span in the first half, the first off assists from both Nouanesengsy and junior forward Rebecca Candler.

Velasquez’s second goal came from a penalty kick.

“They were just on top of everything,” Lyon said.

Though no goals were scored in the second half, the Hoosiers maintained their lead and prevented the Boilermakers from having a chance to score.

“We just eliminated any threats, so it was comforting on the bench not thinking that they would score unless it would be by a fluke,” Lyon said.

He said the team’s performance in the match exemplified what he had emphasized throughout the last couple of games, which is to come out and control the game in its entirety.

Unlike matches against Illinois and Penn State in which the team played full-on for 70 or 80 minutes and didn’t pull through at the end, this time the players completely managed the game, he said.

“I think they’re getting a true understanding of what that means,” Lyon said. “It’s not just in the last five minutes keeping the ball in the corner to preserve a 1-0 win. It means managing the whole 90 minutes.”

This is a concept he said the team needed to carry into Sunday’s match against Michigan State, and Velasquez agreed, stressing the importance of continuing to play with force.

“I really wanted to beat Purdue, and I’m so glad that we played the way that we played,” she said. “I hope we can continue this, just getting results and doing well ... I hope we can take all the good things here and just bring them into Sunday.”

And carry the momentum into Sunday’s game they did, as the Hoosiers defeated Michigan State 2-1 on the road in double overtime.

The Spartans were the first to score. Michigan State’s Allyson Krause tapped the ball in off a corner kick in the first half.

Wind was a major factor throughout the game, Lyon said, especially during the first 45 minutes, when IU was against it.

Regardless, he said the team had quite a few decent attacks, but a clear scoring opportunity did not arise.

“We just kept emphasizing continuing to play with maximum confidence,” Lyon said. “A number of times we gave the ball away when we didn’t need to. In the second half, we took care of the ball.”

IU returned to the pitch strong and positive, exemplified when junior defender Lara Ross scored the equalizer for the Hoosiers off a corner kick.

At the end of regulation play, neither team had notched another goal, bringing them into overtime.

Again, the teams were unable to break the tie, leading to a second overtime.  
Lyon said it was clear which team had more energy and would come away with the result.

“We looked like we could keep running forever, and they looked like they were done, exhausted,” Lyon said. “We just had more legs than they did.”

The Hoosiers proved him correct when Smith came away with the game-ender, heading the ball into the goal off an assist from Candler and finalizing the victory.

“It’s a great week for IU women’s soccer,” Lyon said. “We thoroughly deserved both wins.”

The Hoosiers now have a 3-5 record in conference play with three Big Ten games left on the schedule.