Women's soccer to play two home games this weekend

After a weekend road trip, IU women’s soccer returns home undefeated (3-0-1) to host Eastern Michigan at 6 p.m. Friday and Eastern Kentucky at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Eastern Michigan is coming off back-to-back overtime losses against Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan.

Eastern Michigan’s success against other Big Ten schools has caught the attention of senior midfielder Lisa Nouanesengsy, she said.

“They are a pretty good team,” Nouanesengsy said. “They played Ohio State and Michigan in overtime, and Michigan and Ohio State are good teams. I’m expecting them to bring their A-Game on Friday. They are probably a lot like Big Ten teams that we will be playing later in the season.”

IU Coach Amy Berbary said she believes the Eagles will test the Hoosiers.

“They are going to be very dangerous,” Berbary said. “Eastern Michigan is one of the best teams in the MAC. They fight for an NCAA tournament every year. They have taken Michigan and Ohio State to overtime, so we just need to be prepared mentally to go the full 90 minutes.”

Eastern Michigan is expected to play a very similar system to that of Loyola, a team IU tied last Sunday 0-0, which might cause problems for the Hoosiers.

“They play similar to Loyola, and that was challenging for us,” Nouanesengsy said. “I think it is going to be another challenge on Friday. We just need to finish our chances and come out more focused.”

Senior midfielder Becca Zambon said she is trying to focus on following the coaching game plan.

“I think if we just relax and play our game and work on our style of play, we will do really well,” Zambon said. “We are both strong teams, and I think whoever wants it more in the end is going to get it.”

IU will play Eastern Kentucky Sunday afternoon. The Colonels have struggled early in the season as they have introduced a new coaching staff.

Entering Friday, the Colonels carry an 0-4 record and have been outscored by opponents 16-2. Berbary said it is important for her team to not overlook Eastern Kentucky’s early struggles.

“We have to make sure we stick with our mentality of ‘one game at a time,’” Berbary said. “It always scares me to play a team that hasn’t won a game yet because they are always looking for that first win. Depending on what the result is Friday, they are going to be hungry for a win.”

Zambon is also paying close attention to the Colonels.

“You can overlook it,” Zambon said. “But the main focus is to just play our game and not worry about how they are coming out. We just need to come out strong.”

One of the keys for IU this weekend will be taking advantage of scoring opportunities. The Hoosiers failed to convert a goal in their last game despite 20 shots, which Berbary is using as a teaching tool.

“A soccer game can go any way,” Berbary said. “One of our major focuses this week is just finishing.”

IU enters the weekend without a loss.

“I think that we obviously want to see two wins this weekend,” Nouanesengsy said. “We need to keep doing what we are doing. We have been doing good and playing good defense. We just need to finish our chances.”

Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.