With four games remaining in the schedule, the IU women’s soccer team has been eliminated from finishing between first and fifth in the conference.
What they can do is finish either sixth, seventh or eighth and steal one of the Big Ten Tournament spots.
With IU (5-9-1, 1-7-1) currently sitting eight points behind Illinois for the eighth spot, IU Coach Amy Berbary said the only way to get into the tournament is to win.
“It has to happen Friday,” Berbary said. “That’s the way we put it.”
The Hoosiers will play Iowa at 8 p.m. Friday in Iowa City, Iowa, before traveling to Lincoln, Neb., on Sunday for a 1 p.m. game against the Cornhuskers.
Being 5-9-1 is something Berbary said she isn’t used to. She hasn’t been on a losing team as a coach or player.
But at practice on Tuesday, Assistant Coach Sergio Gonzalez told Berbary that IU was the best 5-9 team he had ever seen.
It’s just a matter of putting it together on the field.
“We know we have a lot of talent,” sophomore midfielder Veronica Ellis said. “We just know we need to fight for the whole 90 minutes on Friday night.”
With points coming at a premium, IU will likely need to string together four wins and hope for some of the teams ranked higher to lose in order to qualify for November’s Tournament.
Sophomore midfielder Marissa Borschke said she is confident IU is capable of stringing together the wins.
“We definitely can put together a run,” Borschke said. “It starts Friday.”
