Caroline Dreher has never really played an offensive position.
Growing up, the freshman said, she played mostly as a backline defender and occasionally appeared in a central midfield position. But now, in the midst of her first collegiate season, Dreher has been called upon to play a part in IU’s offensive attack.
Her services were vital in Saturday night’s 0-0 overtime draw against Iowa, the Hoosiers’ fourth consecutive draw at home.
IU Coach Amy Berbary chose Dreher to play at central forward on an unseasonably chilly night at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The move paid off, as Dreher ripped a game-high six shots, with three being put on the frame of Hawkeye goalkeeper Hannah Clark.
“What I like about her is that she takes the coaching to continue to get better,” Berbary said about Dreher. “She’ll do anything to help this team win, and I thought she had a fantastic performance tonight. Half of her shots were on goal.”
Dreher’s six shots against Iowa were her first credited shots of her season and her career at IU. As a defender and center midfielder, the 5-foot-8 northern Ohio native has experience with creating chances for the offense. Dreher’s team-high two assists are a result of her capabilities in possession. Finishing those chances, though, is a whole new element of soccer.
“I think I’ve played every position on the field since I’ve been here,” Dreher said. “So that’s been fun. In high school, I played left-back and center-midfield, so now I’m just everywhere. It’s helping me understand the game more. I have more experience distributing and just playing the game. Playing forward, I’m definitely going to learn a little bit.”
With multiple season-ending injuries on offense, Berbary has had to utilize her players in unfamiliar ways. While the Hoosiers have been competitive in nearly every game in this year’s campaign, IU’s attack has struggled to capitalize on chances to come away with wins. Berbary’s squad has drawn five games, alhome, as it searched for its first victory on Yeagley field.
“At the end of the day, we still need to execute,” Berbary said. “I think we’re still missing those one or two players that can step up and consistently get it done for us. We’ve got a lot of people that are doing a lot of good things, but we don’t have that one player that is putting the game away.”
The offensive creation was there Saturday night, as IU was able to put up 20 shots, nine on Iowa’s goal. Against Iowa, and many teams this season, shots clanked off the crossbar and posts, nearly finding the back of the net. After yet another 110 minutes, the Hoosiers came away with a point in Big Ten play.
“It’s definitely motivating,” Dreher said about playing to scoreless draws. “There’s not much you can do about it once it’s over, so you just want to get it next time. Generally, we’ve been fitter than every team we’ve played in overtime, so it’s been tough coming out with ties. We created a lot more chances than usual, so hopefully we can carry that into next weekend and finish some of them.”
Dreher’s next chance to test the offensive waters will be this weekend, as IU travels to face Rutgers and Penn State on Thursday and
Sunday, respectively.
In her brief career as an attacker, she has done her part in executing offensive chances on goal in a foreign position. But Dreher’s season is not necessarily unique in Berbary’s reign, though. The third-year coach is perennially looking for versatile players such as her newfound attacker.
“She started the first four games for us at left back,” Berbary said about Dreher. “Now she’s playing as the high target at the furthest other end of the field. She’s just a good player and a good utility player. When we do our recruiting, we’re looking for the best soccer players. When they get to this level, we’ll find them within a system that really embraces their attributes.”
