The Scarlet Knights outplayed the Hoosiers Thursday, outshooting them 25 to seven and defeating them 2-0.
IU Coach Amy Berbary’s key to success for the match was for one player to finish inside the box to seal the game, after the team posted 20 shots against Iowa last week and could not score, but Thursday’s result was worse than a double-overtime draw. Rutgers’ style of play made life difficult, Berbary said.
“They’re a good possession team,” Berbary said. “We knew coming into the game we were going to get few chances and we were going to need to execute those chances, and we weren’t able to do that tonight.”
The IU (3-6-5) 2-0 loss to the No. 23-ranked team was just their second meeting of all time, as Rutgers (10-2-1) posted its 10th shutout of the season.
In the first half, Rutgers dictated the tone that would continue throughout the game. After mounting dangerous attacks, the Scarlet Knights broke through the Hoosier defense and, in the 21st minute, Rutgers senior midfielder Samantha Valliant scored off a header to put her team up 1-0.
Rutgers continued to crash the goal throughout the rest of the half, scoring another goal in the waning moments of the half, while IU’s defense maintained the score line for most of the second half.
In the 45th minute, Rutgers senior midfielder Haley Katkowski scored and widened the deficit to 2-0 going into halftime.
“It’s really frustrating,” Berbary said. “We just have to be better disciplined in that last few minutes there.”
IU’s best chance of the first half came in the 38th minute from a shot by freshman forward Cassidy Blacha.
To start the second half, the Hoosiers came out attacking with a shot from senior midfielder Kailee Feinstein that Rutgers’ sophomore goalkeeper Casey Murphy saved. The Hoosiers attack then stalled, and Rutgers seized control after the effort. The Hoosiers challenged the Scarlet Knights at times later in the half, including a shot that forced Murphy to tip it over the crossbar, but could not put a ball into the back of the net.
“We were definitely better in the second half,” Berbary said. “We changed our system a little bit and threw a couple more numbers at them in the midfield. We didn’t have as many unforced errors.”
IU senior goalkeeper Sarah Stone was busy all night. Despite conceding two goals, Stone posted seven saves and made two key blocks in the latter stages of the game to maintain the score line.
IU will look to rebound against an even more difficult road opponent, No. 11 Penn State. IU, a team searching for offense, will face a stingy Penn State defense that has registered six shutouts this season.
“I think we have to take what we learned from this game, use the momentum from the second half and we just have to focus on keeping it to the first two passes that are really killing us.” Blacha said. “If we could just move the ball and keep possession it will calm us down and get us into attack more.”
