After recording a draw and a loss in its opening two matches of the season, the IU women’s soccer team will hit the road for the first time Friday night for a match at Butler.
The Hoosiers will travel to Indianapolis to play the Bulldogs, a team that automatically qualified for last season’s NCAA Tournament after winning the Big East Women’s Soccer Championship. Butler is undefeated so far this season after defeating Ohio University in extra time and playing Eastern Michigan to a scoreless draw.
“I think it will be a good environment at Butler,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “We’ve got a bunch of kids that actually considered that school and ended up here. They’re going to be a tough opponent.”
The Bulldogs use an artificial turf playing surface at the Butler Bowl, where the game will take place. However, Berbary said she does not feel the change from the Bermuda grass surface at Bill Armstrong Stadium will dictate who wins the game.
“We just have to make sure that we pace our final balls and put the right weight on them,” Berbary said.
Senior midfielder Serina Kashimoto has scored once for Butler this season and recorded five shots on goal. Kashimoto, along with freshman forward Carly Goehring, represents the main attacking threat for Butler.
At the opposite end of the field, sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Luedtke has started each of Butler’s two games. Luedtke has gone 151 minutes without conceding a goal, a streak IU will look to break today.
The Hoosiers have not scored since the fourth minute of their season opener Aug. 19. However, sophomore defender Caroline Dreher said the team has hit the reset button during the past week of practice.
“On Tuesday, we came out refreshed and playing really positively,” Dreher said. “We’re just really focused on this weekend.”
IU will return to Bill Armstrong Stadium on Sunday for an afternoon match against Northern Colorado. Like Butler, Northern Colorado also advanced to last season’s NCAA Tournament as the winner of the Big Sky Women’s Soccer Tournament.
The Bears will be three matches into their season by the time they arrive in Bloomington, although those three matches will have been played at a higher altitude within Colorado.
“It’s always difficult when your team isn’t familiar with another school,” Berbary said. “They’re a very good program. We will have a little bit of an advantage because they have to travel, but I think they’ll be ready in a new environment for them.”
Sophomore midfielder Mariel Gutierrez scored both of Northern Colorado’s goals in its season-opening win against Colorado College. Gutierrez also scored in Northern Colorado’s second match, a 2-2 draw with the Air Force Academy.
IU spent part of its practice time this week reviewing film from their 2-0 defeat to Western Michigan on Sunday. Dreher said she doesn’t feel the team needs to alter its style of play drastically, but rather it must focus on improving after each match.
“Last weekend there were some tactical and technical mistakes that we made,” Dreher said. “We all know after watching the film what we need to fix, just some general things that we’ve definitely been working on.”
