IU Coach Amy Berbary said she knows her team is not among the best in the Big Ten.
“It’s not a secret,” Berbary said. “Every team that we play from here on out should be better than us.”
But IU’s hard-working, blue-collar approach to Big Ten matches provides the team with an opportunity to finish among the Big Ten’s top eight teams and qualify for the Big Ten Tournament, which the team hasn’t done since 2013.
After going 1-1 to start conference play, IU returns to Bill Armstrong Stadium for the first time since Sept. 5 for two matches this weekend. IU, 4-5-1, will play No. 9 Minnesota on Friday before facing Wisconsin on Sunday.
The Hoosiers picked up their first conference win in almost two years this past Sunday in a 1-0 victory at Illinois, although Berbary hasn’t allowed the team to become overly confident after the win.
“I think we know we didn’t play very well, but we somehow found a way to win,” Berbary said. “We’ve kind of wiped last weekend away and just really focused on some of the things that we need to get better at.”
One of the most significant improvements IU has made this season has come on offense. It took the Hoosiers 18 games to score 11 goals last season, a mark the team has already reached this season after just 10 matches.
That offensive production has come from a variety of sources as well. Eleven different players have recorded either a goal or an assist for the Hoosiers this season.
“It’s a case of having more talent on this year’s team,” Berbary said. “More talent that we brought in and the dedication during the offseason of the returners to get better. We just worked and worked on our technical ability from January to April, and I think you are seeing that now.”
IU’s talent will need to be on full display if the team is to beat Minnesota, which boasts a 7-2-1 record. The high-powered Golden Gopher offense has produced 23 goals this season from 173 total shots. Senior forward and reigning Big Ten Forward of the Year Simone Kolander has scored nine goals and contributed three assists for Minnesota.
Kolander was also named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after last weekend’s games in which she scored against both No. 16 Penn State and Ohio State.
“Minnesota is probably going to have the better part of the ball,” Berbary said. “We just need to take care of it when we get it.
Wisconsin, 3-3-4, will provide a different challenge for IU come Sunday afternoon. The Badgers have scored just nine times this season, although their defense has conceded only eight goals.
A draw against Ohio State and a narrow defeat to No. 16 Penn State mean Wisconsin will still be searching for its first conference win when it arrives in Bloomington. Big Ten victories against IU have become a nearly annual event for Wisconsin in recent history. The Badgers have won seven of their last eight meetings with the Hoosiers dating back to 2008.
Despite entering both weekend matchups as the underdog, Berbary said it is a mentality both she and the team embrace.
“I think we finally turned a corner this past weekend,” Berbary said. “We are going to fight and give effort. We love approaching games as the underdog.”
