No. 24 IU women’s soccer returned to their winning ways Sunday afternoon, defeating Maryland 3-2 at Ludwig Field in College Park, Maryland.
The Hoosiers, victorious in three of their last four games, turned defense into offense, outshooting the Terrapins 14-2 in the first half, including an 8-1 margin of shots on goal.
Although the Hoosiers dominated both statistically and with opportunities in the first half, the score was tied at 1-1 at halftime thanks to a Maryland goal from redshirt junior forward Alyssa Poarch, set up by an IU turnover near midfield in the 19th minute.
While Maryland’s opportunities were limited by the IU defense, they capitalized on the chances they were given.
“They had one chance and they scored it, we didn’t deal with it well enough, that was a problem,” said head coach Erwin van Bennekom. “I think we should have been up probably 2 or 3 to 1 at half.”
The Hoosiers’ offensive spark was freshman forward Jen Blitchok, who scored the first two goals of her collegiate career Sunday afternoon. Blitchok had five shots, four of which were on goal. Her first goal came 12 minutes into the first half, putting the Hoosiers ahead 1-0.
Blitchok scored the go-ahead goal for IU in the 82nd minute — less than a minute after Maryland sophomore forward Keyera Wynn tied the game at 2-2. IU’s 3-2 lead would hold for the final eight minutes of regulation.
“That game winner was a nice one,” van Bennekom said. “She’s a goal scorer, we know that. It’s good that it came now, it’s gonna build confidence. It’s just gonna get her, I think, scoring more goals. I’m so happy for her.”
The Hoosiers will take a six-day break between matches, with their next match scheduled Saturday against Illinois at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The rest is much needed for IU, van Bennekom said, after playing three matches in the last seven days, including traveling. The team will take Monday and Tuesday off before preparing for three consecutive home matches.
“We’re gonna definitely take our rest, try to improve a little bit, look at what we’ve done well and what we’ve done wrong, and kind of regroup a little bit,” van Bennekom said.
