The Indiana women’s soccer team might have continued its cold offensive streak in its second draw of the season Sunday at Virginia Tech University, but the game was far from uneventful.
Sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg earned the 11th shutout of her career and collected a personal-best eight saves to help the Hoosiers stay even with the Hokies, avoiding a loss. Gerstenberg now stands tied for sixth place on the Indiana all-time saves list and is already making a serious case for Big Ten Goalie of the Year.
For the second match in a row, Indiana’s opponent overpowered the Hoosiers offensively. Virginia Tech compiled eight shots on goal and 15 shots total, all of which were controlled by Gerstenberg. The Hokies saw multiple open looks, but the Hoosier standout goalie was there for all of them.
On the other hand, the Hoosiers finished with two shots on goal and five shots overall. Virginia Tech committed 16 fouls, including three yellow cards, but Indiana found little success in the execution of its free and corner kicks during the afternoon game.
After two games in the 2022 season, the Hoosiers have notched eight total shots. Indiana has not scored a goal in its last six games, the last goal dating back to a 1-0 win against Northwestern on Oct. 8, 2021.
Despite the offensive stagnancy, Gerstenberg has provided an unavoidable spark on the defensive side of the ball. The sophomore has allowed two or more goals in merely one of her 18 career starts.
Still, the Hoosiers will need to up their offensive firepower in order to get in the win column. Their next contest will be against Ball State University on Thursday in Bloomington for the home opener.
