The Indiana women’s soccer team traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, to take on Wisconsin in its second consecutive road conference match of the season. The Hoosiers fell to the Badgers 0-2 and gave up a goal for only the second time this season.
Both instances occurred within a four-day span, as Indiana dropped a 0-3 match to Minnesota on Thursday.
[Related: Indiana women’s soccer loses first game of the season 0-3 at Minnesota]
The Hoosiers started out strong, taking offensive control for the first few minutes of the game. A back-and-forth campaign between the Indiana and Wisconsin defenses was on full display for most of the first half.
However, the game took a strong turn in favor of Wisconsin in the 32nd minute.
Indiana sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg received a red card after a collision in which Gerstenberg kicked a Wisconsin player in the head. The Hoosiers were required to play without the sophomore standout, bringing graduate goalie Bethany Kopel in to take her place, and compete with one less player throughout the half.
It didn’t take long for the Badgers to take advantage of the mismatch, as they scored two goals in a sub-10-minute span.
Wisconsin junior forward Emma Jaskaniec found the back of the net in the 34th minute, almost immediately after Kopel stepped on the field. Jaskaniec then executed a beautiful pass to Wisconsin sophomore forward Riley Philbin, who scored a goal of her own to extend the Badger lead to two.
Indiana was able to hold off Wisconsin for the rest of the half, despite a noticeably weaker defensive line and an aggressive Badger offense.
Going into the second half, Indiana head coach Erwin van Bennekom’s frustration was apparent. The Hoosier coaching staff was visibly and audibly directing traffic with a sense of urgency, aware the team would need a quick score if it wanted a chance to draw or win the match.
Still, Indiana was unable to get quality shots on goal during the second half. The Hoosiers’ best look was an attempt by senior midfielder Alaina Kalin that hit directly off the top of the goalpost and rolled outside the penalty box before any of her teammates could capitalize on the Badgers’ disassembled defense.
Kopel recorded three saves on the afternoon, but the first-half frenzy was too much to keep the Badgers off the board. Kopel will almost certainly start in goal during the Hoosiers’ next match, as Gerstenberg is required to sit out a full game after being issued a red card.
Indiana will return to Bloomington to take on Ohio State on Thursday. Bill Armstrong Stadium will host International Student Night before the game, and kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
