Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Growing Up By Facing Adversity
9/14/2015 4:27:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Not all ties are equal. Some feel like losses. Others feel more like wins.
Indiana's 1-1 tie with Ball State on Sunday fell somewhere in between.
In the face of adversity, Indiana (3-3-2) fought. The Hoosiers may have walked off the field unhappy with the result, but they left with something to build on.
"I think these kind of games are what keep us united," senior forward Jessie Bujouves said. "We're really fighting for each other."
Sunday's draw seemed at one point destined to have a frustrating end for Indiana. One that head coach Amy Berbary has seen before.
The offense couldn't find the traction it needed to break through in the first half. The defense—most specifically, senior goalkeeper Sarah Stone—bailed the Hoosiers out time and time again with seven saves. But even Stone can't be perfect.
The Cardinals finally beat Stone in the 73rd minute off a rebound to take a 1-0 lead. Without much offense up until that point, frustration could have set in. Heads could have dropped and a loss could have come. Young teams like Indiana have gone that route before.
Instead, the Hoosiers went on the attack, pushing numbers the other way. Just 11 minutes after the initial disappointment of allowing a goal, Bujouves broke through out of a frenzy in front of the net to score an equalizer in the 84th minute.
Bujouves said it was a "right time, right place" scenario. She called her second goal of the season a team effort, pointing out that there were a few other players within a few feet of her ready to put the ball in the back of the net as well.
Bujouves' game-tying score was a reflection of a certain composure Indiana is working to develop. Berbary has said it before: when things aren't going the Hoosiers' way, they need to find a way to limit the damage to compete in the Big Ten.
"It was good to see the fight that we had," Stone said. "We had a rough start, so it was nice to see some real fight and teamwork."
Call it fight. Call it teamwork. Indiana kept its poise after allowing a goal.
They responded with a scrappiness Berbary said she hasn't seen out of her team. She said it's hard to look at anything other than a win as a positive outcome, but a come-from-behind tie has more qualities of a win than a loss.
"This year's team, we have been through so much," Berbary said. "I was really happy with the fight from the second half. We kept our heads."
Berbary said she wants to see more consistency across the entire field, which is admittedly tough when injuries have forced Indiana to reinvent itself more than once this season.
But Berbary doesn't try to hide her team's flaws. The nonconference season showed that Indiana's offense still needs some fine-tuning. A defense can always allow fewer goals. Across the field, she said Indiana needs to be more consistent if it wants to turn ties into wins.
The Hoosiers will discuss these things in the coming days as they take time off to reset before Big Ten play begins against Illinois at 7 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Berbary separates the conference season from the nonconference, meaning everything that happened to this point will only be a reference point. In the grind of a Big Ten match, games like Sunday's draw could ultimately prove to help a growing team, Berbary said.
"We're extremely resilient, and I think we showed a lot of grit," Bujouves said. "Obviously it's extremely disappointing because we wanted a win. We're looking forward and preparing for a big weekend."
Indiana's 1-1 tie with Ball State on Sunday fell somewhere in between.
In the face of adversity, Indiana (3-3-2) fought. The Hoosiers may have walked off the field unhappy with the result, but they left with something to build on.
"I think these kind of games are what keep us united," senior forward Jessie Bujouves said. "We're really fighting for each other."
Sunday's draw seemed at one point destined to have a frustrating end for Indiana. One that head coach Amy Berbary has seen before.
The offense couldn't find the traction it needed to break through in the first half. The defense—most specifically, senior goalkeeper Sarah Stone—bailed the Hoosiers out time and time again with seven saves. But even Stone can't be perfect.
The Cardinals finally beat Stone in the 73rd minute off a rebound to take a 1-0 lead. Without much offense up until that point, frustration could have set in. Heads could have dropped and a loss could have come. Young teams like Indiana have gone that route before.
Instead, the Hoosiers went on the attack, pushing numbers the other way. Just 11 minutes after the initial disappointment of allowing a goal, Bujouves broke through out of a frenzy in front of the net to score an equalizer in the 84th minute.
Bujouves said it was a "right time, right place" scenario. She called her second goal of the season a team effort, pointing out that there were a few other players within a few feet of her ready to put the ball in the back of the net as well.
Bujouves' game-tying score was a reflection of a certain composure Indiana is working to develop. Berbary has said it before: when things aren't going the Hoosiers' way, they need to find a way to limit the damage to compete in the Big Ten.
"It was good to see the fight that we had," Stone said. "We had a rough start, so it was nice to see some real fight and teamwork."
Call it fight. Call it teamwork. Indiana kept its poise after allowing a goal.
They responded with a scrappiness Berbary said she hasn't seen out of her team. She said it's hard to look at anything other than a win as a positive outcome, but a come-from-behind tie has more qualities of a win than a loss.
"This year's team, we have been through so much," Berbary said. "I was really happy with the fight from the second half. We kept our heads."
Berbary said she wants to see more consistency across the entire field, which is admittedly tough when injuries have forced Indiana to reinvent itself more than once this season.
But Berbary doesn't try to hide her team's flaws. The nonconference season showed that Indiana's offense still needs some fine-tuning. A defense can always allow fewer goals. Across the field, she said Indiana needs to be more consistent if it wants to turn ties into wins.
The Hoosiers will discuss these things in the coming days as they take time off to reset before Big Ten play begins against Illinois at 7 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Berbary separates the conference season from the nonconference, meaning everything that happened to this point will only be a reference point. In the grind of a Big Ten match, games like Sunday's draw could ultimately prove to help a growing team, Berbary said.
"We're extremely resilient, and I think we showed a lot of grit," Bujouves said. "Obviously it's extremely disappointing because we wanted a win. We're looking forward and preparing for a big weekend."
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
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