Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Defense Paces the Way on Historic Run
9/2/2015 5:29:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As far as unwritten rules go, the Indiana Women's Soccer locker room is divided.
A 1-0 overtime win against Baylor on Sunday extended the Hoosier defense's scoreless streak to 367 minutes, marking the longest streak since a span of 404 minutes in 2006. Indiana's last goal allowed came in the 18th minute against Virginia Tech in the season's first game and the Hoosiers have posted three consecutive shutouts.
If the defense keeps Middle Tennessee State off the board for 38 minutes, the Hoosier defense will hold the longest scoreless streak since the program's inaugural season in 1993.
The players and coaching staff are all well aware of the streak they have going.
But should they talk about it?
"I sort of like it," senior defender Emily Basten said. "But we can't forget we have a game Friday."
Said senior goalkeeper Sarah Stone: "I don't really like to talk about it."
Whether they're talking about their scoreless streak or not, Indiana (2-1-1) can't hide the fact that its defense has done most of the heavy lifting this season. It's been a positive sign from a position group that entered 2015 with a few questions about personnel.
Indiana returned only two starters from last season—Stone and junior Marissa Borschke—but the back line is anything but inexperienced.
In their most-recent win against Baylor, the Hoosiers started a senior, two juniors and a sophomore in front of a senior goalkeeper. Despite replacing three starters from last season, Indiana's combined individual experience has given Indiana a more veteran feel, Basten said.
With Borschke acting as the team's anchor, the Hoosiers have quickly gotten comfortable playing alongside one another. The proof is in the results.
"I think our team chemistry has been huge," Basten said. "When you have people who have played before and you try to include them into the back line, it's all about how you bond and how you click. I think what we've done so far reflects well on that."
It doesn't hurt having the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week starting in front of the net either, Basten added.
Head coach Amy Berbary and assistant coach Sergio Gonzalez have been high on Stone all camp, and it doesn't take long to realize why.
Stone has made 15 saves on the season, including 10 at the Boilermaker Challenge en route to being named the tournament's Defensive MVP.
"I cannot say enough about Stone right now," Berbary said. "She doesn't like for us to tell her she's playing on another level because she continuously wants to get better, but she's just been huge for us, and she's going to keep working."
While the clean slates have been a welcome cornerstone for Indiana thus far, Berbary hasn't forgotten about the need on the other end of the field.
The Hoosiers have scored just three goals in four games and are still searching for the right combinations to find the back of the net. Like last year, Indiana has had trouble finishing in the final third.
"We have to pick up our tempo," Berbary said. "Locking it down is one thing, but you're not going to win games if you don't score goals. We've got to make sure that we keep pushing forward – not forget about defending – but just making sure we keep pushing forward and trying to sharpen up the attack."
Meanwhile the defense is aiming to keep its scoreless streak alive this weekend against Middle Tennessee State and LSU at the Stomp in the Swamp Tournament in Baton Rouge, La. They're just 38 minutes away from the second-best defensive stretch in program history, regardless of if they're talking about it or not.
"We're just taking it game by game," Stone said. "We know if we let one in that it's not the end of the world. We don't want to focus so much on it that if something goes wrong, it would shatter everything because things do go wrong."
"But at the same time, it's pretty nice."
A 1-0 overtime win against Baylor on Sunday extended the Hoosier defense's scoreless streak to 367 minutes, marking the longest streak since a span of 404 minutes in 2006. Indiana's last goal allowed came in the 18th minute against Virginia Tech in the season's first game and the Hoosiers have posted three consecutive shutouts.
If the defense keeps Middle Tennessee State off the board for 38 minutes, the Hoosier defense will hold the longest scoreless streak since the program's inaugural season in 1993.
The players and coaching staff are all well aware of the streak they have going.
But should they talk about it?
"I sort of like it," senior defender Emily Basten said. "But we can't forget we have a game Friday."
Said senior goalkeeper Sarah Stone: "I don't really like to talk about it."
Whether they're talking about their scoreless streak or not, Indiana (2-1-1) can't hide the fact that its defense has done most of the heavy lifting this season. It's been a positive sign from a position group that entered 2015 with a few questions about personnel.
Indiana returned only two starters from last season—Stone and junior Marissa Borschke—but the back line is anything but inexperienced.
In their most-recent win against Baylor, the Hoosiers started a senior, two juniors and a sophomore in front of a senior goalkeeper. Despite replacing three starters from last season, Indiana's combined individual experience has given Indiana a more veteran feel, Basten said.
With Borschke acting as the team's anchor, the Hoosiers have quickly gotten comfortable playing alongside one another. The proof is in the results.
"I think our team chemistry has been huge," Basten said. "When you have people who have played before and you try to include them into the back line, it's all about how you bond and how you click. I think what we've done so far reflects well on that."
It doesn't hurt having the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week starting in front of the net either, Basten added.
Head coach Amy Berbary and assistant coach Sergio Gonzalez have been high on Stone all camp, and it doesn't take long to realize why.
Stone has made 15 saves on the season, including 10 at the Boilermaker Challenge en route to being named the tournament's Defensive MVP.
"I cannot say enough about Stone right now," Berbary said. "She doesn't like for us to tell her she's playing on another level because she continuously wants to get better, but she's just been huge for us, and she's going to keep working."
While the clean slates have been a welcome cornerstone for Indiana thus far, Berbary hasn't forgotten about the need on the other end of the field.
The Hoosiers have scored just three goals in four games and are still searching for the right combinations to find the back of the net. Like last year, Indiana has had trouble finishing in the final third.
"We have to pick up our tempo," Berbary said. "Locking it down is one thing, but you're not going to win games if you don't score goals. We've got to make sure that we keep pushing forward – not forget about defending – but just making sure we keep pushing forward and trying to sharpen up the attack."
Meanwhile the defense is aiming to keep its scoreless streak alive this weekend against Middle Tennessee State and LSU at the Stomp in the Swamp Tournament in Baton Rouge, La. They're just 38 minutes away from the second-best defensive stretch in program history, regardless of if they're talking about it or not.
"We're just taking it game by game," Stone said. "We know if we let one in that it's not the end of the world. We don't want to focus so much on it that if something goes wrong, it would shatter everything because things do go wrong."
"But at the same time, it's pretty nice."
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
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