IU’S Comeback Bid Falls Short at No. 13 Ohio State, 2-1

Wednesday, October 25

Columbus, OH

7:00 PM

Indiana University

6-9-4, 2-6-3B1G

Ohio State

14-3-1, 9-2-0B1G

Indiana

Ohio State

IU’S Comeback Bid Falls Short at No. 13 Ohio State, 2-1

10/25/2017 10:59:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Indiana Women's Soccer battled from an early 2-0 deficit, but ultimately fell to No. 13 Ohio State in Wednesday's season finale, 2-1. The win clinched the outright Big Ten title for the Buckeyes, who jumped to an early 2-0 lead before redshirt junior Annelie Leitner put the Hoosiers on the board in the 41^st minute.

"They caught us on our heels a little bit but I thought we continued to push," said head coach Amy Berbary. "You saw the maturity of our team to step up and push for one before the half. After making several changes, we stepped up and put ourselves back in the game."

Ohio State's Sammy Edwards scored twice in the first seven minutes to put the Buckeyes (14-3-1, 9-2-0 Big Ten) up 2-0. Her first score came in the third minute off the assist from Eleanor Gabriel. A few minutes later, a long free kick by Nikki Walts found the head of Edwards, who put it in the back of the net for her 10^th goal of the year.

However, the Hoosiers (6-9-4, 2-6-3 Big Ten) settled in to limit the damage as freshman goalkeeper Bethany Kopel collected eight saves in the contest. It brings her total to 96 on the year, ranking second-most for a freshman in IU program history.

Leitner cut the Buckeye lead to 2-1 before halftime on her second goal of the season. After senior Kayla Smith collected the ball at midfield and found sophomore Sydney Kilgore charging up the right flank, Kilgore brought the ball inside the box, beating an OSU defender. She sent the ball to Leitner, who was waiting eight yards out and buried it inside the upper left post.

"After their second goal, we all took the time to re-organize and get back on the same page," said junior Abby Allen. "Annelie had a great finish and Sydney had a perfect ball in to her. We saw tonight – and all season – how we can compete with the top of the Big Ten. We have the potential in the players that are coming back. If we work really hard in the offseason and improve on the things we need to, we'll be ready to go."

The Hoosiers continued to knock on the door as they pushed for an equalizer in the second half. A corner in the 59^th minute was pushed out by Ohio State goalkeeper Devon Kerr to Allen, whose attempt was blocked. Two minutes later, IU earned another corner but Ohio State cleared it without a Hoosier shot attempt.

One of IU's best chances to tie the game came as the Buckeyes were whistled for a foul 35 yards out. The resulting free kick was sent in by sophomore Meghan Scott, but Kerr was there to knock it down and preserve the victory.

"If I had one word to describe this 2017 team, it would be 'resilient,'' said Berbary. "We were never going to sit back and cry about the adversity we faced, we always pulled through as a team. I'm really proud of how we progressed and we have so much to build on. It's going to be tough to replace our senior leadership of Kayla Smith and Kylie Kirk, but we have a huge junior class and a pair of redshirts juniors that has been leaders on and off the field for us that we'll look to guide this program back to the Big Ten Tournament."