IU’s Comeback Bid Falls Short at Michigan, 2-1

Sunday, September 17

Ann Arbor, MI

3:00 PM

Indiana University

5-4-1, 1-1-0B1G

Michigan

4-2-3, 1-1-0B1G

Indiana

Michigan

IU’s Comeback Bid Falls Short at Michigan, 2-1

9/17/2017 7:21:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Indiana Women's Soccer's comeback bid fell short at Michigan on Sunday as the Hoosiers dropped a 2-1 decision to the Wolverines. Michigan (4-2-3, 1-1-0 Big Ten) scored twice within three minutes midway through the first half to secure the victory against the Hoosiers (5-4-1, 1-1-0 Big Ten).

"I thought it was a really good soccer game," said Indiana head coach Amy Berbary. "It was very back-and-forth, there was a lot of transition and good chances on both ends. The stat line was fairly even and we're putting our shots on goal, it's just unfortunate that we came out on the lower end of the scoreboard today."

Indiana outshot Michigan, 17-16, including an 8-7 advantage in shots on goal. Sophomore Chandra Davidson netted the lone Indiana score in the 40^th minute of action.

The first Wolverine goal came in the 22^nd minute as Katie Foug slotted the ball inside to Reilly Martin, who was able to sneak it past Indiana freshman goalkeeper Bethany Kopel. A few minutes later, Michigan added on to its lead after the Wolverines earned back possession deep in Hoosier territory. Ani Sarkisian then crossed the ball in to Nicki Hernandez, who one-touched it around Kopel and pushed it into an empty net.

Indiana looked to answer quickly, including a header from Davidson that knocked off the post on a corner kick in the 30^th minute. In the 38^th minute, redshirt junior Mykayla Brown sent the ball in to Davidson, but Michigan goalkeeper Hillary Beall was there to make a stop on the attempt.

The Hoosiers would break through just two minutes later as the fifth corner kick of the half resulted in Davidson's goal. Junior Caroline Dreher took the corner and found Davidson charging through traffic at the far post to put the Hoosiers on the board. The goal was the fifth of the season for Davidson, who knocked in the gamewinner on Thursday at Michigan State.

A Michigan foul on IU senior Kayla Smith just outside of the box gave Indiana a great opportunity in the 43^rd minute, but after a shot from sophomore Sydney Kilgore was saved, the Wolverines eventually cleared it out of danger.

At the break, the Hoosiers held a 14-9 lead in shots. However, the second half was a different story as the teams combined for just 10 shots in the final frame. All three Indiana shots of the half came in the final 17 minutes, led by a header from Davidson that went high.

"In the second half, they pressed us a bit more and it took us a little while to figure it out. I thought we got very defensive and dropped in a bit and just couldn't keep possession of the ball as well as we did in the first. The second part of the half, we made some changes and thought we pressed them a little bit. We certainly had a chance to tie the game."

One of the best looks for Indiana in the half came on a blocked shot from Brown near the top of the 18-yard box with 11 minutes to go. A few minutes later, Smith put up her third shot of the day as all three looks from the senior were on-target, but saved by Beall.

Sunday's game marked the final in a stretch of seven-straight on the road for Indiana. The team went 4-2-1 in that time with the last IU home game coming on Aug. 24.

The Hoosiers will make their return to Bill Armstrong Stadium on Saturday night as they host Purdue (7-2-0, 2-0-0 Big Ten) in the annual Golden Boot Game.

"Over the last seven games, this team has really grown as a group and we've become very close," said Berbary. "That's helped our play on the field and in developing our chemistry. Chemistry is something that I can't coach and this road stretch has really helped us. Now we're looking forward to returning home and playing a great soccer game on Saturday night."