IU Women's Soccer 2016 Season

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

Nice background piece on Sarah L'Hommedieu by Sam Beishuizen at TheHoosier.com

Freshman Goalkeeper Sarah L'Hommedieu Hasn't Wasted Any Time Helping IU

Sarah L’Hommedieu was skeptical when the idea initially came up that she’d forego her second semester as a high school senior to enroll at Indiana early.

It was a sacrifice. No graduation, no prom, no final days of being a high schooler with her friends in Hudson, Ohio. She’d leave home and join a team of players she wasn’t familiar with and catch up with being a college freshman on the fly in January, well before the rest of her future classmates arrived.

Ten months later, L’Hommedieu said she’s thankful for stepping out of her comfort zone and grayshirting in the spring. The early enrollment was the catalyst that allowed her to step into the Hoosiers’ starting lineup in front of the net for all but one of IU’s 13 games so far and moving forward.

“It was actually the perfect choice,” she said. “I don’t know what I would have done had I not done it.”

L’Hommedieu is an outlier in the Big Ten. It’s not commonplace for true freshmen to step in and immediately win the starting job. Just last year, the Hoosiers played a fifth-year senior in Sarah Stone throughout the season. Now, they're on the opposite end of the spectrum.

“It’s pretty rare a true freshman can come in and do what she’s done,” head coach Amy Berbary said. "It speaks to the work she put into being ready."

L’Hommedieu said she knew she wanted to test out the Big Ten when she began her recruiting process back as a sophomore in high school but didn’t initially give much consideration toward Indiana.

It was her father, Kevin, who first brought up the idea of IU and convinced her to check Bloomington out.

“At first I was like, ‘Indiana? Gross,’” she said laughing. “But I just didn’t know it. From the minute I stepped on campus, it was just amazing. It was a different feeling. I felt like I was home.”

L’Hommedieu was one of goalkeeper coach Sergio Gonzalez’s first major targets after joining Berbary as part of IU’s new staff back in 2013. Early on, he said he could tell her athleticism combined with her 5-foot-9 size and natural ability to work with her feet and distribute the ball out of the back would translate at the Big Ten level.

“She had all the pieces of the puzzle that have just continued to develop,” he said.

What Gonzalez didn't know was that his theory would be tested as early as it has been.

L’Hommedieu already has three shutouts, 57 saves and holds a 1.47 goals against average through 12 games. She'll trot back out onto Jerry Yeagley Field tonight to get her 13th start against Penn State at 7 p.m.

Unlike last year when Indiana had the luxury of a pair of seniors in Stone and Katie Greulich, Gonzalez finds himself doing more teaching this season with L’Hommedieu emerging as the starter and redshirt freshman Bristal Hadley-Mautino pushing her as a backup. The two compete against one another daily and have been instrumental in one another's development, Gonzalez said.

“I think what we have is an environment where they are really forced to push each other to grow,” he said. “It all starts here on the training field. If they don’t rain like they do, if they don’t push each other like they do, they’re not the goalkeepers they are.”

To supplement individual goalkeeper work, Gonzalez regularly shows his two young keepers footage of Stone from a year ago.

Hadley-Mautino saw Stone's work in person, but L'Hommedieu was only able to watch from afar. Either way, she's getting a full dose of notes from one of IU's most decorated keepers as she goes.

“She was obviously a fantastic goalkeeper, so just picking up on the little things she did has been huge,” L’Hommedieu said. “And obviously Sergio’s a huge help. I can’t imagine having two freshmen goalkeepers at once.”

On the field, Berbary said she’s still looking for L’Hommedieu to find her voice, although it’s getting better over time. She needs her keepers to shout out orders and keep the back line shape in check to spark the offense from the back and get the attack going the other direction.

What helps L'Hommedieu, Berbary said, is having a fifth-year senior center back in Marissa Borschke directly in front of her at and another senior in outside back Veronica Ellis always nearby to provide direction in stressful situations.

Knowing there would be a freshman behind her, Borschke said there was going to be a learning curve regardless of what happened this season. Before long, L’Hommedieu left her impressed.

“You forget that she’s still only been here less than 12 months,” Borschke said. “For a freshman, she’s done everything you can ask for.”

It’s players like Borschke that L’Hommedieu said motivate her to play well in goal. She doesn’t want to use her inexperience as a crutch knowing that the senior class and other upperclassmen are running out of time.

They can’t afford to wait on L’Hommedieu to get comfortable.

That’s why individual success takes a back seat to the team’s own journey through the Big Ten, L’Hommedieu said. It may only be her first season, and she’s still got room to grow, but she said she wants to make the saves that’ll help send her senior class out as winners.

“It’s been an incredible learning curve, but the older players have been constantly picking me up and bringing me with them,” L’Hommedieu said. “To be able to give something back to this team and to them, that would be amazing.”

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

Cameron Drummond - Indiana Daily Student:

With only six Big Ten matches remaining in the regular season, the IU women’s soccer team is running out of time to secure a spot in the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament.

IU is currently tied with Michigan State for the final playoff spot in the Big Ten standings. Both the Hoosiers and Spartans have earned six points from five conference games, and both teams have a goal differential of -3.

If IU wants to qualify for its first Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament since 2013, it will have to rise to the occasion in a pair of difficult home weekend matches. Games against No. 13 Penn State on Thursday night and No. 24 Rutgers on Sunday afternoon will mark the only time this season IU faces two top-25 teams consecutively.

“This whole year, I think we’ve taken the mentality of being the underdog,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “It’s what we are. Most of the people who believe we can win games are the coaching staff and our players. All we need is the belief that we can win.”

The Hoosiers would become the first Big Ten team to defeat the defending NCAA champion Nittany Lions this season if they could score an upset victory at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Penn State, 8-2-2 overall, enters the match with a 4-0-1 conference record and trails only Michigan in the Big Ten standings.

A victory for IU on Thursday would not only be considered an upset based on the two teams’ records this season, but also in a historical context as well. In 25 all-time meetings between the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions, only once have the Hoosiers emerged victorious.

That sole IU victory came on Nov. 8, 1996, before several members of the current IU team were born. The win also did not come in a regular season Big Ten match, but rather during the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament.

The Nittany Lions have also won each of their last four games, including three via a defensive shutout.

Those shutouts can be attributed in large part to the play of freshman goalkeeper Amanda Dennis, who surrenders less than 0.75 goals per game on average to opponents.

At the other end of the pitch, junior forward Frannie Crouse leads the Penn State attack. Crouse has netted eight goals this season, which is at least double the amount scored by any other player on the Penn State team.

In order to try and combat Crouse and the Penn State offense, Berbary will look to IU’s experienced players to set the correct tone during the game.

“I think we need to continue to grow in the first 20 minutes of the game. We have to start at the whistle,” Berbary said. “We need the leadership coming from our few juniors and seniors that have been in this situation for a number of years.”

Berbary knows that her team’s window to reach the postseason is closing, and this weekend’s matches will go a long way in determining how many games IU has left this season.

“If we can stick together and find a way to grab one or two of these games this weekend, then we’re in good shape,” Berbary said. “We are guaranteed six games left and we want to play more.”

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

At the half, all tied at 1-1 thanks to a PSU own goal at 41' 

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Going to OT still tied at 1-1.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

And on to the 2nd OT.  PSU with 16 total shots; 7 on goal; 12 corners so our freshman goalkeeper has done a really fine job so far.  Lady Hoosiers with 9 total shots; only 1 on goal (PSU own goal); 3 corners, so PSU has played some very tough defense and no wonder they've won 8 games this season.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

And after 110 minutes, it ends in a 1-1 draw.  PSU finishes with 18 total shots; 8 on goal and 13 corners.  IU with just 9 total shots and 4 corners.  Given that PSU is ranked #13, it's still a positive outing for the Lady Hoosiers. 

Next up is a Sunday afternoon match a 1:00 at Bill Armstrong Stadium with Rutgers.

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WTG Hoosiers! Huge point to stay in the mix for the B1G tourney. 

B1G Standings

Michigan    5-1-0 
Penn State    4-0-2    
Northwestern    4-1-1  
Rutgers    4-1-1    
Minnesota    4-1-1    
Nebraska    3-2-1     
Ohio State    2-2-2    
Wisconsin    2-2-2    
Indiana    2-3-1     
Michigan State    2-4-0     
Illinois    1-4-1   
Iowa    1-5-0     .
Purdue    1-5-0     
Maryland    1-5-0    

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

Indiana Daily Student - Cameron Drummond

Womens soccer picks up valuable point against ranked foe

No. 13 Penn State had eight times as many shots on goal, double the number of total shots and over triple the amount of corner kicks as IU on Thursday night.

However, after 110 minutes of soccer, there was nothing separating the two teams on the scoreboard at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers were able to hold the defending national champion Nittany Lions to a 1-1 draw after extra time.

The result provides a major boost to IU’s hopes of finishing in the top eight in the Big Ten standings and qualifying for the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament. It was also the first time IU recorded at least a point against a ranked opponent since a 2-0 victory over No. 20 Michigan State in 2009.

“We just fought, we just grinded it out,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “We are just all together. We don’t have just one kid who is going to perform each night, we have a bunch of those, and I thought we really did that tonight.”

While IU, 5-7-2 overall and 2-3-1 in the Big Ten, dominated periods of the match, they found themselves down a goal after eight minutes. Penn State junior forward Frannie Crouse was on the receiving end of a one-touch pass from junior forward Megan Schafer and slotted the ball across goal and past IU freshman goalkeeper Sarah L’Hommedieu to open the scoring.

The goal was Crouse’s ninth of the season and appeared to signal that IU was in for a long night defensively. But the Hoosiers recovered defensively and held firm for the remaining 102 minutes of game action.

“We stuck to our game plan and it was a great team effort,” senior defender Marissa Borschke said. “We defended every set piece to the best of our abilities to try and just hit it out. We were in it to fight the entire time.”

As IU grew into the game defensively, chances presented themselves at the other end of the pitch. Freshman midfielder Allison Jorden sent a header from a corner kick over the crossbar in the 18th minute, and junior midfielder Kayla Smith sent a shot just wide of the goal six minutes later.

Eventually, it was a stroke of luck that allowed the Hoosiers to equalize. Three minutes before halftime, freshman forward Macy Miller sent a low cross into the Penn State penalty box intended for freshman defender Julia Gilliam.

Instead, the ball was met by Penn State sophomore midfielder Alina Ortega Jurado, whose clearance attempt ended up looping over freshman goalkeeper Amanda Dennis and into the net. The own goal allowed IU to enter halftime with the match tied at one, despite its failure to record a shot on net.

“We are starting to believe in ourselves and we are continuing to get better,” Berbary said. “I’m just proud of them. We fought the entire time and came out with the result.”

The performance of L’Hommedieu in goal played a large part in IU being able to secure the result. L’Hommedieu made several impressive stops in the second half to keep the Nittany Lions at bay, including full stretch saves in the 55th and 68th minutes to deny Crouse and junior midfielder Salina Williford.

“I’ll speak for her, Sarah played out of her mind,” Borschke said. “She saved us.”

Penn State, now 8-2-3 overall and 4-0-2 in conference, continued to threaten the Hoosier goal as extra time loomed, with Williford hitting the crossbar in the 83rd minute. The visitors also enjoyed a period of having four corner kicks in under two minutes, but IU was able to weather that as well.

The Hoosiers now have seven points from its six Big Ten games, and are tied for the final Big Ten postseason spot with Wisconsin.

After losing 4-0 to Penn State last season, tonight’s result not only furthered IU’s chances of returning to playoff soccer this season, but also marked a turning point for the team.

“Our upperclassmen showed us that this is who we are. We are not the same team we were last year,” L’Hommedieu said. “We are Indiana and that’s going to mean something different this season.”

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

 

Sunday, 10/9, #24 ranked Rutgers (8-2-2) (3-1-1) face our Lady Hoosiers in Bloomington at 1:00 E.T.

Live Stats

Listen
TV:  BTN2Go

Background Info

Following this match, the Ladies will be on the road for games at OSU, MD and PUke before returning to Bloomington for the regular season finale on Oct. 26, against Michigan.

 

[ccgeneral 38,084]

What a game! Hoosiers were down 2-nil early and tied it up right before half.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

I had to leave the house.  Why did L'Hommedieu get a yellow card?

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39 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

I had to leave the house.  Why did L'Hommedieu get a yellow card?

A foul in the box and she SAVED the PK! Hoosiers end with another point on the 2-2 draw. Great week! 

OSU up next on Thursday.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

Write-up of today's match with Rutgers.

Rutgers - IU Game Wrap-Up

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[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

IU women's soccer sophomore contributes as a substitute

Cameron Drummond - Indiana Daily Student

Like many players on this year’s squad, sophomore defender Caroline Dreher has had to adjust to a new role on the field.

Dreher and other returning players have had their roles altered to accommodate the influx of 11 true freshmen, and for Dreher, that has meant settling into a new role as a substitute for the Hoosiers.

“It’s cool being able to come off the bench and bring energy to the team,” Dreher said. “It’s nice to be able to help the team try and get some points and whatever spot the coaches need me at that day.”

Dreher has come off the bench in 13 consecutive matches for IU after starting the team’s first two games this season against Louisville and Western Michigan. The decision to frequently use Dreher as a substitute has been a successful one for IU Coach Amy Berbary.

Both of Dreher’s goals this season have come in matches in which she was used as a substitute, including Aug. 26, when she scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory at Butler. Dreher has had prior experience playing up top in an attacking role and said she enjoys the moments where she is able to put her experience to use for IU.

“My whole life I’ve been an attacking player, and I’ve played a bit in the back line on defense here at IU,” Dreher said. “So it’s cool for me to be able to bring that attacking side of my game to the team to help us out.”

The ability to use Dreher in both an offensive and defensive capacity is a big reason why Berbary has used Dreher in a role off the bench this season. As a utility player, Dreher offers a wide range of skills when entering a match, rather than simply providing the team with just an offensive or defensive focus.

Dreher also provides IU with valuable experience when she enters a game. Berbary said Dreher, despite only being a sophomore, is one of the few players she has total confidence in when it comes time to perform.

“I feel like Caroline has the talent and the skill to play anywhere in the front five for us. We’ve even used her as an outside back,” Berbary said. “She is just a good tactical mind. She’s grown a ton in being able to adapt and adjust, whether it’s 10 minutes into a game or 40 minutes into a game.”

As a freshman last season, Dreher recorded two assists and featured in each of the team’s 19 games played. She credits her playing time last season with helping her be more comfortable playing soccer at the collegiate level.

“Having the experience last year definitely helped me adjust to the college speed and the college intensity,” Dreher said.

College soccer isn’t something new to the Dreher family, though. Dreher’s older sister, Rebecca, also played at IU as a midfielder for four seasons from 2010 to 2014.

Berbary, who coached Rebecca for her final two seasons at IU and has now coached Caroline for two seasons, has noticed both differences and similarities between the two sisters on and off the field.

“They have very similar mannerisms, but very different personalities,” Berbary said. “Rebecca was a bit more serious and analytical, while Caroline is a bit more relaxed and jokes a lot. As players, both of them gave a tremendous effort every time they were on the field and were great teammates.”

Although having her older sister play at IU gave Dreher a sense of familiarity with the team, she still enjoys being able to have her own connection to the team.

“It was really cool to have had the familiarity with IU because we would come here so often for Rebecca’s games,” Dreher said. “But I also feel like I have my own experiences here with the coaching staff. So it’s cool.”

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

Ladies have a pair of road matches coming up.  Tonight, the Lady Hoosiers (5-7-3) (2-3-2) travel to Columbus, OH to take on the #17 ranked Buckeyes (9-4-2) (3-2-2); scheduled 7:00 ET start.

 Live Stats

TV:  BTN2Go

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On Sunday, 10/16, the Lady Hoosiers travel to Maryland (3-11-1) (1-6-0) for a scheduled 1:00 ET start. 

Stats

TV:  BTN2Go

 

Background Into Both Games 

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Hoosiers strike first in the 7th minute! Chandra Davidson with her first of the season. Mykayla Brown with the assist.

IU 1-nil, 29'

 

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GOOOAAALLL! Allison Jorden adds some insurance with her 2nd of the season. Meghan Scott with her team leading 4th assist.

IU 2-nil, 64'

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,954]

And then they immediately give up a goal to OSU.   UGH!

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Welp, that insurance didn't last long. All tied @ 2.