By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
The Indiana Hoosiers and the Dayton Flyers met Saturday Afternoon in a Women’s Soccer exhibition match on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium in the second and final tuneup for both teams before the regular season kicks off next week. Indiana traveled to Louisville Wednesday Afternoon and Dayton Hosted Eastern Kentucky that evening. The Hoosiers and the Flyers have met twice in the Regular Season with Dayton winning 4-1 at home on August 22, 2008, and Indiana won 2-1 in Columbus, Ohio on September 7, 2014.
The teams played to a 1-1 draw as Reese Gallagher scored for Dayton with 10:46 left in the first half as she beat Indiana Goalkeeper Kendell Williams one on one and put it passed Williams as the Flyers will open the Regular Season at West Virginia next Thursday Night at 7 PM while the Hoosiers host Hampton University on Wednesday night at 8 PM in the Home Opener. Gallagher is a freshman from Copley, Ohio and already has made her presence known scoring the first goal of the match. Indiana equalized with 18:13 left in the second half as Freshmen Midfielder and Carmel Native Emma Ehret scored to tie the game at 1-1. The teams played the traditional two 45-minute halves followed by a penalty kick shootout.
Maggie Ledwith scored the first penalty goal against Avery Stroecker. Liv Grenda went wide right against Kendell Williams. Indiana went up 2-0 when Krista Muprhy put it passed Kasey Cannistraro. Reese Gallagher was stopped by Williams. Goalkeeper Dani Jacobson hit the crossbar and stayed out. Lauryn Contini made it 2-1 as she scored the first penalty goal for the Flyers. Grace Hamm made it 3-1 Hoosiers. Claire Mikola made it 3-2 for the Flyers as Kennedy Neighbors was stopped by Strohecker. Kelly McCandelles made 3-3 as the penalty kick shootout ended.
Indiana got out of the gates fast with two shots in the first 45 seconds of the match as the Hoosiers made Redshirt Junior Kasey Cannistraro work as she made 6 first half saves as the Hoosiers had 8 shots. Indiana started Texas Transfer Kendell Williams between the pipes, and she made 1 save as the Flyers had five first half shots and both teams had one corner kick. Dayton got its first chance four minutes when Olivia Baca sailed one over the crossbar. The Flyers got some great looks at goal and had a header sail over the crossbar before Gallagher’s goal in the final 10 minutes before the break.
In the Second Half both teams switched goalkeepers as Dayton went with Junior Avery Stroecker and Indiana went with Emma Payton who is in her fourth season with the Hoosiers but has not seen much time in net as she sat behind Jamie Gerestenberg, Dani Jacobson and Sally Rainey the last three years. ” Emma has gotten better since we have been here and stays been diligent and continues to take in the feedback we have given her and always ask how I can get better and she continues to go do the work and happy for her to get her opportunity today”. Indiana Head Coach Josh Rife said after the game.
Alena Quinn shot one over the crossbar five minutes into the second half. Kenndey Neighbors had a great look at goal and Avery Stroecker made the save as Indiana had their chances and finally found the back of the net in the final 18 minutes. Indiana outshot Dayton 6-3 in the second half. Stroecker made 4 saves for Flyers but could not keep the clean sheet. Dayton had 3 Corner Kicks and the Hoosiers had 2 in the second half. Payton made 1 save for the Hoosiers in the second half. Indiana loves to attack throughout the entire match had the majority of the possession in the second half.
Indiana finished with a 5-5-6 record a season ago as Head Coach and former Indiana University Men’s Soccer player Josh Rife begins his second season at his alma mater. The Hoosiers return all 10 players who scored the teams 21 goals during the 2025 season. The Hoosiers have 6 of the 10 players back who had an assist last season. Indiana graduated Olivia Smith, Olivia Albert, Marisa Grzesiak, Natasha Kim and Sally Rainey. Indiana missed out on the Big Ten Tournament last year and are hoping to get there this season and looking to build off a season that showed a lot of promise including a home win against Penn State which was their first regular season win ever against the Nittany Lions and a scoreless draw against Big Ten Champions Washington at home.
Dayton finished with a 15-4-3 record a season ago winning the Atlantic 10 Conference Regular Season Title with 10-0 and the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament winning 5-4 on Penalty Kicks against Rhode Island. Dayton lost to Xavier 2-0 in the Opening Round of the NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Eric Golz begins his 9th season with a record of 74-47-14 and four Atlantic 10 Conference Championships. Golz was the head coach at Illinois State for two seasons with a record of 20-16-5 in 2015 and 2016. Golz has an overall record of 94-63-19 in his career and was standout goalkeeper at Grove City College and graduated in 2002 and is native of Wadsworth, Ohio.
Indiana Head Coach Josh Rife got what he wanted outed out of both exhibitions’ games with two NCAA Tournament Opponents in Louisville and Dayton and gets them ready for Wednesday night’s Season Opener against Hampton. “Hampton is going to be hungry team with a new coaching staff and different tactics” Rife Said. “What a great opportunity for them and they get a chance to play spoiler in the home opener and there not just going to show up, I expect them to battle us, and we have to be ready for the challenge.”