Indiana University Women’s Soccer wins season opener against Illinois State
The Indiana University Women’s Soccer team kicked off the 2023 regular season with a 3-1 win over Illinois State Thursday Night on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers mission all off season is score more goals this season then they did a year when they scored 11 goals. So far, they are off to a good start with 3 after one game but it will be tougher on Sunday at Noon when they Host Virginia Tech. The Hokies won their season opener 3-0 at Butler Thursday Night. The Hoosiers had nine shutouts last season and giving up a second half goal will not sit well with goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg. Indiana’s backline had program record 788 minutes scoreless streak last season where the Hoosiers had eight consecutive shutouts to start the 2022 season. “Happy with the win, happy with the chances we got, happy with the goals we scored, not happy with the goal we gave up, but we will take it” Indiana Head Coach Erwin van Bennekom said after the game.
Indiana went on the attack early with Paige Webber and Anna Bennett getting the first two shots of the match within 20 seconds of each other within the first minute and half of the match. Bennett had 6 shots with three on goal, Sophomore Marisa Grzesiak from Menomonee Falls Wisconsin had 3 shots with two of those on goal and Paige Webber had a shot on goal. The Hoosiers struck at the 19:30 mark when Lauren Costello served a ball from the right side into the box where Paige Webber got her head on it and found a charging Anna Bennett who headed it home for the first goal of the season and her eight-career goal in a cream and crimson uniform. Costello got her first point as a Hoosier after the Junior from Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania transferred in from La Salle and Webber got her second assist of her Hoosier career to add to the one, she had during the 2021 season.
Indiana Freshman Elle Britt got a yellow card at 30:33 mark for unsporting. The Hoosiers outshot Illinois State 10-3 and a 6-0 advantage in shots on goal in the first half. Illinois State goalkeeper Audrey Brown made five saves while Indiana Goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg did not make a save. Indiana committed five fouls with Illinois State committing two. IU had 4 corner kicks to zero for the Redbirds and the Hoosiers were ruled offsides once.
In the second half Illinois State’s Katherine Ashley got a yellow card for unsporting at 47:46 mark. Indiana went at the Illinois State defense as Lauren Costello and Ava Akeel had shots that were off target in the first five minutes and twelve seconds. Indiana got a second goal at the 53:52 mark with Lauren Costello getting her second assist of the match played a ball into the box and Pagie Webber got her right foot on it and flipped it past Brown for Webber’s seventh career goal. Illinois State got one back at the 59:21 mark when Julia Ligoure scored off the right foot to the bottom right after Indiana Goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg with the assist to Katie O’Malley. Elle Britt had a good chance going to the top right at the 64:19 mark with Brown making the save. The Hoosiers scored off an Anna Bennett corner kick when she played the ball into the box as Piper Coffield got her foot on it in the box and it fell to the right foot of Lauren Costello who knocked it home past Brown at 73:09 for her first career goal as Hoosier. “She is an instant impact on the field” van Bennekom said of Costello, “Off the field she has been great she is adjusting and will keep adjusting to what we need from her”.
For the match Indiana outshot the Redbirds 18-10 with the Hoosiers having 10-2 shots on goal advantage. Audrey Brown made seven saves for Illinois State while Gerstenberg made two for Indiana. The Hoosiers committed nine fouls to five for Illinois State. Indiana had six corner kicks while Illinois State had four and both teams were called offsides one time each.
All Three Monroe County High School Football teams kick off the season at home tonight
The regular season of High School Football in Indiana kicks off this evening as the road to the State Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Thanksgiving Weekend begins with all three Monroe County teams at home and all kicking off at 7pm. Bloomington North takes on Mooresville, Bloomington South takes on Columbus East and Edgewood hosts Mitchell on the red carpet. The Bloomington South can be heard on WVNI 95.1 FM, and the Edgewood game is on WGCL 98.7 and AM 1370 here in Bloomington.
Scott Bless begins his 19th year as Bloomington North head coach. The Cougars went 6-5 a season ago and lost to Bloomington South 28-7 in the Sectional Championship game. The Cougars have a division 1 commit in Aidan Steinfeldt who is headed to Marshall University in Huntington West Virginia. Mooresville is coached by Mike Gillin who begins his 7th season with the Pioneers. Mooresville was 8-3 a season ago and lost to 35-14 to Brebeuf Jesuit in the Sectional Champion. Mooresville won this matchup 38-13 in Mooresville as the Pioneers have to replace star quarterback Nick Patterson who is playing for Division 2 Saginaw Valley State in Michigan this season.
Gabe Johnson beings his 4th season as Bloomington South head coach as the Panthers went 9-2 a season ago and a 31-14 loss at Castle in the Class 5A Regional Championship Game. The Panthers have 17 Sectional Titles in program history and are looking for a three-peat for the fourth time. The Panthers accomplished that feat 1991-1993, 1997-1999 and 2014-2019 when they won five in a row. Eddie Vogel beings his third season as head coach of Columbus East as the Olympians are coming off a 4-6 season last year and 4-6 season in 2021 which was their first losing season since 2002 when they finished 5-6 and the first time since 1997-98 season when they had back-to-back losing seasons and have not had three losing seasons in a row since 1996-98. Bloomington South won 35-7 in the Class 5A Sectional Semifinal matchup last season in Columbus. This is the first regular season meeting between the two powerhouses in over 40 years.
Scott Fischer begins his first season as Edgewood Head Coach looking to change a program that has been 2-8 the last two seasons and has not had a winning season since 2019. Fischer is the son of Legendary Indiana University Football and Basketball Radio Voice Don Fischer. Edgewood has upgraded their facilities with a new weight room and a commitment to the youth football programs in Ellettsville as they will field a freshman team for the first time in recent years as the numbers are up this season and there is excitement in the community. Mitchell is coming off a 1-9 season under second year head coach Kevin Kling with their only win coming against Crawford County 56-0 on September 16, 2022. Edgewood beat Mitchell 38-16 in the season opener last year in Mitchell.
Indiana University Football Wide Receiver Cam Camper on the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose watch list
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list will include Indiana football’s Cam Camper for the second straight season the Tyler Texas Area Chamber of Commerce and SPORTyler announced on Thursday. Camper finished as the leading Hoosiers receiver in 2022, despite missing the final four games of the season. He paced the receiving corps with 46 receptions, 569 yards and 81.3 yards per game. He was one of four IU pass catchers with multiple touchdown grabs and his 12.4 yards per reception paced all IU receivers with 20-plus catches in 2022. In his Indiana debut, Camper logged 156 yards receiving, the most by a Hoosier in a debut in program history. His 156-yard debut earned him honorable mention Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Player of the Week accolades. He logged multiple double-digit reception games in 2022 and is one of eight Hoosiers all-time (10 occurrences) with multiple double-digit catch games in a career. He enters 2023 just one double-digit reception game shy of Whop Philyor (3; 2019) and Damarlo Belcher (3; 2010).
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity; specifically, tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals. In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas high school and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or currently playing at Division I Texas four-year college. The Watch List announced Thursday will be narrowed to up to 16 semifinalists in November and then to five finalists in December. They will be selected by broadcasters, commentators, journalists, fans, and previous winners. The finalists will be brought to Tyler for The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Banquet in January.
Indiana University Swimming Coach Ray Looze repeats as ASCA Coach of the Year finalist
For the second-straight year, Indiana head swimming coach Ray Looze is a finalist for the ASCA George Haines Coach of the Year Award, honoring one coach annually for contributing to American swimming excellence at the world level. Looze served as an assistant coach for USA Swimming at the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships after helping four Hoosier swimmers make the national team roster – Lilly King, Josh Matheny, Anna Peplowski and Mariah Denigan all represented Team USA and Indiana University on the world stage. King, Matheny and Peplowski combined for five medals in Fukuoka. In all, Indiana swimmers earned eight medals at the world championships, including four more swimmers representing their respective countries.
The program’s success on the world stage came after a historic year domestically. Looze was named the Big Ten Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career after leading the Indiana men to their fifth Big Ten title in seven years and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The women’s team also tied a program-best finish at the national meet, placing seventh.
Indiana University Men’s and Women’s Basketball to host Hoosier Fan Fest Saturday Night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
The third annual Hoosier Fan Fest and Hoosier Fantasy Experience is set to begin today in Bloomington. Along with a golf outing and a chance to meet dozens of current Indiana players and coaches, one of the main attractions of the weekend is Hoosier Fan Fest on Saturday. The event, which starts at 7:30pm at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, gives Indiana fans their first opportunity to watch the 2023-24 Hoosiers in action. From a slam dunk and 3-point contest to a 5-on-5 scrimmage, to fan-involved competitions, Hoosier Fan Fest marks the unofficial start to the Indiana basketball season. For Indiana players, one of the major perks of participating in the festivities is the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities which accompany the weekend. Every dollar generated by Fan Fest ticket sales goes directly to the players in the form of NIL.
Over the last two years Fan Fest has seen a rise in popularity and fan turnout, which has proven to be a big help on the recruiting trail. Under third-year Head Coach Mike Woodson, the Hoosiers have experienced a wave of recruiting momentum in recent seasons. Indiana has landed a five-star prospect in each of the last three recruiting cycles Tamar Bates in 2021, Jalen Hood-Schifino in 2022 and Mackenzie Mgbako in 2023. Indiana’s efforts in the NIL space have also helped with the program’s pursuit of top transfers, including sophomore center Kel’el Ware. The 7-foot, former McDonald’s All-American is ranked the No. 2 overall transfer this offseason, and several NBA Draft analysts project Ware to be a top-20 selection in next year’s draft.
Indiana Pacers announce 2023-24 Regular Season schedule
The Indiana Pacers released its 2023-24 regular season schedule on Thursday, playing 40 of its regular season games at home at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The team will begin its 2023-24 season play at 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 against the Washington Wizards at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, located at 125 S Pennsylvania St. Single game tickets for the 2023-24 season go on sale at 2 p.m. on Sept. 27.
The Pacers will have four homestands at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse that will have at least four games. This season, the Pacers will also have four in-season tournament games, including: Nov. 3 vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m., Nov. 14 at the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m., Nov. 21 at the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 24 vs. the Detroit Pistons at 8 p.m. Teams which advance through the in-season tournament group stage will play knockout round games in early December. The winners will then play semifinal and final round games. Teams that do not advance will play two additional regular-season games, which will be announced at a later date.
Other highlights throughout the season, according to the release, include Nov. 24 vs. the Detroit Pistons at 8pm for the team’s traditional post-Thanksgiving game. Jan. 23 vs. the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets at 7pm and April 7: vs. the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat at 5pm. The Pacers are also scheduled to have six games nationally televised, including: Nov. 9: vs. the Milwaukee Bucks on NBATV, Nov. 30 at the Miami Heat on NBATV, Dec. 26 at the Houston Rockets on NBATV, Jan. 30 at the Boston Celtics on TNT, Feb. 26: at the Toronto Raptors on NBATV and March 24: Pacers at the Los Angeles Lakers on NBATV.
Indianapolis will host the 2024 NBA All-Star festivities. Gainbridge Fieldhouse will host the NBA All Star Game on Feb. 18 while the All-Star Saturday Night festivities, including the AT&T Slam Dunk, the Starry 3-Point Contest, and the Kia Skills Challenge, will be hosted on Feb. 17 at Lucas Oil Stadium. As preparations for the all-star festivities are underway, the Pacers will be on a three-game road trip starting Feb. 10, according to the release. Individuals are able to register for pre-sale access to single game tickets by signing up for Pacers Insiders emails. Other information on season tickets as well as group sales, suites and more, can be found on the Indiana Pacers website.
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