Indiana University Women’s Soccer plays Virginia Tech to a scoreless draw
The Indiana University Women’s Soccer Team battled Virginia Tech to a 0-0 draw Sunday afternoon on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. It’s the second straight meeting where the teams battled to a scoreless draw after last year’s meeting in Blacksburg Virginia. Both Teams are 1-0-1 on the season as The Hokies beat Butler 3-0 last Thursday Night in Indianapolis and have been in Bloomington since Friday where they took in the Indiana-Louisville Men’s Soccer Exhibition match in which the Hoosiers won that match 1-0. Virginia Tech leads the all-time series 1-2-2. “We are happy with the performance but not the result” Indiana Assistant Coach Tim Verschuren said after the game. “Had we been able to score in the second half anybody watching this game would not have been shocked by that”.
With temperatures in the upper 80’s and heat index in the lower 90’s the teams took a water break at the 22:02 mark of each half. Both teams went deep to their benches to make sure that players did not get overheated, but the Hoosiers also know that going into this season they have a lot more depth at many positions. “We have much more depth at several positions and when we get some players back from injury, we will have more depth at every position, but we feel comfortable with the depth that we have this season” Verschuren said.
In the First Half Indiana was able to get of six shots but none of them were on goal. Indiana controlled the temp early keeping the possession. Once the Hokies got a chance to control of the ball, the Hokies got the first shot at the 2:28 mark when Anna Weir went bottom center of the net and Indiana Goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg got the save. The Hokies got their second shot on goal when Samantha DeGuzman went bottom center of net and Gerstenberg got her second save of the match. IU had 3-0 advantage on corner kicks. The Hoosiers committed six fouls to four for the Hokies and Virginia Tech was called three times for offsides.
In the second half the battle continued as the Hoosiers got four shots off to one for the Hokies. The Hoosiers got four shots on goal by Kennedy Neighbors at the 60:07 mark and Paige Webber at 78:46, Anna Bennett at 85:40 and Olivia Albers at the 88:30 as Virginia Tech goalkeeper Alia Skinner made all four saves after not having to make a save in the first half. The Hokies were called for five fouls while the Hoosiers had two fouls in the second half. Virginia Tech was called for offsides once in the second half. For the match IU outshot the Hokies 9-4, IU had 4-2 shots on goal advantage, Virginia Tech keeper Alia Skinner had 4 saves and recorded her second shutout of the season. Indiana Goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg had 2 saves and records her 16th career shutout. The Hokies had nine fouls and IU had eight. IU had 7 corner kicks to just two for Virginia Tech and Hoosiers were not called for one offside in the match while Virginia Tech was called four times and neither team picked up a card.
The Hoosiers will host Morehead State on Thursday at 8pm to conclude the three game homestand. Indiana feels good about where they have come from a season ago when they play Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. “We have come a long way since we played them last year and to get a shutout against a quality team is huge” Verschuren said.
Indiana University Men’s Soccer closes out the Exhibition Season with a win over Louisville
The Indiana Men’s Soccer team won its third and final exhibition match with a 1-0 win over the Louisville Cardinals Friday on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers who finish the exhibition season 3-0 outscored their three opponents 5-1 in exhibition play as they get ready for a road trip to Notre Dame on Thursday before the home opener five days later against DePaul. This game was played until the traditional format of two 45 halves. There was a great crowd and perfect night for soccer and this game felt like a regular season game than it did the final exhibition match. “We play Louisville every year in the preseason and its always feels like a regular season game and the crowd was great and we know they are a very physical team” Junior Tommy Mihalic said after the game.
Indiana scored in the 50th minute when Mihalic made a run down the left-hand side and shots off the left foot past the Louisville Goalkeeper for his second preseason goal along with 2 assists. The Skokie Illinois native started the game with 2 shots on target testing the Cardinals back line from the start of the match. “I didn’t get great shots off in the first half but I saw the 1 v 1 opportunity and I am confident in my abilities and pushed it left of the keeper” Mihalic said. Indiana had an 8-1 shots advantage, Louisville had 4 saves with Indiana Goalkeeper JT Harms making 1 save and IU had one corner kick. The physical play of the Cardinals showed early on as Louisville committed 14 fouls and had two yellow cards. The Hoosiers had 5 fouls in the first half.
Freshman Alex Kara who has been splitting time with JT Harms between the pipes for the Hoosiers started the second half replacing Harms. Kara did not make a save in the second half against his hometown team. Kara played his HS soccer at the Louisville Collegiate School. While JT Harms is the clear choice for the number 1 spot in goal Indiana Head coach Todd Yeagley knows he has to get his freshman experience in the net. “Alex has a great upside and we have to get him the experience in games for if he is called upon and he has to make better decisions at times and the only way to learn is by playing” Yeagley Said after the game.
Indiana outshot Louisville 16-3, The Cardinals made seven saves with the Hoosiers making one. The teams had two corner kicks a piece and Louisville committed 22 fouls to 10 for IU. Louisville is coached by former Hoosier John Michael Hayden who is in his fifth year as a head coach was an assistant coach for the Cardinals for four seasons. Hayden played at IU from 2003-06 and won back-to-back national championships in 2003-04 and was selected 13th overall by the Houston Dynamo in the 2007 Major League Soccer Superdraft and won an MLS Cup Championship with the Dynamo in 2007. Hayden is a Louisville native playing for Trinity HS and was an assistant coach at Lipscomb and Xavier.
The Hoosiers always play a tough schedule and opening at in state rival Norte Dame will not be easy, but Coach Yeagley knows the crowd that will be there and that the Hoosier faithful will be there as well. “Always a tight game and we know that they will have a good crowd, but we always have a good following from the fans who live in the northern part of the state and the alumni who come over from Chicago” Yeagley said. Indiana also got out of this game healthy and that will be a key going into Thursday’s match with the Fighting Irish.
All three Monroe County High School Football teams win season openers
The High School Football season kicked off the 2023 season Friday Night as all three Monroe County High School Football Teams were at home and all three came out victorious to start the season 1-0. Bloomington North beat Mooresville 34-29, Bloomington South beat Columbus East 45-10 and Edgewood beat Mitchell 41-27. It’s the first time since 2019 that all three teams have won their season openers.
Edgewood Head Coach Scott Fischer won his debut as Edgewood Head Coach, and he becomes the first Edgewood Coach to accomplish that feat since Ron Beaty in 1984 when Edgewood beat Bloomington South 14-12. Edgewood leads the Series 15-8 and Gabe Drew had 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns and Grant Coffey added two of his own. Edgewood travels to Washington on Friday Night as the Hatchets are looking to bounce back after 34-18 Week 1 loss at North Daviess.
Bloomington North and Mooresville were tied 14-14 at half. The Cougars would score the first 20 points of the second half as the Pioneers answered with 15 points of their own. Bloomington North was able to hang on for its first opening season win since a 48-8 home win over Greenwood in 2021. Bloomington North hosts Bedford North Lawrence Friday Night. The Stars fell at Martinsville 23-19 in Week 1.
Bloomington South led 21-10 at halftime with the Panthers scoring 24 points in the second half and holding the Olympians scoreless. Bloomington South Head Coach Gabe Johnson gets his third straight opening win his fourth season as Panthers head coach. Bloomington South Hosts Martinsville Friday Night. Martinsville won its season opener 23-19 over Bedford North Lawrence.
NCAA changes rules to the Indiana University Basketball Fan Fest before the Event In an abrupt change in its own interpretation of its own rules, the NCAA Last Thursday afternoon said college athletes can no longer play in fan fest events. The NCAA Thursday afternoon called Indiana University and shut down the playing portion of Saturday’s Fan Fest at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall that has been in the works for well over a year. The NCAA made its ruling a little more than 48 hours before the event was to begin. Indiana has held a fan fest the previous two years that the NCAA deemed to be in compliance with all rules.
The Fan Fest with the IU basketball men’s and women’s basketball teams went on as schedule Saturday night. There were autograph sessions, interactive events where IU players coach fans on the court, interactive things with IU players and more. There was no scrimmage, dunk contest or 3-point contest. Indiana and the Hoosier Hysterics were in the middle of finalizing details when the NCAA called with its new ruling. In their conversations with IU, the NCAA said no rule has changed, but NCAA compliance officers changed their own interpretation of their own rules. The Hoosier Basketball Fan Fest states that players receive NIL compensation only for appearances autographs, photos, etc. Those are still allowed, so those went on as scheduled Saturday at Assembly Hall.
According to sources, the NCAA claims it is shutting down the playing portions of fan fests around the country, which are now held at a number of schools. Over the past decade or so, the NCAA has lost a number of court cases as it tried to prevent players from receiving compensation from their own name, image and likeness, at the same time TV contracts for football and men’s basketball surpassed a billion dollars. The Fan Fest was a part of the Hoosier Fantasy Experience Weekend which includes a Fantasy Camp, Fantasy Golf Outing, Fan Fest and Women’s Basketball Day Clinic for children in grades 1-6.
Indianapolis Colts rally to beat the Chicago Bears in second preseason game
The Indianapolis Colts beat the Bears 24-17 on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium to wrap up three days of work between the two teams. They had two productive days of workouts on Wednesday and Thursday at Grand Park in Westfield, so most of the starters for both teams did not play in the game, including starting quarterbacks Anthony Richardson and Justin Fields. Veteran back-up quarterback Gardner Minshew started for the Colts and had another solid outing, leading the team on 12-play, 74-yard scoring drive capped by a four-yard touchdown pass to Juwann Winfree to give the Colts the early lead. Minshew finished 13 of 15 for 107 yards and a TD.
Chicago surged ahead 17-7 behind a touchdown run by quarterback Tyson Bagent and a TD catch from former Colts’ wide receiver Daurice Fountain. Sam Ehlinger rallied the Colts in the fourth quarter with a five-yard touchdown run and second scoring drive finished off by a Jake Funk TD run and two-point conversion. The Colts will have a joint practice with the Eagles on Tuesday in Philadelphia before playing their final preseason game on Thursday night.
Washington Mystics hold off the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
The Indiana Fever (8-24) dropped an 83-79 affair to the Washington Mystics on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fever forward Emma Cannon was Indiana’s leading scorer for the second time this season as she netted 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting off the bench. Cannon recorded 10 of her 17 points in the final quarter and pulled down six rebounds on the night. WNBA All-Star Aliyah Boston contributed a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. With her six field goals this evening, Boston took sole possession of first all-time in franchise history in field goals made by a rookie. Boston ended the night with 190 field goals through the first 32 games of her career, surpassing Tamika Catchings’ 184 field goals in 2002.
With her second assist of the night in the second quarter, Fever guard Erica Wheeler became the 35th player in WNBA history to record 1,000 career assists. Wheeler joins Becky Hammon as only the second undrafted player to achieve the feat, per Across the Timeline. Wheeler also added 12 points against Washington to go along with six rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell contributed 15 points and a team-high seven assists, while Kristy Wallace added eight points after earning her third consecutive start. In addition, rookie guard Grace Berger recorded her 100th point on the evening. Former Indiana University Standout Grace Berger scored 5 points in 14 minutes. Berger went 2-3 from the field 1-1 from downtown along with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a turnover.
Indiana’s 66.7 percent (6-of-9) shooting from the floor within the first three minutes allowed the Fever to open the matchup with a 10-3 scoring run. Though Washington shot 33.3 percent (2-of-6) from the court in the beginning of the first quarter, it responded with a 12-4 scoring run of its own, earning the Mystics their first and only lead of the quarter at the 2:20 mark. With the help of Boston, who recorded eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and pulled down five rebounds, the Fever quickly took back the advantage as the quarter ended with Indiana leading, 18-16. Cannon’s seven points and Boston’s six points guided the Fever through the second quarter that featured seven of the half’s nine lead changes. Though Indiana shot 0-of-9 from beyond the arc in the first half and Washington went 8-of-14, the Fever outscored the Mystics in the paint, 30-8. The teams went into the locker room tied, 42-42, at halftime.
The Fever improved its shooting behind the arc in the third quarter as they completed four 3-pointers on six attempts while also holding the Mystics to 30 percent (3-of-10) from the floor in the first six minutes of the half. Mitchell contributed seven points in the third quarter scoring effort, while Wallace added six points on a perfect 2-of-2 shooting clip from the three-point line. Washington responded to an Indiana 11-3 scoring run with a 12-0 scoring run of its own as it led, 62-59, going into the final quarter. Once taking the lead at the 3:55 mark in the fourth quarter, the Mystics would not trail again as the Mystics expanded their lead to seven points on one occasion. The Fever made a short comeback effort after halting a Mystics 15-6 scoring run with two 3-pointers from Cannon and reduced the deficit to two points with 9.3 seconds remaining to play. Two free throws in the final seconds from Natasha Cloud solidified the win for Washington.
Washington was led by Brittney Sykes, who tied a season-high 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the court and 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Sykes also pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists. Cloud followed behind with 16 points and five rebounds, while Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added eight points. Indiana outrebounded the Mystics, 36-27, while allowing Washington only three rebounds on the offensive glass.
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