Indiana Hoosiers
Overall Rank: #38
#6 Big Ten
Indiana Team Page
Indiana had a banner year under first year coach Amy Berbary. They set a school record with 15 wins and even set program highs in goals, assists and shutouts. But, more importantly, they reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. Once there, the Hoosiers beat DePaul 1-0 in the first round before failing to put up much of a fight against North Carolina in the second round. Now the question is whether or not the program can stay on the rise.
2013 Record: 15-7-1, 6-5-0
2013 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Amy Berbary
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Abby Smith, Senior, M, 5; Kayleigh Steigerwalt, Junior, M, 5
Assists: Abby Smith, Senior, M, 8
Shots: Kayleigh Steigerwalt, Junior, M, 42
Saves: None
Other Key Returnees: M Jordan Woolums, M Tori Keller, M Jessie Bujouves, M Bekah White, M Rebecca Dreher, D Marissa Borschke
Key Losses: M Lisa Nouanesengsy, F Rebecca Candler, GK Shannon Flower, M Monica Melink, D Lara Ross
Strengths:
IU will need to rely heavily on their talent and experience in the midfield. Most notable is senior Abby Smith and junior Kayleigh Steigerwalt. Those two scored five goals each and combined for 15 assists. Jordan Woolums, Tori Keller, Jessie Bujouves, Bekah White and Rebecca Dreher are all experienced midfielders as well. Coach Berbary has also brought in a solid recruiting class. Molly Pittman, a transfer from Samford, will bolster the Hoosier back line. Of the nine incoming freshmen, forward Kayla Smith and Kayla Murphy and defender Nickie Zuckerman are the three most likely to make an immediate impact. But just having the depth that a big and quality recruiting class will give a team like the Hoosiers is very important.
Weaknesses:
The talk about Indiana in the offseason is mostly about who is not back. Lisa Nouanesengy was a huge reason why the offense scored more goals than ever before. She netted 11 in 2013 and 24 in her collegiate career. Forward Rebecca Candler nearly tied her own record for assists in a season. Last season she came up just one short of her ten assist campaign in 2012. It is almost the end of an era without those two. It gets worse though. Keeper Shannon Flower did not have the best November, allowing 13 goals in five games, but she did record nine shutouts on the year. Sarah Stone, who started seven games back in 2012, is the only keeper with any collegiate experience.
Final Projection:
The women’s soccer program as a whole is on the way up under Coach Berbary, but this year could be a small step back. Losing Nouanesengsy, Candler and Flower is a lot to overcome. With a non-conference schedule that should give the Hoosiers some time to adjust to their new roles, this is a team that has the potential to stick around the Big Ten title race for a while. They do get Penn State and Michigan, arguably the best two conference foes in 2014, at home and Indiana went 10-1 in Bloomington last season.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Tournament
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 1.87 (58th in nation, 6th in conference)
Goals-Against Average: 1.319 (177, 8)
Shutout Percentage: 0.391 (82, 3)
Save Percentage: 0.742 (245, 9)
Madness 2014 Women’s Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#103 Kayla Smith
See All College Sports Madness Top 44 Women's Soccer Previews
