The ISU soccer team won their second straight home game tonight defeating Cleveland State 3-1 in a non-conference contest at the ISU Soccer Complex. The Sycamores continue to up their record and are now 4-5 on the year.
Indiana State dominated the first half of play against an aggressive Cleveland State soccer team, but could not find the back of the net. “In the first half we did not have a great rhythm of play when we got in their final third,” said head coach Vernon Croft. “When we got there we didn't know what to do with the ball.”
The second half was a different story. Five minutes into it, Shae Fehribach netted her first goal of the season off a corner kick by Lauren Podolski. The Vikings answered back at the 67-minute mark when they put a shot past ISU keeper Rachel Rudzis.
Meaghan Gaffney, who has been playing in the back for the Sycamores due to injuries, was pushed up into the midfield in the second half to her natural position. What a great move by Croft. Gaffney took a shot in the 77th minute right inside the top of the 18-yard box as she fell to the ground and watched the ball sail over opposing netminder Kelly Zinkiewich. It was Gaffney's first goal of the season.
But she wasn't done yet. Less than five minutes later, Gaffney found Podolski who flicked it to Sarah Whiteley to tack on an insurance goal. Whiteley managed to maneuver around Zinkiewich and placed the ball into an empty net. It was Whiteley's team-leading fourth goal.
Nineteen of twenty-three Sycamore players got in the game Friday night in what turned out to be a well-deserved victory for ISU. It was the first game that the team had everyone cleared to play for the year. “We ran some numbers at ?em which helped exhaust them,” said Croft about his substitutions. “I knew if we kept subbing we would run them into the ground.”
And that they did.
The Sycamores will take the field on Sunday to complete their three-game homestand. The Illini, the thirtieth best team in the country, will try and prevent ISU from winning their third straight game in a row. Sunday is “Youth Day” and “L.A.C.E.S Day” so please come out and support Sycamore soccer. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
