Women's soccer: IHCC looks to bounce back after disappointing loss
Aug. 25—OTTUMWA — Lotte Adams just missed netting the game winner two minutes earlier, firing a shot at the net the drifted just a couple feet to high.
In what might have been the last chance to clinch an upset win, Adams didn't miss on her second shot from 25 yards out. With just 72 seconds left in the second and final overtime session on Sunday, the freshman from Germany lofted a shot that lifted Illinois Central to a stunning 2-1 win over No. 17 Indian Hills on Sunday, handing IHCC it's first home loss in four years.
"I was just hoping the next shot would be the winning shot," Adams said. "I always hope that every ball I shoot will wind up in the back of the goal."
Adams did more than just clinch a 2-0 weekend for the visiting Cougars at the season-opening IHCC Classic. The goal ended a 38-match home winning streak for the Indian Hills women's soccer program dating back to a 2-1 loss against Iowa Western on Sept. 20, 2018.
Dare Kroeten, who has been part of the last 11 wins at home for IHCC and 19 wins in 22 matches, talked about what Sunday's loss might mean for a Warrior women's soccer team trying to sustain success despite a sudden coaching change and several sophomores that have departed from last year's 18-2 team.
"I don't think that winning is going to come as easily as it did last year," Kroeten said.
Indian Hills, 1-1 after a somewhat surprising split in their home classic, showed that fight throughout Sunday's match with Illinois Central. The Warriors had to play the final 8:26 of regulation and nearly 20 minutes of overtime short-handed after Kenya Lee was given a sudden red card for tripping Adams on a late run down the field.
Several Warrior players could be found wrapped up in ice packs after the physically grueling contest on Sunday. Rhiannon Travers suffered an injury battling for the ball during the first overtime period, taking out one of IHCC's top defenders.
"We gave everything we had and we still had a little bit more to give," Kroeten said. "It just came down to a great shot at the net. There's nothing you can do when it gets down to a golden goal like that."
Kroeten assisted on the goal by sophomore teammate Rebekah Gutierrez that came in the 24th minute, less than six minutes after Adams scored on the first shot of the match for Illinois Central. Through two matches, IHCC has been outshot by their first two opponents 19-16 with just eight shots on goal over nearly 200 minutes for the Warriors, less than a third of the average shots taken last season when Indian Hills averaged 5.65 goals and 25.8 shots per game.
"I do think we have a bunch of fighters on this team," Kroeten said. "We're going to fight every single game. I still think this season is going to be a lot of fun to watch."
Indian Hills will look to bounce back on the road this weekend with two more tough matches on deck. The Warriors head to Murfreesboro to face Wabash Valley on Saturday and Motlow State on Sunday in afternoon matches in Tennessee.
— Scott Jackson can be reached at sjackson@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter@CourierScott.