A New Era for the Hoosiers
Indiana University's women's soccer program enters the 2026 campaign under head coach Josh Rife, who begins his second year at the helm after a promising 2025 turnaround. The team finished last season with a 5‑6‑6 record and a 2‑4‑5 mark in Big Ten play, a marked improvement over the 2024 bottom‑line finish.
The upcoming schedule features ten home fixtures and a cross‑country road trip that will test the Hoosiers against some of the nation's top programs. After exhibition matches against Louisville and Dayton, the regular season opens on August 12 at home against Hampton, followed by non‑conference contests with Youngstown State, Bellarmine, Xavier, Saint Louis and Ohio.
Key contributors are set to return. Goalkeeper Dani Jacobson, a graduate student from Parker, Colorado, started 17 of 18 games in 2025, while midfielders Jenna Chatterton, Kennedy Neighbors and Maggie Ledwith all logged significant minutes. Forward Aleyna Quinn, who missed the latter part of 2025 with a season‑ending injury, will be available again, adding depth up front. Defender Piper Coffield, a freshman and sophomore standout who sat out 2025 due to injury, is also slated to rejoin the back line, alongside Haden Vlcek, who started every game last year.
The Hoosiers will face a gauntlet of opponents, including six teams that earned NCAA Tournament berths in 2025 such as Ohio State, Michigan and Purdue. Big Ten play begins on September 10 against Nebraska at home, and the conference slate also includes road tests at Wisconsin, Northwestern, UCLA and USC. The season will close with a trip to Penn State's campus in Happy Valley.
Beyond the tough slate, the program harbors realistic goals. Returning to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2023 is the primary objective, and the ten home matches provide opportunities to build momentum. Coach Rife emphasized that the conference remains one of the most competitive in women's college soccer, making every point precious.