In their first game back off a big 2-1 road victory over No. 25 Kentucky, No. 21 Indiana returned to Bloomington to take on Division III opponent Hanover in the first ever meeting between the two programs.
The Hoosiers, celebrating senior night, sent off their graduating class in style with a convincing 8-0 drubbing of the Panthers for their third win in a row.
Right from the kickoff, the difference between the two sides was clear. Even with a heavily rotated starting lineup, the Hoosiers controlled the proceedings from start to finish.
Hanover hardly had any possession in the first half and could only register a single shot attempt. In fact, the Panthers only mustered four shots on the night, none on target. The Hoosiers totalled 24 total shot attempts, good for a goal every three shots.
Simply put, the game was never close. Still, the Hoosiers started slow, but kept their unrelenting high press on, eventually forcing a turnover which led to Michael Nesci opening the scoring with a nice individual effort in the 21st minute.
Once the Hoosiers broke the deadlock, the goals came with ease. Freshman Colton Swan was next to get on the score sheet with his first career goal in the 36th minute, tapping home a cross from Collins Oduro to double their advantage. It was a goal head coach Todd Yeagley said Swan needed badly.
“He needed a goal. (Scoring) is a feeling you gotta have as a striker,” he said as Swan finally opened his collegiate account.
The following three goals came from the most likely source; Palmer Ault scored a hat trick with three well-worked goals to extend his Big Ten-leading goal tally to 14 while also joining NC State’s Donavan Phillip for the most goals in the nation.
Yeagley knew the kind of impact Ault would bring to the Hoosiers when he transferred in from Butler. But despite the high expectations, the senior is still impressing. Yeagley says it’s time to take the discussion nationwide.
“He’s got to be in a deep discussion for national player of the year,” Yeagley said of Ault, who was recently named to the midseason watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy, the country’s most prestigious college soccer prize. “He’s earning all that conversation.”
Yeagley added that the deeper Indiana can go in the postseason, the stronger of a case Ault will have to be a finalist. But for a Yeagley squad which still has work to do in the Big Ten, the time to go on a run is now.
“Everyone knows the margins are tight right now,” Yeagley said as the Hoosiers sit in sixth place in the conference table with nine points. “Every point is critical…all we care about is Wisconsin Tuesday.”
Indiana will look to make it four wins in a row Tuesday against the Badgers, resuming Big Ten play with the first of four conference games to close out their regular season schedule.
