Indiana needed all three points Friday night against Ohio State. Coming in, the Hoosiers had just six points from five conference games and sat in the middle of the pack in the table.
After a first half which took some time to pick up, the Big Ten rivals went into the halftime break knotted at a goal apiece. Five minutes after the restart, the Buckeyes pulled in front with a goal from Michael Ndiweni.
“Going down woke us up a little bit,” senior forward Palmer Ault said. “We got punched in the mouth.”
Once again, Indiana trailed — a circumstance the Hoosiers have come across all too often this season. But Ault knew that Indiana had the right makeup to play with a deficit.
“I wouldn’t say we're comfortable in that spot, but there is a sense of urgency that we’ve found,” he said.
The No. 20-ranked Hoosiers would respond with three unanswered goals to take a 4-2 win and a much-needed three points from Ohio State.
It was a set play which got the Hoosiers back level. Charlie Heuer drew a foul on the left edge of the penalty box, essentially setting up a much shorter corner kick. Ault squared a pass for Alex Barger, who got Indiana level with a strike at the far post.
“After we got the goal to tie it, you just felt a flip,” head coach Todd Yeagley said.
For the 53-year-old, the set piece success is an encouraging sign as the schedule moves along.
“That goal was timely,” he said of the goal, which the Hoosiers practiced on the training ground during the week.
After assisting the second, Ault recorded Indiana’s third. The Butler transfer picked up a goal and two assists in total. His versatility is exactly why he's a MAC Hermann Trophy contender.
Yeagley calls him a “unique threat” for the versatility he’s able to offer going forward.
“Palmer has so many elements to his game,” Yeagley said. “He can beat you off the dribble, he can physically handle a matchup, he can stretch, he can play underneath, he can score from distance, he can get behind you. And he has a good final idea…he took us on his back in the second half.”
Ault’s goal was the 30th of his career, one which extended his Big Ten-leading scoring tally to nine. The conference’s points leader is also tied for third in assists with five. As Palmer Ault goes, the Hoosiers go.
With Ault powering Indiana to its third Big Ten win of the year, the Hoosiers now sit at fourth in the conference with nine points. A midweek road trip to Kentucky awaits on Tuesday as Indiana gets a break from conference play before five straight Big Ten games to close out the regular season.
Going into Lexington, Yeagley wants the set piece success to continue.
“If we can continue to get the goal when we need it…if we do that then we’ll make positive strides,” Yeagley said.
