It’s not often in a game like soccer where your tried-and-true defenders are the ones who fully win you a match. Simply put, defenders aren’t the ones who are scoring goals, which is what you need to win.
However, with a team like No. 14 Indiana, where talent is plentiful across the board, a game where your defenders dominate could certainly happen.
In Bill Armstrong Stadium on Tuesday night, that was the case with IU’s 4-1 win against Wisconsin in its return to conference play.
Indiana broke open its scoring with a set-piece goal, as Alex Barger sent a rocket off the bar and in after a deflection from a corner kick. Barger’s goal marks his third of the season, which already surpasses the total of his first two seasons combined.
“We’ve had a lot of emphasis on our restarts,” Barger said postgame. “We started off the beginning of the season, maybe not where we wanted to be with some of the restarts, and now we’re starting to tune it in. That becomes a real threat.”
The match wasn’t entirely out of reach for the Badgers heading into halftime, but that didn’t last long. Off of another set piece, Breckin Minzey found the back of the net off a header to give Indiana the 2-0 lead in the 46th minute. Three minutes later, Josh Maher got a goal off of another restart, and Collins Oduro would all but wrap things up in the 64th minute.
“Especially against a team that is very restart-driven, for us to get three goals on restarts, this was probably my favorite goal-scoring night,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said postgame. “When you’re scoring restart goals, it changes a lot. Maybe it’s 1-0 if we don’t get one. We haven’t been consistent, but the execution was excellent tonight.”
Perhaps the most clinical part of the defense was, well, their defense. The Hoosier backline, along with goalkeeper Judewellin Michel, let up just seven shots on the night. The lone goal from the Badgers came off a deflection in the latter stages of the second half. However, Michel’s presence stood out as he fared well in his first Big Ten match.
“Jude’s been a really special guy that we’ve had,” Barger said. “He didn’t quite get into the start at the beginning, but we could see that he had some very special talent. He brings a real good voice for us and gives a lot of confidence for me in the back line.”
As the Big Ten season starts to dwindle, another three points for the Hoosiers go a long way, as they now sit fourth in the Big Ten standings and, as of now, have secured the last spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
However, the Hoosiers have no slouch in their next opponent, as they travel to face off against No. 4 Maryland in a key rivalry matchup. Even though the Hoosiers haven’t been looking forward to the season, this match specifically has been on their radar.
“It’s a fantastic rivalry and a really healthy rivalry,” Yeagley said. “We both have a lot of respect, and have both been the leaders for many, many years. We’re both going to go after it. This is just one that I know the guys have been looking forward to.”
The Hoosiers kick off against the Terps at 8 p.m. Eastern in College Park on Friday, Oct. 24.
