After a long summer, students have returned to Bloomington and the latest installment of the quest for nine is officially underway. The preseason No. 22 team in the country handled business at home as Indiana defeated in-state rival Notre Dame 3-1 to improve to 1-0 on the young season.
Last year, the Hoosiers’ home opener against No. 9 Clemson drew 6,395 fans, which was the then-third largest crowd in program history. It only took one season for that number to be topped, as 7,078 fans were in attendance for Thursday’s game against the Fighting Irish.
Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley, who enters his 17th season in Bloomington, emphasized the importance of having a strong environment at Bill Armstrong Stadium postgame.
“Keep bringing (the fans) back here, and it’s a huge home field advantage for us,” Yeagley said. “It feels amazing. Everything about it is, it’s a fun place to be.”
In front of a raucous crowd, the Hoosiers came out somewhat slow, which Yeagley attributed to “anxious energy” that is not uncommon to surface in the opening game of the season. However, that slow start was erased as in the 14th minute fourth-year forward Oliver Moller-Jensen netted his first goal with the Indiana program to put the Hoosiers ahead 1-0.
Moller-Jensen, who spent the first three years of his collegiate career at Florida Atlantic, turned over an Irish player just outside of the box before scoring unassisted on a shot that skipped past the diving hands of third-year goalkeeper Blake Kelly.
The FAU transfer expanded on why he felt joining the Indiana program was the right fit postgame.
“I wanted to challenge myself,” Moller-Jensen said. “(Indiana) had such high standards and expectations for the season and individually as players…it’s an environment I want to put myself into.”
Following the opening goal of the game, the Hoosiers continued to apply pressure, creating additional offensive opportunities and racking up shot attempts. Notre Dame could only withstand the relentless Indiana attack for so long as third-year forward Easton Bogard scored in the 37th minute to double the Hoosier lead in the closing stages of the first half.
Moller-Jensen, who tallied five points in the season opener, assisted on the goal, finding Bogard who stutter-stepped before sending the ball into the upper-right corner of the net for his first of the season.
Indiana took a 2-0 advantage to the break and came out of the halftime period with a sustained level of aggressiveness that was present for the majority of the night. In the 57th minute, Moller-Jensen found the back of the net for the second time, as he found himself in the right place at the right time after a shot attempt by fourth-year defender Alex Barger ricocheted off of the right post and into the feet of Moller-Jensen in front of a wide-open net.
Moller-Jensen, who is part of the No. 1 ranked transfer portal class in the country according to TopDrawerSoccer, had high praise from his new head coach postgame.
“He’s one of the more complete attackers that we’ve had here,” Yeagley said. “His ability to beat players with his dribble and his pass is really good. And he’s so smart.”
The lone Fighting Irish goal came in the 83rd minute, as third-year goalkeeper Michal Mroz was assessed a foul in the box, allowing fifth-year midfielder Vlad Walent to capitalize on a penalty kick opportunity and avoid the shutout.
It was a far from perfect performance, but the Hoosiers controlled the majority of the game against a respectable Notre Dame squad without two of its expected best players in third-year forward Stephane Njike and fourth-year forward Collins Oduro. Despite only being one game into the season, it’s an encouraging sign that this team has the depth it needs to compete for a ninth national championship.
Indiana will be back in action this Sunday at 8 p.m. as the Evansville Purple Aces travel to Bloomington for the second of three straight home matches against in-state opponents to open the season.
