It was perfect weather for two Hoosier season debuts, one new and one returning as No. 14 Indiana looked to close out its in-state opponent homestand against the Butler Bulldogs. The Hoosiers remain undefeated in the season as they defeated the Bulldogs on Thursday night, 1-0.
A few press conferences ago, Indiana men’s soccer head coach Todd Yeagley said, “the students can make this thing.” Thursday's match was made when students could be seen in the stands waving a Ghana and France flag. The warm welcome was for Indiana’s No. 1 transfer Stephane Njike and Collins Oduro, who is returning to Indiana for his fourth year and is on the 2026 MAC Hermann trophy watchlist.
“They’re electric in different ways,” Yeagley said. “Collins was able to open the game up with his first touch of the game. He’s able to break through and he’s just so explosive.”
Njike was a starter while Oduro wouldn’t sub in for Charlie Heuer until the 28th minute. Although it was fast paced play out of the gate, both teams struggled on the offensive side for all of the first period. Njike and Oduro were not able to add to the goal side of the box score but did contribute to the 33 shot attempts combined from Indiana.
The struggle came from the hustle of Butler’s goalkeeper Brooks Boersma. Indiana had 15 shots on goal throughout the game and Boersma saved 14 of them. This marked a career high for the redshirt junior. He was unstoppable in the first half and consistent in the second.
Both Indiana schools desperately wanted to wash out the scoreless drought with a goal but the Hoosiers could not get a shot to land in the first period. Every shot attempted was stopped by Boersma or aimed toward the moon that rose over Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Junior defender and Ohio State transfer Nick McHenry made a name for himself in the most memorable way. After the 62nd minute, the junior snapped the Hoosiers’ scoreless streak off a corner kick. This would put the Hoosiers up 1-0, McHenry making the difference from a tied match to a victory lap.
“(Yeagley) told us at halftime that there’s blood in the water. One’s gonna fall,” McHenry said postgame. “After that we just gotta defend. That was the mindset at halftime.”
Indiana’s Oliver Moller-Jensen, who earned National Player of the Week last week, attempted 11 shots Thursday. He is now tied for the second-most shot attempts in a game in Hoosier history. The top slot belongs to Will Bruin’s 12-shot performance against Tulsa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 21, 2010.
Indiana scored a second goal in the 89th minute but was called for an offside. After a VAR Review the call stood and the score remained, 1-0 Indiana.
The Butler Bulldogs did not have as many touches with the ball as they only had two shot attempts and zero shots on goal, compared to IU’s 33 shot attempts and 15 SOG. This stat marks its highest single-match shot total since Oct. 27, 2023 versus Trine (34).
The Hoosiers will hit the road for the first time this season on Monday against the Louisville Cardinals with kickoff at 7 p.m. Both teams are 3-0 for the season so far and hope to stop one another's win streak.
