Six home matches. Six wins.
That’s about as perfect a start in Bloomington as you can ask for if you’re Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley, as the Hoosiers defeated Washington 1-0 at Bill Armstrong Stadium on Thursday.
No. 2 Indiana (7-0-1, 2-0-0 Big Ten) has won six straight home games to begin the season, outscoring its opponents 13-2 in that span. The last time that happened? 2018, when the Hoosiers went undefeated at home en route to a 20-3-1 season and a College Cup appearance.
The defending national champion Huskies (4-3-1, 1-1-0 Big Ten) arrived in Bloomington boasting one of the nation’s top offenses, tallying 22 goals in their first seven matches of the season. Meanwhile, in its first seven matches, Indiana allowed just three goals, so Thursday’s matchup shaped up to be an unstoppable force vs. an immovable object.
Early on, Washington’s offense looked just as advertised, with three shots in the first eight minutes. The Huskies were flying all over the pitch and in firm control of possession, preventing the Hoosiers from garnering any attack.
But in soccer, things can change in an instant.
After a change in possession, junior forward Stephane Njike directed a ball into the box for junior forward Easton Bogard, who capitalized on a header opportunity, giving Indiana a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute — one it ultimately held on to the rest of the way.
Bogard attributed his fourth goal of the season to Njike postgame.
“(Njike) made it pretty easy for me,” Bogard said. “Just kind of dropped it on my head. So, that’s all I really had to do there.”
Momentum shifted substantially following Bogard’s goal as Indiana controlled possession for the majority of the first half. However, after the break, Washington had several chances to tie the game, including two shots in the final two minutes, but was unable to break even with the Hoosiers behind an outstanding performance by junior goalkeeper Michal Mroz.
Mroz, who transferred to Indiana this past offseason from the University of Evansville and won the Missouri Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year Award in 2025, recorded eight saves against the Huskies, his most in a single game as a Hoosier.
For much of the season, he’s avoided significant pressure in front of the net. However, Thursday was a different story, as Washington notched 19 shots, including eight on goal. It was only the second time this season that Indiana was outshot, but Mroz remained confident, helping deliver the Hoosiers’ fifth shutout of the season.
“Every save just gives me more and more confidence,” Mroz said. “I had eight saves, but (the defense) made those saves very manageable and very easy to deal with.”
Although the Huskies aren’t the same team they were a year ago, there is still plenty of talent on the roster, and shutting out an explosive offense averaging more than three goals per game is something Yeagley didn’t shy away from postgame.
“It’s a good sign for the crew,” Yeagley said. “Washington’s gonna win a lot of games. It’s a really good team.”
Life in the Big Ten doesn’t get any easier for Yeagley’s squad, as Indiana is back in action Tuesday for a tilt with No. 7 Wisconsin in Madison, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
