The calendar has flipped to October, and with a little over one month remaining in the regular season, the number in the loss column for No. 2 Indiana reads the same as it did back in August: zero.
On Friday, the Hoosiers continued to build on what has already been a historic start, picking up arguably their best win of 2026 with a 3-1 defeat of No. 6 Maryland at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
After having a week to prepare for a tilt with the Terrapins, Indiana (9-0-2, 4-0-1 Big Ten) came out firing on all cylinders. It was a team ready to play from the start, and head coach Todd Yeagley detailed the importance of his squad’s time off postgame.
“They had a fun college weekend,” Yeagley said. “You need those. I felt they were really recharged Monday morning. We had a really good week of training.”
The time off showed for the Hoosiers, who dominated the first half, demonstrating relentless pressure while scoring twice in a three-minute span. Indiana scored first in the 17th minute on an own goal off the chest of a Maryland player, and just three minutes later, junior midfielder Charlie Heuer tallied his second goal of the season to double IU’s lead.
Heuer, who hadn’t scored since Aug. 23 against Evansville, spoke on the importance of snapping his cold stretch on offense postgame.
“It felt great,” Heuer said. “I felt like I’ve been getting a little bit unlucky in terms of getting those points, but I just wanted to keep my head down, keep working.
That short stretch allowed the Hoosiers to play with a lead the rest of the way, who added to their 2-0 advantage in the 63rd minute as junior forward and former Terrapin Stephane Njike found the back of the net for his second goal of 2026. Despite facing his former team, Njike didn’t view Friday’s game any differently.
"It’s just another game,” Njike said postgame. “I got emotional a little bit, but I needed it. So I handled it pretty well.”
After falling behind 3-0, Maryland (6-2-1, 1-2-1) wasn’t going to back down. For a period of time in the second half, the Terrapins strung together several chances on offense, eventually breaking through in the 71st minute with a goal from freshman forward Rodrigo Neri. However, that was the lone Maryland score, as junior goalkeeper Michal Mroz and the Indiana defense held firm the rest of the way, resulting in a 3-1 final and improving the Hoosiers’ record at home this season to 8-0.
At one point, Indiana was outshooting the Terrapins 16 to four. It was an offensive clinic against one of the best teams in the country, and a performance that cements the Hoosiers as a legitimate national title contender. As good as IU looked Friday night, Yeagley believes there is an even greater level of success his team is capable of reaching.
“I think there’s still another gear,” Yeagley said postgame. “(The first half) was like punching through the top gear. And that was good to see. We got three important points against a good team, and we move forward.”
With the win, Indiana remains atop Big Ten at the halfway point of the conference schedule. The Hoosiers now enter a break in Big Ten play and will face two more non-conference opponents in the regular season, starting with Kentucky Tuesday back at Jerry Yeagley Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
