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(12/01/19 10:23pm)
Aidan Morris stood at the NCAA logo on the near sideline, right in front of Indiana’s bench.
Hands above his head, a look of disbelief across his face. His demeanor said it all. The Hoosiers simply couldn’t believe what had unfolded in front of them.
After 100-plus minutes of soccer on a cold, snowy first day of December, one slip by Jordan Kleyn sent IU home for the season. It wasn’t how a game of this magnitude should’ve ended.
But as Kleyn turned around to see UC-Santa Barbara’s Will Baynham pick off the miskicked pass in the open field right in front of the 18-yard box, he knew it.
There was nothing Jack Maher could do to stop it. Nothing Roman Celentano could do either as he dove to his right. Baynham buried his shot into the top right corner of the net.
A magical run for the Gauchos extended by at least one more weekend. The 2019 campaign for IU ended off the right foot of Baynham in a 1-0 loss to UC-Santa Barbara on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a real gutted locker room because they felt like they had so much more in them,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “It’s going to take a while for the guys to understand what they did. I just told them that I was proud of them. What they did to represent the program especially this year with so many new faces, I thought was incredible.”
A week after IU dismantled Kentucky 3-0 on a rather inviting November afternoon, Sunday couldn’t have been anymore the opposite. Before the match even started, snow began spitting sideways across Bloomington.
The conditions seemed as if they’d favor the home squad against the side from California, but no one would hold favor on a day like Sunday. In a physical, demanding matchup, the two sides were split evenly.
It seemed as though the match were destined to be decided in penalty kicks. It felt awfully similar to the Big Ten Tournament title against Michigan that was decided after two overtime periods. But it never got there. One mistake in the 103rd minute was the deciding factor.
“The wind played a huge factor today,” redshirt junior Spencer Glass said. “Whichever side you were, you could see that people were tending to play long balls closer to everything. Second balls were key. We kind of grew into it in the first half and from then on we knew what we had to do to deal with the elements.”
IU was without the services of center-back Daniel Munie on Sunday afternoon who provided a solid presence on the backline after inserting himself in the Starting XI midway through the season. His presence in a way wasn’t talked about enough through the season.
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Even without him, Kleyn more than held his own for the 100 minutes that he played. There was never any shortage of confidence.
“He’s great but we have all the confidence that (Jordan) Kleyn can step in and do the job,” Maher said. “For 100-plus minutes, he did extremely well. That one slip can’t really define a whole performance. I’ve always had the confidence in him. What he meant in his time here at Indiana is one we’ll remember for a very long time. He really cares about the program.”
This wasn’t the way that any of IU wanted to go out. At a program like IU, it’s national title or bust. But the clock ran out on IU.
In a year where IU consistently did enough to closely get by, it didn’t have one last push left in it. After the match ended, you could see how hard it hurt. None of the players on the pitch left the field. None of the bench players left the dugout.
“I don’t think you say anything,” Glass said. “Everyone is going to take it in their own way and you let them grieve it for a couple days. So I don’t think there’s anything to say at this point. It’s how you respond to this. Off a Round of 16 loss my freshman year, we went to two College Cups. It’s how you learn from it and bounce back.”
Yeagley laughs at the idea of how far this team’s come over the course of the season. Just three months ago, IU was blitzed in the first half of the season opener against Pittsburgh. Sunday, it was one bounce, one play away from at least a third straight Elite 8.
Part of it can be attributed to the play of IU’s captains, Glass and Maher. Throughout the whole season, those two held steady. They started every match right next to each other and both earned double digit point totals.
“Jack (Maher) is clutch and that’s the best way to describe him,” Yeagley said. “He shows up every day to train. And his mentality, the way he gets players to feel confident. The ability to talk to a multitude of different personalities is a gift. We look at his skillset on the field and that’s a gift but he just makes everyone better. That’s the ultimate compliment you can give to someone.”
Maher isn’t ready to look ahead to next season just yet. He knows that it takes some time to get over a loss like this. It was the same way last season when IU fell in the College Cup semifinals to Maryland.
But he knows how special this team was and how good next year’s squad is going to be.
“I think this is just the start for this team,” Maher said. “Indiana is a special place, a special program. We have coaches and players that understand what it takes to win. That’s the main takeaway that we come away with today. We know what it takes to win. It hurts. It’s going to hurt for years to come. But we’re going to learn from it. You can guarantee that.”
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Aidan Morris walked back onto Jerry Yeagley Field after everyone had left. With his airpods in, he sat on IU’s bench with his hands in his pockets.
It might’ve been for the final time in his brief but successful IU career.
He kissed his hand and touched the field one last time, putting the final touches on the wild, yet successful IU season.
(11/30/19 11:07pm)
West Lafayette, Ind.-- Last year after the Old Oaken Bucket game, Tom Allen walked into the Team Room in Memorial Stadium to face questions from the media after finishing a second-consecutive season 5-7.
The 28-21 loss to Purdue was the second loss in as many tries to its arch-rival and once again left Indiana on the outside looking in during bowl season.
During his postgame presser, a subdued Allen talked about the tears he saw in the locker room from both the veterans and young players who had to step up over the course of the season.
He vowed to take a deeper look at his program and to continue developing as a coach to best serve the team in front of him.
It wasn’t an overnight fix for a program that hadn’t seen a winning season since 2007 and hasn’t won a bowl game since 1991. And it still has a long way to go in what Allen is trying to build in Bloomington.
But instead of heading into the visitor’s locker room at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette to face a distraught team, Allen stormed across the field after Peyton Ramsey ran a quarterback sneak to beat Purdue 44-41 in double overtime.
It marked the first time IU raised the Old Oaken Bucket since 2016 and secured IU’s first eight-win season since 1993.
“This team had high expectations for this season and they expected to be in this situation,” Allen said. “You’ve got to earn it and obviously it’s not easy. That’s what they believe. It’s humbling. We don’t take anything for granted.”
There’s no denying how far Indiana has come in just the past season. It was the third with Allen at the helm but it was the first time that IU felt like any credible threat to the Big Ten.
Much of that can be accredited to the personnel changes made by Allen in the offseason. It started with the retirement of offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, a figure widely controversial in the ranks of IU fans.
His replacement: Kalen DeBoer.
In his first season as the offensive coordinator in Bloomington, IU has become the conference’s leading passing offense behind the combination of Peyton Ramsey and Michael Penix.
He’s turned Ramsey into a dual-threat at quarterback and has revolutionized an Indiana offense that under Allen, couldn’t find explosive plays and couldn’t move the ball down the field.
Saturday, that improvement was in full-force. Even without the services of Stevie Scott, Donavan Hale, Matthew Bedford, Coy Cronk and Penix, Indiana consistently carved up the Purdue defense.
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Sampson James ran for 118 yards and a touchdown in place of Scott. Whop Philyor returned from a concussion suffered against Penn State to catch eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
On top of that, Ramsey once again looked like an elite-level quarterback. It would’ve simply been foolish to think that a season ago when IU’s offense was stuck in its own backfield.
This was IU’s ninth time this season scoring more than 30 points, tied for a program record. It’s no coincidence that DeBoer’s performance this season hasn’t gone without recognition. He’s a semi-finalist for the Broyles Award, which honors the top assistant in College Football.
And the whole season, Allen has looked like a genius.
Building this program was as much about making the right decisions off-the-field as it was on-the-field. It was also about reiterating to the powers that be, that Allen was the right guy as head coach.
“When somebody puts their confidence in you and gives you an opportunity, you want to do everything to make them understand that they made a great decision,” Allen said. “You don’t know the future. I want them to know they made the right decision because I love this place. I worked my tail off to make sure they’re successful. I’m not guaranteed anything and I know that. They’re always going to get my very best no matter what it is.”
Allen checked the box with the hiring of DeBoer. He checked it again when he handed the reigns of the defense to Kane Wommack to focus on being a full-time head coach.
The defense has been inconsistent over portions of the season, allowing 30-plus points four times. But it’s found strides of success as IU has fought its way to eight wins.
A season ago, Allen struggled to admit the difficulty of balancing the head coaching duties with that of the defensive coordinator. But handing over the reigns to Wommack has changed the way Allen attacks ballgames.
It’s more time on game film or in the locker room. It’s more time recruiting top-level talent IU needs to compete with the best teams in the conference.
It’s why just a year later, IU is 8-4 and has spent time in the Top 25 of both the Coaches Poll and the AP Poll.
The decisions that Allen has made over the course of the last year and the things he’s been able to admit have helped change the trajectory of the program in Bloomington.
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Just one year after putting up a measly 21 points against Purdue, it was Ramsey diving into the endzone for his fifth overall touchdown and the 44th point of the game.
“Those are the kinds of things you dream about, making big plays in big games,” Ramsey said. “It was nerve wracking in overtime. But to have the opportunity to celebrate with those guys, it was awesome.”
Over this past season, IU has rekindled its offensive power, started to overhaul its defense and has built the most momentum this program has had in 20 years.
The emotion could be seen as the team darted to the end zone to celebrate with Ramsey and grab the Bucket. It could be seen as Jaylin Williams and Reese Taylor danced around on the Purdue logo at midfield. Or as Philyor jumped on Allen’s back as they left the field.
“It means a lot especially after not winning this game the last two seasons and being so close,” Ramsey said. “Finally getting the win here is awesome. You can see it with the celebration in the locker room, the emotion, it’s awesome.”
What Allen has built in Bloomington in just three seasons can’t be undermined. And how far he’s come personally and as a coach in the past year can’t be either. He’s building something special in Bloomington.
It’s why this year was so different. There were tears again in his post-game press conference. But only because he’s so thankful of where he started and how far he’s brought this team in his time as head coach.
“Living the dream has been pretty awesome,” Allen said. “I’m proud of this team and I appreciate the opportunity we’ve been given. I wanted this so bad for our university, alumni and for everyone that supported us and invested in this program.”
(11/24/19 8:47pm)
The Indiana reserves made a bee-line from the bench to meet Victor Bezerra as he ran to the corner flag on the near sideline at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
As Bezerra pumped his fists and leaped into the air to celebrate his first-half goal against Kentucky, the rest of the team joined in on the party.
It felt like there was a little added importance to the moment.
Not only was it IU’s first shot of the entire game, but it was the first goal IU scored against the Wildcats all season.
It was the moment IU needed against a team that has had its number the past two years. It was also the start of a special day for the freshman forward Bezerra to help carry IU through to the Sweet 16 with a 3-0 victory over Kentucky Sunday afternoon.
“It’s something I train a lot, finishing,” Bezerra said. “I was able to help the team out with three goals today and I’ll continue to try and help the team.”
If there was ever a time for Bezerra to having a coming out party, there was no better stage than IU’s opening game in the NCAA Tournament.
IU head coach Todd Yeagley joked that he would’ve felt a little more comfortable heading into today had he known Bezerra had three goals in him.
He came into the day with five goals on the season but hadn’t scored since October 29th against Ohio State.
By the end of the afternoon he was up to eight goals on the season, two clear of Josh Penn for the team lead after his hat-trick dispatched Kentucky and carried IU through to the next round.
He got the action started in the 21st minute after A.J. Palazzolo played a ball back to Bezerra inside the 18-yard box that was buried in the back of the net.
Just nine minutes later, it was Simon Waever who crossed a ball into Bezerra who found the goal once again to secure the brace.
(11/24/19 1:04am)
Stevie Scott buried through the IU offensive line for a first down with just over six minutes left in the third quarter Saturday afternoon.
By converting that fourth down from the Michigan 32 yard line, Scott gave IU a new set of downs deep in Michigan territory down 10 points.
But it was too good to be true. Another flag, this time a holding call on freshman tackle Matthew Bedford negated the run, forcing IU to send out Haydon Whitehead and the punt team to give the ball back to Michigan. It took IU out of field goal range let alone squashed IU's first offensive success since the first seconds of the second quarter.
IU’s execution in big moments against ranked opponents is like a scene in a movie that plays in the heads of IU fans on constant repeat.
It comes back in the same moments every year and dampers in any ounce of momentum that the IU football program is building.
Against Ohio State, it lasted the entire game. Michigan State and Penn State saw IU make enough plays to stay in the entirety of the game before it inevitably fell short in the closing moments.
On Saturday against Michigan it was a series of events that began with Donovan Peoples-Jones making an outstanding over the shoulder catch for a touchdown and ended with Nico Collins taking a Shea Patterson pass and dashing 76 yards to the endzone.
That score from Collins midway through the third quarter put Michigan up three scores and put the first nail in IU’s coffin.
“Michigan had a good scheme and we didn’t execute,” IU tight end Peyton Hendershot said. “It’s as simple as that. Credit to them for coming prepared, but we’ve got to execute better.
IU head coach Tom Allen talked all week about how important it was for the group of fifth-year seniors to put a bow on their successful IU careers with a win over a ranked opponent.
It had four chances this season and nine the two seasons prior. This group of fifth-year seniors led by Donavan Hale, Nick Westbrook and Hunter Littlejohn has just one ranked win to its name; a 24-21 win over a Michigan State team in 2016 that finished 3-9.
At the start of the ballgame, it seemed like IU might’ve finally exercised its demons and flipped the script. Peyton Ramsey led IU right down the field before Scott leaped over the pile for the first score of the game.
Two drives later, Scott helped push Ramsey into the endzone to retake the lead. IU wouldn’t score again after the 14:09 mark of the second quarter.
After awhile, the mistakes started to pile up. It was the blown coverage by, well, insert-name-here, member of the IU secondary.
Then it was the IU offensive line missing a block, allowing Ramsey to get crushed as he scrambled out of the pocket.
As afternoon turned to night and rain turned to snow on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, it became evident that IU isn’t quite built for this moment yet.
Allen’s job on the recruiting trail is to be applauded. He’s done an amazing job of putting IU in the position to even think about beating the Big Ten’s best.
But after awhile, quality teams will find and pick apart the liabilities in the opposition. For IU Saturday, it was the secondary headlined by Raheem Layne and Juwan Burgess that attempted to keep up with NFL-caliber receivers like Peoples-Jones and Collins.
Even Tiawan Mullen, who’s been outstanding all season long, struggled to guard the talented Peoples-Jones.
“One of our concerns was our secondary against their receivers,” Allen said. “We play a fair amount of man-to-man and they’re going to win some of those one-on-one matchups. But we’ve got to win some too and we didn’t win enough of those. There’s technique involved and size and speed are variables but I was not pleased with the level of football.”
IU can’t afford plays where it shoots itself in the foot.
It can’t withstand the numerous injuries. Already without leading receiver Whop Philyor, starting left-tackle Coy Cronk and starting quarterback Michael Penix, IU would add tackle Matthew Bedford, Scott and wide receiver Ty Fryfogle to the list before the game ended.
Saturday afternoon turned into another chapter in the “close, but not close enough” book written by IU football. It stayed with Michigan for a half before injuries and mistakes piled up.
This season which saw IU clinch bowl eligibility the last week of October and a winning season the first week of November, is the giant first step IU need to take in Allen’s rebuild of the program.
But its not quite ready to take the next step: beating the conference’s elite.
IU now turns its attention to Purdue and the Old Oaken Bucket game next weekend in West Lafayette. A win over a Purdue team, that can’t go bowling this season, would give Allen his first victory over the in-state rival and would give IU at least eight wins this year.
“When I talk to our players, I was very blunt,” Allen said. “It’s not what you wanted but it’s about what you want. How do you respond? The reality is we can’t do anything to change what happened so you’ve got to focus on the task at hand. We’ve got the chance to get an eighth win and win the bucket back. Those are two huge things we’ll put a premium on and this football team will be ready.”
Wins over injury-plagued teams like Purdue are the victories that Allen has to prove he’s really turned the corner. He did it against Maryland and Northwestern. Even Nebraska on the road.
A win over Purdue would do the same. It stumbles into West Lafayette losers of two straight and more injured than it has been all season.
But a win next week would prove that IU football is still on the right track.
(11/18/19 10:40pm)
For the 33rd consecutive season, Indiana has a spot in the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament.
It clinched its bid with a 4-3 Penalty Kick victory over Michigan at Ludwig Field in College Park on Sunday afternoon. That extended its consecutive appearances to 33, the longest active streak in the country.
The NCAA released the official tournament bracket on Monday afternoon. IU, after winning the Big Ten double, was named the No. 5 National seed, just one spot away from being a guaranteed host up until the College Cup.
“I think the five-seed, we deserved,” IU sophomore defender Jack Maher said. “As a whole, we have such a young team, but that’s been one of our strengths.”
What does this mean?
As a top-eight National Seed, IU is guaranteed to hose two games assuming it wins its first two matchups.
IU will play Sunday afternoon at Jerry Yeagley Field against the winner of an opening round fixture between Kentucky and Loyola-Chicago. That match is to be played in Lexington.
Kentucky and IU played each other back in October to the tune of a scoreless draw after 110 minutes. The defense of Kentucky did a stellar job using its size and speed to cut off the IU attack down the flanks and didn’t allow IU to play anything into the box.
It was perhaps one of the most frustrating offensive performances of the season for IU. But if there were any bright spots, it was the play of IU’s defense and the play of freshman goalkeeper Roman Celentano.
Since that match, IU’s 7-1-1 and revenged that lone loss with a victory over Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Loyola-Chicago and IU have never played in men’s soccer but Loyola is fresh off a victory over previously perfect Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament final.
The Road Ahead
The NCAA Tournament inevitably never goes as planned and certainly is never straight chalk. Last year, IU was the only top-four national seed to make the College Cup.
But it never hurts to look at how things could potentially work out.
This region is in the bottom left hand portion of the bracket, opposite of No. 1 overall seed Virginia on the same side.
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The four national seeds are No. 4 Wake Forest, No. 5 Indiana, No. 12 St. Mary’s and No. 13 Michigan.
With the addition of Maryland, three of the four Big Ten teams in the tournament are in the same region of the bracket.
This has the potential to be the toughest region in the entire field. No ranked team is safe from anyone in their first matchup of the tournament.
“Super happy with the seeding,” midfielder Joe Schmidt said. “We’re on a really strong side of the bracket.”
If IU were to win its first match, it would welcome a school from California to Bloomington out of the likes of St. Mary’s, California or UCSB.
The winner of that Sweet 16 matchup would advance to the Elite 8 where it would play the remaining squad from the other side of the region.
Even though Wake Forest is the top-seeded team in the region, Michigan is perhaps one of the strongest teams in the field behind its dynamic offensive duo of Jack Hallahan and Nebojsa Popovic.
Wake Forest will host any potential quarterfinal matchup given its seed if it remains in the tournament. If it exits and IU is still alive in the quarterfinals, IU would be the next team to host.
Predictions
Here comes the fun part. There’s never an easy answer to these predictions, but I’ll give it a whirl.
Round of 32:
No. 5 Indiana def. Kentucky
California def. No. 12 St. Mary’s
No. 13 Michigan def. Notre Dame
No. 4 Wake Forest def. Maryland
Sweet 16:
No. 5 Indiana def. California
No. 13 Michigan def. No. 4 Wake Forest
Elite 8:
No. 5 Indiana def. No. 13 Michigan
Final Thoughts
This region is anything but a cakewalk. There are multiple teams that could make an argument for getting out of the bracket and advancing to Cary, NC for the College Cup. IU and Wake Forest are the likely odds-on-favorites but it's college soccer; anything is possible.
(11/17/19 11:51pm)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — A.J. Palazzolo screamed from the top of his lungs, “we weren’t supposed to win anything this year.”
Thomas Warr yelled, “I sure do love winning.”
Indiana players congregated around the midfield logo at Ludwig Field in College Park, Maryland nearly 45 hours after dispatching of the host Terrapins and just five minutes after Josh Penn’s penalty kick gave IU the Big Ten Tournament title over Michigan.
“It feels really good to do it with this group,” Palazzolo said. “We’re a family. It’s hard to describe how this feels, but it really feels great.”
Spencer Glass was the first one to raise the trophy. His fellow captain Jack Maher right by his side.
The celebration was everything you would’ve expected and more. Because this one was different.
***
After 104 minutes of soccer Friday night and 110 minutes on Sunday, IU had given just about everything they had in College Park.
Palazzolo played all of Sunday with a white bandage wrapped around his head, his black eye nearly swollen shut after taking head-to-head contact in a collision against Maryland.
Joris Ahlinvi could barely run anymore, another knock late in the match limiting him in what was already an injury-plagued season.
But here came IU from the huddle, one last-ditch effort for a chance at the Big Ten Double.
The only fitting way the Big Ten Tournament title would be settled this season was with one thing: penalty kicks.
“We’re not pushing for overtime or PK’s,” Warr said. “We were out there pushing to win it the whole time. It is what we expected it to be. It was hard fought by both teams. Even around the group when it came to PK’s, we had this feeling of confidence that we were going to win it.”
Roman Celentano stopped the first. Joe Schmidt answered.
Michigan scored and then it was Palazzolo, calm and collected.
Again Michigan, but Warr to answer.
Then Celentano once again, diving to his left to stop Kevin Buca.
But on this day, not just one person could be the hero. Maher blocked, answered by a Michigan score.
All of that set up the crowning moment of the season and the prayer answered by the freshman Penn.
Like. Clockwork.
Overtime wasn't enough, but @joshpenn2's penalty kick goal was. Indiana secures its 14th Big Ten Tournament title tonight in College Park. #iums #B1GMSOC pic.twitter.com/5xraucfYMN
— The Hoosier Network (@TheHoosierNet) November 17, 2019
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From the moment it left his foot, everyone knew it was in. Indiana had won the Big Ten Double.
The first person mobbed in the post-game celebration: Roman Celenano.
This wasn’t supposed to be a moment that Celentano was in. He didn’t start a single match until Oct. 1 against Northwestern. But he’s been a natural from the start.
Two years ago, Trey Muse made huge penalty kick saves against Michigan State to send IU to the College Cup.
Last year, it was Sean Caulfield with an outstanding effort against Maryland in PK’s to send IU to the Big Ten Tournament final.
Sunday, it was Celentano. The freshman. The guy who saved IU so many times. He stopped the first Michigan kick to give IU an immediate advantage. Then the fourth kick to give IU the chance to win it.
After Penn’s fifth-round kick went in, Celentano found himself at the bottom of the dogpile, a plethora of emotions overcoming him.
“Roman stepped in and has been with this team seamlessly,” Warr said. “Looking back, it seems like goalkeepers are born to make penalty saves at IU. Huge to have him back there.”
The celebration lasted for more than half an hour. The players so antsy for the trophy were asked to back away from it because they kept touching it.
I caught the celebration as it unfolded when Indiana won the Big Ten Double.
Take a look at the celebration through my lens for @TheHoosierNet. #iums pic.twitter.com/BCWlIebSOl
— Jared Rigdon (@RigdonJared) November 17, 2019
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Even after losing 10 starters from last year’s team, after playing its first five matches of the season into overtime and after getting obliterated 3-0 by Maryland on the same field less than a month ago, here was IU.
Tired and bruised, IU came to the center of the pitch for photos and to collect the trophy all with one thing in the back of their minds.
Head coach Todd Yeagley wrote three goals on the board the first day of IU practice this season. IU’s won the Big Ten regular-season title and now the Big Ten Tournament title.
But they’re not done yet.
Because there’s still a third box to check.
(11/16/19 3:37am)
COLLEGE PARK — Early Friday morning, IU head coach Todd Yeagley asked his penalty-kick takers to write down how confident they felt in taking a penalty shot if the moment arose.
Sophomore defender and captain Jack Maher wrote “I’m going bottom left and I’m scoring a goal”, folded up the paper and handed it back to Yeagley.
Later Friday night, Maher stepped to the spot after a Matt Di Rosa handball gifted IU a penalty kick in the 104th minute. He looked at the ball and knew where it was going.
Bottom left and in.
Maher’s goal gifted IU a 1-0 victory at Ludwig Field in College Park to send it to the Big Ten Tournament final Sunday afternoon against Michigan and ensure IU a chance to play for the Big Ten double for the second straight year.
“It’s one of those moments where you just try and live in the moment,” Maher said. “I just dreamed about it and it ended up happening. I try to visualize that kind of stuff and I was confident about it.”
Friday’s match lived up to the hype and more. After getting embarrassed at the hands of the Terrapins less than a month ago, IU faced questions on how composed they would be a second time around.
IU answered the bell from the get-go to the tune of 21 shots. It won 11 corners thanks to the play of veterans like defenders Spencer Glass and Simon Waever as well as young talent like forward Josh Penn.
Yeagley watched film after the first match with Maryland and realized IU could have more space down the flanks if it advanced the ball. To fix that, IU allowed Glass and Waever to play up in attack and off the backline.
Not only did that throw off Maryland’s fullbacks, the DiRosa brothers, but it allowed IU to open the space in the midfield for guys like Penn, forward Joris Ahlinvi and midfielder Aidan Morris.
Ahlinivi has struggled with injuries all season but seems to be in his best form as IU heads into the stretch run. Having him in the lineup makes IU’s offense even more electric and gives Yeagley more options off the bench.
“He can change the game with his dribbling and movement and just take guys out of the game,” Yeagley said. “He created two or three of our best attacks by just dribbling or breaking off the line. He’s got something special and we’re happy to have him in the mix and available to us.”
It was fitting that on a night where IU dominated the midfield and controlled the possession for a majority of the game, that the match would be settled by one small mistake.
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If not for the play of Maryland’s goalkeeper Niklas Neumann, IU might’ve had a three or four goal lead. Neumann stood on his head in net all night, knocking away each chance that IU threw at him. On any other night, this performance makes headlines. But Friday was IU’s night.
“He was good, excellent,” Yeagley said. “All night. He really made a difference.”
Friday’s win secures a spot in Sunday afternoon’s Big Ten Tournament title against third-seeded Michigan. It marks the second straight year the two programs have played in the final, with IU winning last year’s match 3-0.
"We expect it and wanted to do it all year,” Glass said. “Now, it’s just another game for us.
Neumann made the right read on Maher’s game-deciding penalty-kick. But it didn’t matter. Maher knew exactly what was going to happen.
Bottom left. And he scored.
(11/14/19 8:48pm)
Indiana’s first match with Maryland seems like an eternity ago.
It was that night that Maryland ended Indiana’s regular season conference unbeaten streak and left IU struggling to comprehend what had just unfolded in front of 4,800 people at Ludwig Field in College Park.
IU quickly moved on from that night, but the memory still lingers behind. Since that game, IU has won five straight matches, outscoring opponents 16-2. In that stretch, IU won four conference games, including two against Ohio State, and took down Michigan State to claim the Big Ten regular-season title.
Now IU heads back to College Park after a physical, yet resounding 2-0 win over a 10-man Ohio State side in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Maryland defeated Northwestern 1-0 in the corresponding quarterfinal to set up a highly anticipated rematch with IU on Friday again at Ludwig.
This matchup has been so eagerly awaited that it was bumped to the night slot so that Maryland could add additional time for fans and students to arrive. It won’t have nearly the same feel as a month ago, but the noise surrounding this matchup is building.
However, the question remains: What is different this time around?
It’s only been a month since the two sides met, leaving little time for adjustments. IU struggled with the strong attacking players from Maryland, including forward Eric Matzelevich. On the opposite side of the field, IU couldn’t crack the combination of the Di Rosa twins on defense and were never able to play fair chances into the box.
(11/11/19 10:59pm)
At this time two years ago, Mason Toye would’ve never expected to be a second-year striker in the MLS, helping lead Minnesota United to its first postseason berth in club history.
Not after scoring just three goals in his first nine matches at Indiana back in 2017.
And certainly not after being sent on loan to USL Championship side Colorado Switchbacks FC in 2018 and USL League One side in 2019 for a combined 12 games.
However, after his two-goal performance against LAFC at the beginning of September made him a trendy name on Twitter and vaulted Minnesota United into the playoffs, Toye is on the verge of becoming one of America’s top-level strikers.
And he’s only 21 years old.
***
Toye committed to IU when he was a sophomore in high school, unusual for collegiate soccer players. When he was younger, North Carolina was the school he wanted to go to. But after talking to the staff at UNC, it no longer seemed like a fit.
Enter Todd Yeagley and his staff at IU. Technically, the Hoosiers were the first team to actually start recruiting Toye. He ran with it, no doubts in his mind.
“I just kind of fell in love with the school,” Toye said in a recent phone interview. "I fell in love with the program and the whole coaching staff and coach Yeagley. They were just top class and it was kind of a no-brainer for me because there was no better school than this.”
IU’s 2017 recruiting class was ranked No. 4 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer. It was headlined by names like Justin Rennicks and Griffin Dorsey, two players ranked in the top-30 of the overall rankings.
Toye barely cracked the top-100 of the TDS rankings. He was 42 spots behind fellow striker and current IU junior Thomas Warr. There was reason for mellowed expectations as Toye transitioned from Seton Hall Prep in New Jersey to one of the top college soccer programs in the nation.
“We knew he was going to be a pro-level player, it was just how quickly," Yeagley said. "I don’t think we had a timetable. You’ve got to kind of just trust the process, so many things had to happen. And Mason did.”
Eventually he figured it out. A goal in his first career game. His first career start and another goal in the third game of the season, a 5-1 win over San Francisco.
Toye adjusted to the speed of the game and the 6-foot-3 freshman — less than a month from turning 19 — earned a start against Northwestern on Sept. 17, 2017. It was his third and he never gave the spot up.
“I had to just work my way into making coach Yeagley’s job a lot harder in saying I wasn’t going to be the starter,” Toye said. “I was scoring goals and making plays to help the team. I kind of just got it and didn’t let it go the rest of the season.”
Toye’s speed and ability to beat defenses became very evident during IU’s dominant stretch in the middle of the 2017 season. While fellow freshman goalie Trey Muse and the IU defense were amidst a stretch of nine straight shutouts, Toye was starting to find the back of the net with extreme regularity.
“It’s a good reflection of the guys we have here,” Yeagley said. “He was pushed every day by guys that made him better. The details we hit here made him better. The games here made him show up, he had to perform.”
He scored six goals over those nine matches, including a pair of braces against Ohio State and Evansville. Teams found it hard to track Toye on the field as became comfortable in the attacking forward role.
“It separates you from a lot of different players,” Toye said. “It’s why you get paid to do it and get paid a lot of money if you can score goals. That’s why forwards get paid the most money. It makes you a lot more valuable as a player.”
He never thought there was a chance he would leave for the professional ranks after his first season. He knew he wanted to leave early, but after the start he had, it didn’t seem possible.
But after going through his dominating stretch, there were rumblings around the program that Toye could potentially be offered a Generation Adidas contract. That contract is offered to some of the top underclassmen in college soccer to guarantee them a contract and a draft spot in the MLS, keeping them within the realms of American Soccer.
However, IU was in the home stretch of a dominating season that saw it hold the No. 1 ranking for a healthy portion of the season. Behind the penalty kick heroics of Muse in the NCAA Quarterfinal against Michigan State, IU advanced to the College Cup.
The NCAA Championship in 2017 between IU and Stanford was a battle of two powerhouses in college soccer. But in double overtime, Stanford ended the Hoosiers' season. Toye didn’t even record a shot on goal.
“It was probably the worst feeling that you could have,” Toye said. “If you look at the season, we kind of came up empty handed. All three things we were trying to accomplish we fell short at. It was really tough because that was the one that everyone wanted and we felt like we had all the pieces to the puzzle.”
Toye calls that 2017 team the best team in program history to never win a trophy.
Yet, he still calls it one of the best experiences in his young life. That Hoosier squad was loaded with players currently playing professional soccer including Rennicks, Dorsey and Muse.
“It’s crazy to think about how many professionals we had on that team and even just in my class of freshmen,” Moye said. “I don’t think we realize how good we were and how many future pros we would have. All those guys are just great guys.”
***
He signed the Generation Adidas contract just after the end of IU’s tournament run. In the draft, Toye expected to go No. 6 to Orlando City. But after being passed on by Orlando, Toye found a new home at Minnesota United, one of the MLS’ newest clubs.
“I really didn’t know a whole lot [about them],” Toye said. “I knew they had a new stadium on the way and that they had a lot of snow, but that was about it.”
Toye really struggled at the beginning of his MLS career. Mind you, he was still 19 years old when he made his debut against Orlando City.
Like in college, the pace of the game started to pick up at a new level and all of a sudden he was playing against the likes of Wayne Rooney, Carlos Vela and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, players who once dominated the international level.
Even after two stints in the USL, Toye never lost the form he discovered at IU. In nine starts this season, Toye has found the back of the net four times, including the breakout performance against LAFC.
That stretch earned Toye a call-up to the United States Men’s National U-23 team.
[embed]https://twitter.com/USYNT/status/1192548368997912576[/embed]
He scored in goal in the match against Japan. A continued stretch of strong play could potentially see him named to the team that will head to the Olympic qualifiers next year.
“He just had his head down and just kind of grinded,” Yeagley said. “He grew up in a short amount of time. I think we were a small part of his progression. He’s continued to grow and has a lot of years ahead of him.”
It’s all part of the journey that Toye started back in New Jersey and has taken all the way to Bloomington, St. Paul and everywhere in between. What started as a passion to play what his brother played has turned him into one of the fearsome American strikers.
And he’s only 21 years old.
(11/10/19 9:54pm)
Aidan Morris laid on the ground just outside the center-circle early in the second half.
Jack Maher pleaded to the third official after an elbow from Ohio State forward Devyn Etling collided with the face of Morris, another chapter in the battle that ensued between the two all afternoon.
The officials granted Maher his wish and awarded Etling his second yellow card of the match in the 51st minute, sending off Ohio State’s leading goal scorer and leaving a banged up team with just 10 men on the pitch to finish the match.
It was a reminder of the physicality that postseason soccer brings. Gone are the 5-1 score lines of the regular season; replaced by the matches riddled with fouls and yellow cards with only a fine line to separate the two teams.
On Sunday, the fine line was just two goals. Less than two weeks ago on the same field, IU blitzed Ohio State to the tune of a four-goal victory. But the postseason tightened things up.
The rotation tightens up. The officiating too. And the gap between teams becomes that much smaller.
“We knew today would be tight and it became pretty physical from the get-go,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “It surprised me a little bit because you usually know how opponents are going to go but this surprised me. But I feel like our guys handled it well.”
IU completed its first goal of the season last Sunday against Michigan State: the Big Ten Regular Season title. Sunday, it took the first step in winning the Big Ten double for the second straight year.
It took 42 minutes for IU to breakthrough on the scoreboard, but Josh Penn’s finish inside the 18-yard box ensured it got the first goal it needed.
After playing 90 minutes the day before, it seemed likely that Ohio State would be content with sitting back and letting the action play out in front of them.
But the Buckeyes, even without star Jack Holland for a majority of the match, controlled the midfield and played enough quality looks on the net to keep Roman Celentano attentive inside the six-yard box.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1193639167831482368[/embed]
IU knew Ohio State wouldn’t go down quietly. A team on the verge of its season ending with every reason for redemption wouldn’t sit idly by. It’s tough to beat a team twice in a season, let alone twice in two weeks.
“Every game is going to be physical and up tempo at this point so you’re going to be fighting for the little things like the possession of the ball, so it’s something you expect going in,” Penn said.
And it didn’t do it without a battle. IU’s quarterfinal matchup with Ohio State was littered with fouls. 18 for Ohio State. 10 to Indiana. When you throw in the four yellow cards for both teams, it added up to a busy day for the three-man officiating crew.
Morris had to be held back after an Ohio State challenge in front of the IU bench during the first half. Victor Bezerra picked up a yellow card early and A.J. Palazzolo nearly received one as well.
“It was a good way to not lose your cool,” Yeagley said. “There were some really hard challenges and I thought our young guys handled it well. They were a little feisty but I think they calmed themselves down and didn’t give the official any reason to book them.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1193637310824427526[/embed]
Etling’s second yellow card and subsequent red couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Already off the high of Penn’s goal just before halftime, IU used every ounce of momentum it could find into a search for an insurance goal.
In a season where freshmen dominated the headlines, it was two veteran players that put the match on ice.
Spencer Glass and his well-coined “best left-foot in soccer” found a cutting Palazzolo at the back of the box to give IU a 2-0 lead with five minutes. Behind some last minute efforts from Celentano, IU preserved the two goal victory and ensured a return trip to College Park.
“It’s a little buffer to give you some ease on defense and shut them down a little,” Glass said. “Ultimately you’re happy getting the shutout and not allowing them to score anything.”
Maryland defeated Northwestern 1-0 less than an hour after IU clinched its trip back, setting up an eagerly awaited semifinal Friday night. IU’s lone conference defeat remains at the hands of the Terrapins in front of 4,800 fans back in mid-October.
Since then, IU has found its stride with five consecutive victories, outscoring opponents 16-2 along the way. This marks the fifth match between the two squads in two year, with each team winning a pair and Maryland taking the last two.
That semifinal match will be a dogfight, one filled with physical play and surely a card or two. It’s what you come to expect when the stakes are raised and tensions are high in postseason play.
As IU found out Sunday with Ohio State, from here on out, every team is going to give its all. Seasons are on the line and playing careers remain in the balance. It’s that time of the season where quite literally anything can happen.
But for one afternoon, IU made sure the only thing that happened was a return trip to College Park; and a chance for revenge.
(11/08/19 8:36pm)
Last Sunday, Indiana clinched its 16th regular season Big Ten title in program history and second in consecutive years.
IU’s 1-0 win over Michigan State in East Lansing meant that once again it was the league’s elite. There were questions heading into this season if IU head coach Todd Yeagley would be able to pull off such a feat.
The common storyline of IU losing 10 of 11 starters from last year’s College Cup squad mixed with an improved and balanced Big Ten conference meant IU could take nothing for granted.
But here we are. Over two months after IU began its regular season campaign the Friday of Labor Day weekend, IU starts its quest for the Big Ten double with a Sunday afternoon matchup with either Ohio State or Rutgers.
Here’s how we got to this point.
Opening Weekend
Classic weekend in Bloomington is always an exciting way to kickoff the season. IU, who was the preseason No. 2 in the Coaches Poll, welcomed a slate of Pittsburgh and UCLA on the opening weekend.
IU got a quick dose of reality early in the season opener on the Friday night against Pittsburgh. Pitt’s star striker Edward Kizza benefited from mistakes by Jordan Kleyn and Sean Caulfield to bury two first half goals and give the Panthers a 2-0 lead before the break.
Yeagley regrouped the team at half and explained to them that nothing is different even with a near different squad. Something clicked in the second half and IU found its stride. Ian Black and Josh Penn scored in the second half to send it to overtime before Herbert Endeley’s double overtime goal completed the IU comeback for an IU win.
IU once again found itself on the backfoot to begin against UCLA, conceding in the second half to Milan Iloski.
But soon after Iloski’s goal, Victor Bezerra fired a shot from outside the 18-yard box to equalize. Then, in true IU fashion at the beginning of the year, there was drama. This time it was Jack Maher who played hero in double overtime as he tapped in the game winner to complete the perfect opening weekend.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1168570109453094912[/embed]
It was a sloppy opening weekend, but it’s what needed IU to start the year.
Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament
The following weekend, IU traveled to South Bend for a two-game slate with Denver and Seattle.
IU conceded early to Denver, but Ian Black brought them level with a penalty kick in the 28th minute. Then, Black scored his third goal of the season in the 98th minute to give IU its third straight golden goal victory to begin the year.
On Sunday, IU battled a solid Seattle team for 110 minutes, but neither squad could find a breakthrough. It was IU’s fourth straight overtime match to begin the season, but its first points it dropped on the campaign.
There were offensive and goalkeeping questions after this weekend, but fatigue set in quickly at the beginning of the year.
First ranked opponent
IU had a week off following the Mike Berticelli tournament and returned home the following weekend for a highly awaited in-state derby with Notre Dame. At the time, Notre Dame was ranked in the top-20 and seeking revenge after two losses to IU the season before.
It was everything the battle and more. While it ended in a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes, Todd Yeagley and A.J. Palazzolo felt as if IU was the better team. IU had 25 shots that night but could only find the back of the net when Herbert Endeley brought IU level.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1174152755822374913[/embed]
It was a disappointing result based off the stat sheet, but it showed IU was once again a legit contender.
Big Ten opener
Every single Big Ten match is going to be difficult. When you’re the defending conference champions, you'll have a target on your back. It was no different as IU opened the conference slate with a fixture against Wisconsin.
Wisconsin battled as well as it could with a depleted roster, but Victor Bezerra converted from the spot early to give IU a lead. Wisconsin got an equaliser that was almost immediately negated by a header from Daniel Munie.
Maouloune Goumballe finished off the show with his first career goal as time ticked off the scoreboard. It was the present that Todd Yeagley wanted on his birthday. He got the win and started off the conference slate perfect.
The first setback and the rebound
The annual IU-Butler derby always draws a large crowd and it was no different when the two squads met in Indianapolis. Butler jumped on IU from the start and dominated the entire 90 minutes.
Two defensive mistakes allowed for goals from Brandon Guhl and Alex Lehtinen to give Butler a comfortable lead. Jack Maher struck late in the match but it wasn’t enough as Butler took the 2-1 win, giving IU its first defeat of the year.
Victor Bezerra had a penalty shot blocked and Sean Caulfield came far off his line to allow the second goal. It was a bad night from IU, but it gave the Hoosiers things to learn from.
IU responded nicely with a 1-0 win over Sacramento State three days later thanks to a late goal from Josh Penn.
Roman Celentano takes over
One of the biggest things that plagued IU early in the season was the play of fifth-year goalkeeper Sean Caulfield.
As IU headed back into conference play, Yeagley replaced Caulfield with freshman Roman Celentano as a trial to find a second keeper in case of emergency.
Celentano flashed his potential in two 3-1 victories over Northwestern and Penn State to preserve IU’s perfect start to the conference slate. Penn State went down to 10 men early in the match, giving IU an advantage that led to three first half goals.
The play of Celentano could be looked at as one of the biggest turning points in the season.
Best two results of the season
Kentucky and Michigan have looked like the two best teams that IU has played the entire season.
IU and Kentucky played to a scoreless draw in Bloomington as both defenses stymied the opposing offense. IU couldn’t get around the size of Kentucky’s backline while Kentucky had a hard time with IU’s midfield. It was a grueling battle, almost Elite Eight-esque, but a challenge IU needed.
It returned to winning ways the following Sunday against Michigan with a goal from Spencer Glass in the second half to make the difference. Ahead of a match at Maryland, it looked like IU was finally separating itself from the conference pack halfway through the Big Ten slate.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1183481926709055488[/embed]
College Park
Just as IU began to find its stride, it all came to a screeching halt in College Park. Maryland dominated IU at home in front of more than 4,800 fans on a cold Friday night.
It was a night where IU never found its footing. Outside of a 15-minute period where Maryland scored all three goals, it was an even match, but IU could never make up the difference in a 3-0 loss.
Momentum building
The question following Maryland was how IU would respond to its worse defeat in over a year.
The answer: a 14-2 goal differential over its final four games of the season; all victories.
IU easily dispatched of Evansville, Rutgers, Ohio State and Michigan State to secure the Big Ten regular season title for a second straight year and to win some momentum heading into this week’s Big Ten tournament.
Indiana is 12-2-3 heading into the Big Ten tournament. It will meet Rutgers or Ohio State in Sunday’s quarterfinal match.
Rematches against Maryland, Penn State or Michigan remain on the horizon, but IU is taking it one game at a time with the understanding that the Big Ten double is just three games away.
(11/03/19 11:24pm)
The final day of the Big Ten regular season provided everything and more with conference tournament seeding on the line.
Wisconsin defeated Ohio State to secure the No. 7 seed and avoid a play-in game against Indiana.
Penn State needed a golden goal in overtime to defeat Rutgers and cap off an impressive conference campaign.
Michigan dominated Maryland 4-2 and forced the Terrapins into the No. 5 seed, meaning they will forfeit home-field advantage in the first round.
But the most important result came from East Lansing as Indiana defeated Michigan State 1-0 to clinch the conference title outright.
It was the first time a Big Ten team won the regular season title outright in back-to-back years since 2006-2007.
IU came into the day controlling its own destiny. A win and the conference title would board the bus back to Bloomington.
All IU needed on Sunday was one chance. In the 29th minute, freshman forward Victor Bezerra drew a penalty and sophomore defender Jack Maher buried it in the bottom right corner.
By no means was it the prettiest match of the year, but it’s exactly what IU needed to take care of business.
The offensive attack was minimized by a Michigan State team fighting for momentum heading into the tournament. But that was countered by an impressive defensive effort from IU.
IU played conservatively in the second half with the lead in hand. It didn’t need to do too much and didn’t need to do too little. IU head coach Todd Yeagley struck a perfect balance with the substitutes and formation changes he made.
Now, the momentum lies in the hands of IU. Since a miserable 3-0 defeat at the hands of Maryland, IU has rattled off four straight wins. In those four matches, it has outscored opponents 14-2.
The offense is running at a pace it hasn’t seen all year. In its first five Big Ten matches, IU had 10 goals. In its last three, IU has nine.
IU has settled into a starting lineup and rotation of bench players that it likes. A balance of outstanding freshmen with veteran players has turned the IU attack into a well-oiled machine.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaMSOC/status/1191119571811479557[/embed]
Momentum can mean everything to a team as it heads down the stretch run of the season. When the NCAA Tournament committee released its initial Top-16 rankings, IU was No. 10. As it piles up wins, it will only rise up the rankings and improve seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
The Big Ten regular season was the first step in its journey to three titles. IU sets the goal every single year. Last year, it got the Big Ten double but fell short in its quest for a ninth national title.
Now, the Hoosiers have the first step again. The second step will run through Ludwig Field in Maryland, the site of the semi-finals and finals of the conference tournament.
If IU wins its opening match, it will meet the winner of Northwestern/Maryland in the semifinals with a potential rematch with Penn State and Michigan in the final.
The journey through the conference tournament will be a difficult one. But as we’ve seen before, momentum can go a long way in a program’s success.
(11/01/19 3:32pm)
The environment at the Indiana training grounds on a Tuesday in late October is highly spirited.
On the main practice field, freshmen Ryan Wittenbrink, Quinten Helmer and Aidan Morris are deep in a game of soccer tennis.
IU head coach Todd Yeagley watches from a distance while some of the starters exchange their cleats for tennis shoes as practice wraps up for the day.
In the middle of it all is freshman forward Victor Bezerra. He jumps in the game of soccer tennis for a bit before prepping for the weekly media session.
Fellow freshman Josh Penn cracks a joke at Bezerra’s expense as he walks by.
IU assistant coach Danny O’Rourke yells at Bezerra from his car, saying that his mother wants to know “what Vic wants for his lunch tomorrow.”
It’s all part of the culture that’s been built around the IU program. No one’s exempt from a nice one-liner and everyone is part of this bigger family. Bezerra understands that. Even if he’s only been around the program since August.
“It’s always a good time,” Bezerra says with a smile on his face. “We know when to get serious and when to handle business. But we also know when to joke around.”
The Hoosiers went about business this season and finished another regular season undefeated at home. They go into Sunday's regular-season finale against Michigan State looking to secure a second straight Big Ten title.
This has been a natural adjustment for a player who’s accustomed to playing at the highest level. It wasn’t that long ago he was training along some of the world’s elite.
(10/30/19 3:34am)
IU knew what it had to play for Tuesday night.
Not only was it senior night for Simon Waever, Sean Caulfield, Jordan Kleyn and Joris Ahlinvi, but the conference title was potentially in play.
With an IU win and a Maryland result in Happy Valley against Penn State, IU would’ve clinched the Big Ten outright.
Penn State got a game-winner in overtime, but the objective for the Hoosiers remained the same against Ohio State. They controlled their destiny with a win and got that and more in a 5-1 victory over the Buckeyes.
“It’s obviously crucial,” freshman forward Josh Penn said. “I think we’re a lot more focused on finishing our chances and obviously the Big Ten’s closing. Getting three points tonight was huge.”
Even on senior night, the freshmen dominated the attack for Indiana. It may sound like a broken record, but this freshman class is different than your normal one. It’s someone new every single match.
Last Friday against Rutgers, midfielder Aidan Morris was the star of the match. This Tuesday night, Victor Bezerra and Penn helped secure three crucial points in Indiana’s conference title pursuit.
In the seventh minute, redshirt junior defender Spencer Glass played a ball into the 6-yard box that Bezerra tapped into the back of the net to start the scoring.
Just two-and-a-half minutes later, freshman forward Herbert Endeley earned a free kick from outside the 18-yard box that set up an absolute stunner from Bezerra to earn him a brace and the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead.
To add insult to injury, Penn iced the game as he beat a defender and fired a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner off the net to put IU up 3-0. Then again in the 60th minute, his chip shot put the Hoosiers four goals clear.
IU has found an offensive spark that it hasn’t seen all season. After the match with Maryland, IU’s attack looked all but dormant. Since then, IU has fired in 13 goals.
The quality of opposition has wavered over the last week, but the offensive steak provides a glimpse of optimism as IU heads toward what it figures to be a long postseason run.
“Scoring early is nice,” Bezerra said. “We’ve been doing it for the past three games and it’s something we want to keep doing. It implements confidence in the whole team.”
By no means was IU surprised with the result against Ohio State. The Buckeyes had lost four straight and had only won a single match since Sept. 17.
But IU steadily controlled the first half and took care of business in the final regular season match at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Ohio State and IU exchanged goals late in the match but the difference had already been made.
Now, all eyes turn to East Lansing on Sunday as IU goes for back-to-back Big Ten titles. For the second straight year, IU controls its own destiny heading into match day eight against Michigan State.
The Big Ten regular season title is not only one of three goals that IU sets each year, along with the conference tournament title and NCAA Tournament title, but it will go a long way in boosting IU’s RPI for tournament seeding.
There’s a fine line between the top teams in the country. One slip up at the end of the season could make a difference between hosting a late tournament matchup and playing one on the road.
IU has hosted all the way up to the College Cup the past two years. It thrives on its home field, undefeated in its past 36 matches in Bloomington.
That makes winning the Big Ten regular season title outright that much more important and it all comes down to winning in East Lansing on Sunday.
“Just go win,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “We know if we just take care of business then we’ll win it. Whether it be at home or on the road, they both can be special.”
By all means, the questions around IU that swirled after the 3-0 defeat at Maryland can be put aside for the time being.
The Hoosiers have hit a stride over the past three contests and once again control their own destiny in the Big Ten.
On the final day of the regular season, IU will be playing for two things: A Big Ten title and a chance for prime momentum heading into the postseason.
(10/29/19 2:43pm)
Indiana will potentially be playing for hardware on Tuesday night.
It will take some help, from Maryland nonetheless, to clinch the title early on match day seven of conference play, but IU could very well clinch the regular season conference title on Tuesday night.
If IU beats Ohio State on Tuesday and Maryland beats or draws Penn State in Happy Valley, it would mark the first time since 2006-2007 that a Big Ten team repeated as regular season conference champions.
Before it looks for any help, IU will have to protect home field on senior night to preserve another unbeaten home campaign.
IU’s opponent, Ohio State, is looking for a first-round bye in the conference tournament, which would mean it avoids the 8/9 play-in game.
Ohio State has run into a string of tough results after starting the season 5-1. Ohio State is just 1-7-1 since September 17th, the lone win coming on the road at Rutgers.
The Buckeyes are in the second year of a rebuild under the guidance of head coach and former IU assistant coach Brian Maisonneuve.
He’ll be making his first trip back to Bloomington to face IU since leaving to take over the Ohio State program. He helped guide the Hoosiers to the NCAA title in 2012 and the College Cup Final in 2017.
“He’s a very close friend of mine,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “We’ve known each other since we were teenagers. But it’s Ohio State. It’s another game, it’s not about playing an old friend.”
Senior Jack Holland paves the way for the Ohio State attack. His six assists lead the Big Ten conference and his four goals put him among the league’s elite goal scorers.
Sophomore Devyn Etling is fifth in the conference with five goals and second in the league with two game-winning goals.
Even with the success these two have had, Ohio State has struggled throughout conference play with scoring, netting just three goals in six matches.
The Indiana defense has been stout throughout conference play outside of its resounding loss at the hands of Maryland. The Hoosiers have outscored opponents 8-1 in its last two matches against Rutgers and Evansville.
(10/26/19 3:15am)
Aidan Morris’ distance covered Friday night won’t be highlighted in the scoresheet.
It won’t emphasize the fact that Morris drew a foul in front of the Rutgers bench in the 42nd minute. Or that he drew another foul and yellow card just a minute later on the opposite side of the field.
It’s the little things each night. The hustle, the small touches to teammates and the clean passes to set up runs through the middle of the field have helped progress IU’s offense through the course of the season, including in its 3-0 win over Rutgers on Friday night.
The Indiana freshman class has been anything and everything IU coach Todd Yeagley could’ve hoped for this season. Morris has been a crucial part of that.
“He’s a dominant personality,” Yeagley said. “He’s one that we want to have the ball a lot. He’s starting to really find ways to affect the game without the ball which is something I’m really excited about. We’re getting him to be more forward-thinking to get him into the box to make a play like he did tonight.”
IU entered halftime scoreless with Rutgers but quickly unloaded an offensive assault in the second half. It was a Morris free kick that led to the opening goal of the game, a header from Joris Ahlinvi from the foot of Morris that was buried into the bottom-left corner of the net.
Just under 20 minutes later, Morris was part of another score that practically put the game on ice. It was Morris that played a ball for Joe Schmidt that led to his first career goal in the 72nd minute.
If that wasn’t enough, Morris put away the game himself in the 79th minute after finishing a rebound into the back of the net for his second goal of the season. That goal finalized the 3-0 victory.
(10/23/19 3:41am)
IU met a strong dose of reality last Friday night in College Park with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Maryland.
A crippling loss in a match where it was outperformed in every facet isn’t something the Indiana program is accustomed to. The question after the match was how IU would bounce back.
On Tuesday, it bounced back with a swift 5-1 victory over Evansville, the smoothest victory of the 2019 campaign.
“That was a fun game,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “I enjoyed that. There were fantastic goals, some good lead ups and sequences. I was happy that we were able to share this together.”
Evansville was far and away the worst team IU has faced this season. With a record of 2-10-1, the Purple Aces have simply struggled to find their footing in the Missouri Valley Conference.
After Tuesday’s match, Evansville has been shut out in six straight matches and has lost eight consecutive games.
The discrepancy in opposition allowed Yeagley to deploy a different Starting XI which included freshmen Victor Bezerra and Brett Bebej. Bebej became the seventh different Indiana freshman to feature in the starting lineup this season.
“It was good to see our guys bounce back the way they did and see some other guys get into the game tonight,” redshirt junior Thomas Warr said.
IU wasted no time finding the scoresheet on Tuesday. The match with Maryland was a grueling 90-minute battle where the opposing defense blocked nearly every good look IU had.
IU needed less than a minute to go ahead against Evansville thanks to redshirt junior Spencer Glass.
Glass took a run through the left on the box before firing a shot on net that beat the Evansville keeper to his left.
Bezerra got back into the scoring column just nine minutes later. A beautifully played ball from freshman Josh Penn found a streaking Bezerra in the box who took a touch and finished through the legs of the keeper to give IU the 2-0 lead.
“I haven’t felt like we’ve had a game where we were dominant like that,” Bezerra said. “I felt like our conviction we had on the ball, how we were aggressive to go forward, was better today than it has been."
(10/19/19 1:13am)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- It was supposed to be the biggest match of the season. The revenge game. The game that would put IU in the driver's seat in the conference title race. The one that would prove it's a national title contender.
But instead, it was the opposite. It was easily Indiana's worst performance of the season, perhaps the program's worst since the 3-0 defeat to Kentucky on the road last season.
Maryland labeled this "Beat Indiana" week to represent the five matchups between the programs this week in five different sports. On Friday, IU fell victim to the trap in the Hoosiers third athletic defeat to Maryland this week.
But in IU's 3-0 loss to Maryland on Friday, IU showed its true kryptonite. It struggles defending teams that match the Hoosiers in size and speed.
In a sense, the loss closely resembled the performance IU put forth last year against Maryland in the College Cup semi-final. Maryland scored early and IU simply couldn't climb back in the race.
The Terrapins struck early with a 15th minute goal from the Slovenian midfielder David Kovacic. Kovacic was inserted into the Starting XI before the game to switch up the Terrapin attack. It paid off for Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski. Maryland's offense had struggled in recent matches with Michigan State and Georgetown, scoring just one goal in those two. But Maryland rebounded nicely.
This was simply a match Maryland had to have. It came into the match fifth in the conference table, one spot off from potentially hosting a first round match in the conference tournament.
It got the game it needed. Maryland's Eric Matzelevich added another goal just 13 minutes after Kovacic's in a one-on-one matchup with freshman IU goalkeeper Roman Celentano.
Maryland essentially iced it in the 29th minute with a header from Johannes Bergmann to give IU its biggest deficit of the season.
This wasn't the defense that has become synonymous with IU soccer. Jack Maher harps on shutouts night in and night out. The Hoosiers didn't conceded in its last two matches and it hadn't trailed since a loss at Butler a handful of weeks ago.
Maryland was far and away the better team Friday night. It did a good job of exposing IU's biggest weakness: its defending against premier defensive teams with speed and size.
(10/13/19 10:51pm)
Indiana hasn’t lost a regular season conference match in over four years.
Not since October 10, 2015 have the Hoosiers suffered a regular season defeat at the hands of a fellow Big Ten team, a 1-0 overtime loss to Ohio State.
In fact, it’s been since October of 2017 that IU has even dropped points in conference play.
It’s been an unprecedented run of success even for IU’s standards. In a conference that’s been heavily dominated by IU since it instituted soccer as a varsity sport, this is perhaps the most dominating stretch since the turn of the century.
Even in a year where there were so many question marks surrounding the Hoosiers, they remain the conference’s premier side.
On Sunday, it was another close call for IU. A narrow 1-0 victory over Michigan to move IU to 8-1-3 overall and 4-0 in conference play. But it was another sign that IU remains the team to beat in the Big Ten.
“There is no easy Big Ten game,” sophomore defender Jack Maher said. “It doesn’t matter the circumstance or who you’re playing. Every Big Ten game you have to take as a championship game. That’s something we’ve established in the program day in and day out.”
With an 110-minute affair with Kentucky Wednesday, IU had just three days to prep for Michigan, one of the conference’s most dynamic attacking teams.
IU elected to play back for the majority of the first half, but turned up the pressure in the second half with the wind in its favor.
Spencer Glass tallied his second goal of the season with a rocket top-corner in the 67th minute. It was the lone difference in a match marked by a solid defensive effort from the backline.
That makes back-to-back shutouts for IU, something that hasn’t happened all year.
“Clean sheets are something this program was built upon and something we haven’t been able to get up to the last few games,” Maher said. “We’re going to continue to build on that. With our backline playing as good as it has all year long, that just leads to more success going forward.”
Freshman goalkeeper Roman Celentano has now started three of four matches in conference play and four consecutive matches overall.
He’s got a vast amount of confidence in both his defense but also himself. His endless motor allows him to take some chances that Sean Caulfield potentially wouldn’t.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1183511121346682880?s=20[/embed]
So far, it’s paid off in his favor and IU has outscored Big Ten opponents 7-2 in matches that Celentano has played.
“I got all the faith in the world in Roman,” Maher said. “He’s a fantastic player and he helped us so many times just by coming out and getting some of those balls. It took so much pressure off of us and let us slow the game down to get a 1-0 win.”
The Michigan win marked 12 consecutive conference regular season victories. That paired with last season’s Big Ten double and a two point lead over Penn State in the table with a game in hand makes IU the odds on favorite to repeat again.
Yet, none of that matters to IU coach Todd Yeagley. He’s been around the Big Ten long enough to know that nothing is safe in conference play. And he’s been around long enough to know that continued success is more important than a reflection on the past.
“In the middle of what you’re doing, you’re so in your zone of what’re you doing that the streak is irrelevant,” Yeagley said. “It’s a great thing for the program and I think everyone that’s played here is proud of some of the numbers, but we’re not winning the next one to continue the streak. We’re just winning to get points.”
IU’s halfway through the conference slate and it’s still perfect with four more Big Ten games to play. It’s no secret that the Big Ten, which has been riddled with injuries, is down this season.
It’s still IU’s conference to lose.
It doesn’t matter that Maryland, IU’s next opponent, is the defending National Champions and close on IU’s tail in the conference race.
IU has proven once and again that en route to a Big Ten title, you have to crack the code to IU’s success first.
“In Indiana, we’ve always got a target on our back,” Maher said. “That’s something we know and we like that. We like to get the teams’ best.”
(10/13/19 2:48pm)
No. 4 Indiana dipped out of conference play on Wednesday night for a top-25 bout with No. 16 Kentucky. The match, which ended as a scoreless draw after 110 minutes, tested the Hoosiers in a multitude of ways, yet still proved that IU is one of the top teams in the nation.
On Sunday, IU returns to the Big Ten campaign for a battle with Michigan at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
The Wolverines come to Bloomington as one of the conference’s least talked-about teams despite a 6-2-3 record. A win for IU over Michigan on Sunday would leave it as the only undefeated team in the conference.
“It’s a talented team in the attack,” IU coach Todd Yeagley said. “They’re a team coming into the season, was one of the favorites to be in contention. Both of us have some really good individual talent at the same time collectively play well.”
Michigan’s offense is one of the most dynamic in the conference, due in part to 2018 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Jack Hallahan. He’s only recorded one goal this season but has added five assists and forty shots on the campaign.
Joining Hallahan on the frontline for the Wolverines is Nebojsa Popovic and Derick Broche. The two have combined for 10 goals this season and have become one of the most fearsome trios in collegiate soccer.