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(10/10/19 3:36am)
A simple observer wouldn’t be able to spot a difference between Kentucky and Indiana.
Outside of the crimson uniforms of Indiana and the blue stripes of Kentucky, the two teams separated by 12 spots in the latest coaches poll couldn’t be more inseparable.
IU and Kentucky resemble each other in many ways. The two squads both play physical and stretch the game in the open field. The Wildcats utilize their size while the Hoosiers counter with their quickness.
But on Wednesday night, no one strength could out-match the opposition in the scoreless tie. Indiana’s speed was halted by impressive play from the Kentucky backline. The Kentucky size, rendered useless by top-level awareness from Indiana freshman keeper Roman Celentano.
In a year where upsets of top-10 teams have become a weekly occurrence, it’s no shock that two top-16 teams played a match with nothing coming between the two.
Wednesday’s match didn’t show anything about Indiana and Kentucky that we didn’t already know. It showed that this season, the parity in college soccer is as great as we’ve seen in recent seasons.
“It’s tight. Every game you look around the country and margins are small,” IU coach Todd Yeagley said. “Long-term playing a team that doesn’t impose the same threat that Kentucky does, it makes us better. That’s why we do it.”
Indiana kept the same starting lineup it used on Sunday’s 3-1 victory, reiterating the trust that Yeagley has in his freshmen players.
And the freshmen delivered.
Celentano played a phenomenal game between the sticks, cementing his title as the starting goalkeeper for IU. Herbert Endeley was in excellent form down the right flank even while defended by 6-foot-6 Aime Mabika, a defender with an 8-inch advantage in height.
Yeagley called Celentano’s performance “the biggest of the year.”
The play by the young players on IU’s roster has become almost scripted. The Hoosiers started seven underclassmen. Ian Black only played 11 minutes as he attempts to return to form after injury and Thomas Warr played just two minutes.
Endeley had a fair share of looks on net, but every time he found the ball in midfield, he was instantaneously surrounded by multiple Wildcats. The chances he did get all flew over the net.
(10/08/19 11:37pm)
Indiana had perhaps its most productive week of the season with a pair of 3-1 wins over Northwestern and Penn State to preserve its undefeated start to the conference slate.
The Hoosiers will step out of Big Ten play Wednesday night when Kentucky comes to Bloomington in a rematch of IU’s worst loss from a season ago.
IU still lacks a ranked win this season, and Kentucky presents them the final chance to do it in the non-conference.
Let’s see how the Kentucky Wildcats stack up in this edition of “Tale of the Tape”.
(10/06/19 8:26pm)
No. 8 Indiana continued its undefeated start in conference play on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Penn State in Happy Valley.
Penn State was hampered by a straight red card on Brandon Hackenberg in the 13th minute, allowing IU to push the offensive attack in the first half.
Here are three takeaways from IU’s third Big Ten win of the season.
(10/06/19 12:13am)
Just over six months ago, Bendu Yeaney ruptured her Achilles in Indiana’s second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Oregon.
On Saturday, she came onto the stage at Indiana’s annual Hoosier Hysteria, dancing to ‘Ballin’ by Mustard and Roddy Ricch.
Yeaney is still working to come back from injury before she’s completely cleared for competition. But if Saturday was any indication, Yeaney, along with Alexis Johnson and Chanel Wilson, two other players recovering from injury, are well on the way to making an immediate impact for what could be IU coach Teri Moren’s best Hoosier squad yet.
The Indiana women’s basketball team is coming off its second NCAA tournament appearance under Moren last season, a year after winning the WNIT.
Moren came out to a roaring round of applause from the Hoosier faithful. She started out her introductory statement by reminiscing on how far she and her staff have come in this her sixth year at the helm of IU.
She pointed to the WNIT banner now hanging in the rafters and referenced the two NCAA tournament appearances she has under her belt. Yet, she still yearns for more.
“I’m really, really proud and humble of the things we’ve been able to accomplish to this point,” she said. “But I’ve got to be honest. We’ve still got a lot to do. And we have players to do it with.”
Moren wants to achieve more and this year is potentially her greatest chance to do that. IU returns its top four scorers including Ali Patberg, Jaelynn Penn, Brenna Wise and Yeaney.
(10/04/19 1:39am)
IU head coach Todd Yeagley made perhaps the most surprising adjustment in his Starting XI this season on Tuesday night in an away victory over Northwestern.
Through the first eight matches of the season, fifth-year senior goalkeeper Sean Caulfield had played over 791 minutes, every single second in a 5-1-2 start to the season for the defending Big Ten champions.
But on Tuesday, Yeagley opted for a new option in between the sticks. He turned to a freshman, another first-year player into a lineup heavily dominated by youth. Roman Celentano, an Illinois native, a four-star true freshman, got his first chance in net.
After last Friday’s 1-0 victory over Sacramento State, Yeagley reiterated the idea that the IU coaching staff was still evaluating Caulfield and the goalkeeper position.
"It's not a huge body of work but it's enough to see where [Sean] has tendencies," Yeagley said. "It's a constant assessment. That's a bigger position to rotate, but we're examining that role and sorting out if we need to continue to provide a new opportunity."
Caulfield’s six-save performance against Sacramento State, a career high, was the peak performance for him on the season. Outside his performance against the Hornets and his Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award after games against Denver and Seattle, Caulfield has strung together a handful of disappointing performances and timely mistakes.
He’s only allowed eight goals on the season, but nearly all of them came off mistakes by the defense or by Caulfield playing off his line.
Indiana started the season by playing overtime in its first five games of the season; IU didn’t hold a lead until freshman forward Victor Bezerra converted a penalty in the sixth game of the season.
The Hoosiers have struggled to execute offensive chances on the breakaway so far this season, but struggles at the goalkeeping position haven’t helped.
IU went down early on Labor Day against UCLA when Caulfield came off his line and got beat near post. Last week against Butler, the Hoosiers went down 2-0 after Caulfield came up 10 yards and got beat to his right off a strike from Alex Lehtinen.
The continued struggles forced Yeagley to shuffle the deck in his lineup, turning to Celentano on Tuesday night in the road conference opener.
Celentano faced some pressure early but settled into the role by the end of the first 45 minutes. He faced eight shots and made two saves, allowing just one goal on an absolute stunner from Northwestern’s Ugo Achara that found the top right corner of the net.
By no means was Celentano’s performance picture-perfect, but it offered Yeagley a different perspective of what he can have between the sticks.
The 6-foot-3 freshman came to IU from the U.S. Development Academy and Sockers F.C., the same team that produced his fellow freshman and teammate Josh Penn. His large frame allows him to dive both ways and stop balls within reach. He's calm and collected, even for a young player, and communicated well with his defense in front of him.
During his time in the USDA, he started 68 of 69 games and helped Sockers FC win the Mid-America U-18/19 Conference championship.
Former IU goalkeeper coach Brad Swenby coached Celentano in his time with Sockers FC. There's no shortage of confidence with this guy who made the start in front of friends and family on Tuesday night.
Yeagley was very excited about Celentano when he signed his letter of intent last year, but there was the assumption he was still a year or two away from playing. Now, he's been thrown into the forefront.
IU easily defeated Northwestern 3-1 Tuesday night and didn’t need many heroics from Celentano in the second half. Still, Yeagley faces an important question going into Sunday’s match in Happy Valley against Penn State.
It's the biggest question at this point of the season, halfway through the regular season.
On Sunday, Indiana and Penn State will play in a battle of the top two teams in the Big Ten standings. Penn State has been one of the surprise teams of the early season; the Nittany Lions were picked sixth in the preseason Big Ten poll but are currently undefeated in conference play. Their only loss came in the season opener against No. 5 Stanford.
Penn State is led by a heavy offensive attack including Christian Sload, Aaron Molloy and Liam Butts who've combined for eight goals this year and really stretch the open field.
It will be a step up in competition compared to Northwestern if Celentano starts. But it will be the same type of team that Caulfield has struggled with.
It poses the question: What next at the goalkeeper position?
On one hand, you’ve got the gritty veteran Caulfield who’s waited his time for the starting role and shown glimpses of success in net. To counter that, you have the young and talented freshman who proved in limited time that he’s the future and maybe the present keeper at Indiana.
If Caulfield starts, it’s a player who will be fighting to the end to earn his spot back. If it’s Celentano, it’s a player who has an abundance of confidence after playing the full 90 minutes and earning his first career win.
Going with Celentano seems like the ideal choice, giving the performance he turned in on Tuesday, but Yeagley knows how to handle the intricacies of conference play better than anyone.
And come Sunday afternoon, we’ll know who his first choice goalkeeper is.
(10/02/19 2:37am)
Indiana had a rough account last week in matches against Butler and Sacramento State.
However, the No. 8 Hoosiers shook off some early struggles and benefited from some Northwestern mistakes to make it two wins in two tries in conference play with a 3-1 victory over the Wildcats on Tuesday night.
Celentano holds strong
After last Friday’s 1-0 victory over Sacramento State, Yeagley mentioned the fact that IU was still evaluating fifth-year senior goalie Sean Caulfield’s role. Besides the six-save performance against Sacramento State, a career high, Caulfield had struggled mightily on the season.
Yeagley gave true freshman goalkeeper Roman Celentano, a Naperville, Illinois native, his first career start against Northwestern on Tuesday night. Celentano faced nine shots on the night and made two saves in the 3-1 victory. The only goal allowed was an absolute rocket from Northwestern freshman Ugo Archua from just outside the 18-yard box, a shot Celetano really had no chance at.
It’s unclear if Celentano will be the first choice keeper going forward, but his performance gave Yeagley confidence in a second player’s ability to man goal. He faced a lot of pressure in the first 45 minutes and communicated well with the backline. If anything, it means Yeagley can afford to use a two-man rotation between the sticks.
What it also means is that Yeagley might’ve found the goalkeeper of the future for IU on Tuesday night.
Youth plays a valuable role (again)
There’s no secret that IU coach Todd Yeagley loves to utilize his talented freshmen in his Starting XI. On Tuesday night, he started five true freshmen and one redshirt freshman against Northwestern. Each of the three goals came from freshmen. Forwards Maouloune Goumballe and Josh Penn were rewarded goals after Northwestern knocked two own-goals into the back of the net.
Midfielder Aidan Morris earned the first true goal of the night after knocking in a shot in the 66th minute off a feed from Goumballe. Freshman forward Victor Bezerra had a number of strikes at Northwestern goalkeeper Miha Miskovic that nearly found the back of the net and Penn and freshman forward Herbert Endeley played tremendous throughout the night.
A performance of this kind from the freshmen attackers is nothing new but continues to emphasize the idea that the IU success will run through the young players on the team. With junior forward Ian Black sitting again due to injury, the frontline continues to be comprised entirely of freshmen and they continue to contribute.
The freshmen will undoubtedly go through struggles as the season progresses, but for now the success of this team lives and dies by the play of guys such as Penn, Endeley, Morris and Bezerra.
Is the Big Ten Indiana's for the taking?
Indiana is the only team in the conference that has yet to drop points through at least two games. After 3-1 victories over Wisconsin and Northwestern, IU is just a point back from Penn State with a game in hand. The two will play on Sunday in Happy Valley.
The usual juggernauts of the Big Ten have struggled out of the gate. Maryland, who is the defending NCAA champion and began the season No. 1, has stumbled out of the rankings and fell to Northwestern at home in its conference opener. Michigan State has just one win to its name on the entire season.
Indiana has been far from crisp to begin the season, but it’s still a top-10 team that’s undefeated to begin the conference slate. We will know more about IU in the next two weeks with matches against Penn State, Michigan and Maryland.
But for now, it appears that IU is the team to beat in the Big Ten.
Indiana will now travel to play Penn State in a matchup of the two best teams in the conference right now. The Nittany Lions looked sharp Tuesday night in an away victory over Michigan State. IU is 6-1-2 on the season heading into Sunday’s match in Happy Valley.
(09/30/19 7:31pm)
Indiana got a dose of reality last week against Butler. After narrowly surviving defeat in the first six games of the year, IU finally found a deficit it couldn’t overcome in its 2-1 defeat in Indianapolis.
The Hoosiers bounced back with a less-than-convincing 1-0 victory against Sacramento State on Friday. The lone goal from freshman forward Josh Penn made the difference. Conference play restarts Tuesday as IU heads to Evanston to face Northwestern. Here’s how the Wildcats stack up.
(09/25/19 3:51am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Joe Schmidt flailed his arms in the air and grabbed his head in frustration as the clock ticked from the 68th to the 69th minute.
The redshirt sophomore midfielder had been set up perfectly in the middle of the field, about 25 yards from goal. But as he watched his shot sail over the crossbar, he couldn’t help but look on in agony.
It was that kind of night for No. 5 Indiana as it fell 2-1 to Butler at the Sellick Bowl in Indianapolis.
A night where every good chance the Hoosiers had was met with one play-changing touch from the Butler defense.
A night where Butler executed nearly every chance it got and IU couldn’t find a single answer.
“The game came down to a couple of pivotal moments between the 18’s,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “There was one team controlling the game and that was us. But the game comes down to pivotal moments and credit to Butler, they converted well.”
(09/23/19 10:33pm)
A week after playing its first in-state rivalry match of the season, Indiana heads to Indianapolis to take on Butler in the second. IU is fresh off a week in which it drew with Notre Dame after double overtime and defeated Wisconsin 3-1 in the conference opener, still undefeated on the young season.
The annual IU-Butler derby always draws a good crowd. In 2017, the last time the two played at the Sellick Bowl in Indianapolis, a Butler-record 6,015 fans came to watch a top-10 battle result in a 0-0 draw. Two years later, IU is still in the top 10 while Butler continues its fight to return to the elite in college soccer. Let's dig into this week's Tale of the Tape.
(09/21/19 1:35am)
There’s been no shortage of late-game heroics for Indiana so far in the 2019 campaign.
With three golden goals and five overtime games, it’s no secret that the Hoosiers shine brightest in the most intense moments.
So naturally, Friday night’s conference opener against Wisconsin would be no different.
For once, IU wouldn’t need overtime, as a 79th-minute header from redshirt freshman Daniel Munie and a 90th-minute strike from freshman Maouloune Goumballe gave IU a 3-1 victory over Wisconsin on head coach Todd Yeagley’s 47th birthday.
(09/19/19 9:17pm)
No. 4 Indiana opens its conference schedule on Friday night when Wisconsin pays a visit to Bill Armstrong Stadium. IU is coming off the heels of a 1-1 draw with in-state foe Notre Dame, where the Hoosiers dominated the entirety of the game but only came away with one point.
After the game, redshirt junior midfielder A.J. Palazzolo said the team had already shifted its focus to Wisconsin. IU went undefeated in the Big Ten regular season last year without dropping a single point. The first step for the Hoosiers doing that again begins Friday night. Meet the Badgers in the latest “The Tale of the Tape."
Offensive struggles
Wisconsin has typically been a grind-it-out kind of soccer team, one that will wear the other side out and capitalize on mistakes or offensive chances it creates. Through six games this season, it seems that Wisconsin is sticking true to what it knows.
However, the Badgers have struggled to find the back of the net when they're given chances. Wisconsin has just four goals to its name so far, each one coming from a different player. Four times this season, it has been shut out, including three games that ended 1-0 in the opposition’s favor. Perhaps the numbers are a little misleading.
The talent is still there for Wisconsin, which returned its top two scorers from last season. Noah Melick led Wisconsin with six goals last season, but has only played in three matches so far, yet to record a single point. Its second leading scorer last season, Andrew Akindele, hasn’t recorded a goal and has just one assist to his name. Both players are sophomores and are working through different things early in the season, but are two names to remember when Wisconsin comes to Bloomington on Friday night.
Record is deceiving
Although Wisconsin’s 2-4-0 mark through six games is a little deceiving, it’s not something big enough to overlook how dangerous Wisconsin can be. Three of its four losses have come by one goal. Wisconsin lost 1-0 to both Portland and Butler, two teams that have had immense success over the past five seasons. It also lost 1-0 to Bowling Green, a team that played IU very tough in the preseason.
Wisconsin is never going to light up the scoreboard, but it makes the most of what possession it’s gifted. The Badgers have been in every game they’ve played so far this season, but has just been on the wrong side of the outcome. IU is a team that continues to struggle finishing offensive chances. Wisconsin isn’t going to give IU as many chances at Notre Dame did on Tuesday night and can make the Hoosiers pay on the break if it collects the loose ball. This Wisconsin team is always tough and conference play is a new challenge for a young team. IU can’t overlook the Badgers and will need more execution on Friday night.
History between the squads
There is no shortage of history between these two squads, especially in the past handful of years. For starters, IU head coach Todd Yeagley spent a season with the Badgers, before taking the head job at Indiana 10 seasons ago. Two years ago, Indiana got the best of Wisconsin in the regular season with a golden goal win in double overtime, but Wisconsin defeated Indiana in penalty kicks in the Big Ten Tournament final to hold the Hoosiers without a single trophy in 2017. IU got its revenge last season with a victory in Madison en route to the regular season conference title. The Hoosiers haven’t lost in regulation to Wisconsin since 2013 and hold the all-time advantage, 39-5-9.
The first step in repeating as Big Ten Champions begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The conference schedule is a new test for a team that starts three freshmen and has played five overtime games so far. But Palazzolo said after Notre Dame that he expects "to go undefeated in conference play," and that starts with the opener against Wisconsin.
(09/18/19 3:07am)
Indiana freshman midfielder Aidan Morris waited with the ball under his foot early in the second half.
He motioned at the defender to come play the ball. Almost as if he was telling the defender, “bring it on.”
Morris has embodied IU’s mantra of never backing down from a challenge. IU always plays a tough schedule and gives everyone it plays a fight.
Naturally, No. 16 Notre Dame got all it could handle from No. 4 Indiana on Tuesday night in an in-state derby where you can expect anything. From the get-go, IU threw everything it had at Notre Dame, firing 25 shots, including eight on goal through 110 minutes in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw.
“We grew as a team tonight, I thought we played really well,” redshirt junior midfielder A.J. Palazzolo said. “But it feels like a loss. We expect to win every game and when we dominate with shots like that, it’s tough coming out of here without a win.”
Matches between these two squads are always intense. The Hoosiers bested Notre Dame twice last year. In the regular season, it was a golden goal from Justin Rennicks to hand IU the victory. In the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal, it was an Austin Panchot header that sent the Hoosiers to the College Cup.
But Tuesday night, IU couldn’t quite find that difference maker, that standout moment you come to expect in a rivalry match.
“I was disappointed not to get the result considering what we created,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “I thought we controlled the game pretty much from the onset. I didn’t think they were as threatening as they had been. It’s a disappointing locker room because you feel like you did enough to win the game.”
For the fourth time this season, the Hoosiers had to play from behind after conceding the opening goal to Notre Dame’s Ben Giacobello in the 40th minute.
Notre Dame moved the ball onto the left flank before Mohamed Omar sent a cross into the box that caused IU fifth-year senior goalkeeper Sean Caulfield to panic. Giacobello easily finished the ball into the net to give the Irish the lead.
Twelve IU players recorded a shot during the match. As has been the case most of the season, IU got a much-needed boost from one of its freshmen forwards.
Herbert Endeley didn’t start the match, but his speed proved to be a matchup down the right flank. He and senior defender Simon Waever combined to create some problems in open space.
IU got the equaliser it needed from Endeley in the 66th minute when Waever played a ball onto the freshman who headed it into the bottom right corner of the net.
“It was a pretty good goal and a great ball,” Endeley said. “I made sure to thank him after that one.”
How about another look at @herbert_endeley's match-tying score against No. 16 Notre Dame?#Q49 | #GoIU ⚪️? pic.twitter.com/np7RUxGsSF
— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) September 18, 2019
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But that was the only time IU would celebrate a goal. It was a night where IU was good on the offensive attack, but not good enough in finishing its chances.
The Hoosiers had 13 corner kicks and had 13 shots in the second half when they really turned up the attack, but IU could never quite get over the hump.
Notre Dame’s defense, which had been a big question mark through four games, was solid while playing on its back foot. Notre Dame’s 6-foot-7 goalkeeper Duncan Turnbull made six saves and never really gave a fair chance to IU on its set pieces.
“Without question, I thought we were the better team tonight,” Yeagley said. “Not just statistically, but of flow, territory and quality chances. I thought we really controlled the tempo.”
"Oh without question I thought we were the better team tonight."
Todd Yeagley believed that despite the 1-1 draw with Notre Dame, Indiana was the better team on the field tonight. #iums pic.twitter.com/5M2Enl2LZa
— The Hoosier Network (@TheHoosierNet) September 18, 2019
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Yeagley compared his team’s performance to the likes of Groundhog Day. For the fourth time this season, IU went down early, but battled back to force overtime. It was the fifth consecutive overtime match that IU has played. However, it was a match where IU never grabbed a chance that the Irish gave it.
The yearly derby is always a must-see matchup early in the season, and IU was prepared from the start, showing it was one of the premier teams in the nation.
Almost as if it motioned to Notre Dame and the rest of the country, “bring it on.”
(09/16/19 8:29pm)
Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley is currently in his 10th season at the helm of the men’s soccer team.
During his tenure, he has quickly helped turned the IU and Notre Dame rivalry into one of the fiercest in all of college soccer.
Since the turn of the century, IU and Notre Dame have been nearly inseparable, with the Hoosiers holding an 11-10-1 edge over the Irish in 22 contests. There’s been nothing to differentiate between the two teams that are less than 200 miles away from each other.
“Notre Dame has had a really good run here the last 10 years,” Yeagley said. “It’s always been a rivalry here with the school and the state, but now they’re consistently a top-20 team. It’s a good competitive game where both teams are honest and fair, so you won’t see anything silly off the ball."
IU and Notre Dame have already watched each other play, even if it wasn’t against each other. Notre Dame played host the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament on the first full weekend of September. The two teams didn’t play each other but had a chance to play both Denver and Seattle with similar results.
Notre Dame bested Seattle 4-2 and Denver 1-0 while IU took down Denver 2-1 and drew level with Seattle 0-0 after 110 minutes. The Irish then fell to Clemson last week in its conference opener.
Through four games early in the season, IU has had to go to overtime in each contest. Starting goalkeeper and fifth-year senior Sean Caulfield joked that he might have gray hairs after the season if the Hoosiers keep playing extra-time contests.
“Four straight games of overtime kind of took a toll on us, so even though we didn't win, it was nice to get the clean sheet, the first of the year,” Caulfield said. “I think against a really good Seattle team, I think it’s a good result.”
Notre Dame has had its fair share of struggles in the early portion of the season. The Irish have given up eight goals through four games including four in their loss to Clemson.
On the opposite end, IU has lacked the ability to consistently finish good chances around the net. It is one of the key reasons the Hoosiers haven't been able to finish matches in regulation. Yeagley expects this to have another nail-biter finish just like the two matches the two squads played last season.
Notre Dame returns to Bloomington for the first time since last November when IU’s Austin Panchot sent the Hoosiers to their second consecutive College Cup with a 64th-minute goal.
It was the second time that Notre Dame left the pitch in disbelief against IU last season. In a regular-season match in September in South Bend, IU defeated Notre Dame off a controversial 93rd-minute golden goal by Justin Rennicks.
The Notre Dame players believed Rennicks’ winning goal should have been disallowed for an offside penalty. However, the ruling stood and it gave IU its fifth consecutive win in a nine-game streak in the middle of the season.
Notre Dame dealt with the loss of some key players from last year's squad but returned one of the best attacking forwards in all the nation. Sophomore forward Jack Lynn, a native of St. Louis, is back after a freshman campaign that saw him score three goals and have three assists.
Through four games this season, Lynn already has four goals and an assist to help the Irish to a 3-1-0 start.
Yeagley knows the kind of matchup this is going to be. The two sides play similar styles of soccer and usually play closely contested games.
“Both teams are just going to go at it,” Yeagley said. “They’ll have some waves and we’ll have some waves. It’s going to come down to who has the difference makers in the key moments and who doesn’t hurt themselves. I’m really excited for my team’s challenge on Tuesday.”
Indiana and Notre Dame is simply as good as it gets in college soccer. This is the 44th meeting between the two teams and always produces one of the best environments on the season.
A win over its perennial in-state rival could prove that IU is well deserving for a spot at the top of the rankings.
“It’s why you come to a program like Indiana because you want to play these games,” Caulfield said. “These games where the stadium is packed even though it’s a Tuesday night. There’s always a little bit more of an extra edge when you play Notre Dame because they are a top-level team.”
(09/15/19 9:47pm)
Growing up, Jack Maher admits he probably talked too much.
His parents would get mad at him for yelling too much and he would lose his voice all the time.
From time to time, Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley will get on the sophomore defender for talking too much to the midfielders and forwards during games. Yeagley wants him to worry more about the backline and the four guys around him.
But as the lone returning starter for IU this season and one of the three team captains, talking is something the sophomore defender will need to do even more of this year.
“Yeah, that’s something I’ve had to work on,” Maher said. “I direct too much up the field and that’s something where I need to be more internal. That’ll go a long way in being more successful as a team.”
After just one season in Bloomington, Maher has gone from a soft-spoken, skinny center-back to one of the top players in collegiate soccer. He was thrust into the Starting XI at the beginning of last season and has only continued to grow.
But this year’s Maher is much different than the one that started all 24 games a year ago and stifled opposition to the tune of 15 shutouts.
“I think more of last year, but better,” Yeagley said. “I think at the end of last season, he was a much more confident and assertive Jack. With all those qualities, it took him a while to feel like that was his role. He’s a smart, very intelligent kid, that didn’t want to come in day one with the Captain America badge. His leadership has allowed us to be at the point we are right now.”
Maher has spent countless hours breaking down film with Yeagley. It’s one of his favorite things to do. He’ll break down tendencies and pick out a striker’s every move. Before the 2019 season opener against Pittsburgh, Maher and Yeagley took a look at the film on Pitt’s all-American striker Edward Kizza.
Kizza scored his two goals in the match, but Maher helped spark halftime adjustments that rendered Kizza nearly useless in the second half. IU came back to win that game 3-2 in double overtime.
“It’s just something we’re here to do,” Maher said. “There’s no extra pressure. All the pressure put on is internal. We expect to win. We expect to get shutouts and quite frankly we’re upset we didn’t get two shutouts. That’s on me and the backline. It’s a staple of Indiana soccer and looking forward it’s something we’ll really hone in on.
Maher feels much more comfortable in year two. In his collegiate debut last year, Maher admits he was nervous as 3,000-plus Wake Forest fans watched his every move.
This time around it was business as usual.
He knows the expectations that come with wearing the captain’s arm band at Indiana. Maher talked endlessly with captains from last year about taking on this new role.
The pressure, the nerves, that doesn’t bother him anymore. When he’s on the pitch he’s only worried about one thing; making everyone else better.
“It’s incredible to see the change in the coaching staff in the comfort level they have with me,” Maher said. “Day one to now. Last season, being the only freshman to come on board, it was totally different. These guys that we have are next-level players. Having the confidence in each other, will go a long way.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1169386639422107648?s=20[/embed]
Expectations are always high at IU. The Hoosiers are the preseason favorite to win the conference and after the opening weekend sit at 2-0 and No. 2 in the coaches poll.
To the Hoosiers, it’s all noise.
“Nothing changes. The expectation is that we will win it. It’s the same as if we’re ranked first or last,” Maher said. “It will not change the attitude we have coming into the first game. What we do this year is a direct reflection of how well we’re taught last season by those leaders.”
On Labor Day, as IU prepared to take on UCLA in a delayed start to the final game of the IU/Adidas Credit Union Classic, 15-20 members of Maher’s family filed into Bill Armstrong Stadium; the same family that used to get mad at him for yelling too much.
It was the first time his extended family has been able to watch him in a game at IU. He gave them something to remember. After over 200 minutes of soccer in one weekend, Maher tapped in a goal off assists from redshirt junior Spencer Glass and redshirt freshman Daniel Munie to give IU a 2-1 win in double overtime.
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It was Maher’s first career goal.
The guy who never wants the attention played the role of hero to cap off the opening weekend.
As he embraced his parents after escaping the mob of IU players, he hugged them and began to speak, his voice already giving way after a weekend of yelling out directions.
“We did it,” he said.
That “we before me” mantra never wavers from Maher. Anything he does, he credits back to the team.
He doesn’t mind that though. He’s at IU to win a national championship. And the soft-spoken, skinny center-back will have a huge role in seeing that through, even if he has to lose his voice along the way.
(09/09/19 12:29am)
No. 2 Indiana dropped its first points of the season Sunday afternoon as it played to a scoreless draw against Seattle in South Bend at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. It was a defensive struggle with 35 combined fouls. Seattle had five yellow cards and a straight red card. Here are three takeaways from IU’s contest with Seattle.
Offense struggles, again
It has been a constant theme this season. Once again, IU struggled to get any action in the box and failed to make any real chances. The Hoosiers had eight shots during the game, but just one went on target. Two of IU’s forwards, juniors Ian Black and Thomas Warr didn’t get a single shot off in a combined 140 minutes. This is something that can’t continue as the season progresses. The defenses will get stronger and IU’s offensive possessions will be even more important. The Hoosiers have a plethora of options they can go with. If some of IU’s forwards can get hot, like Black did Friday, IU’s offense will be fine going forward.
Defense gets first shutout
Sophomore defender Jack Maher hasn’t been shy about his displeasure with not getting shutouts on the opening weekend of play. He calls it a staple of Indiana soccer. Well on Sunday, IU got its first shutout of the season. IU’s defense and fifth-year senior Sean Caulfield staved off 11 shots and three shots on goal. In the opening part of the season, IU has found itself on the back foot on a lot of breakaways. But on Sunday, IU proved how dominant its backline can be. Going forward, IU will see a long run of tough competition and will the defense to be as good it was against Seattle.
Tough schedule ahead
Like I said before, IU’s schedule only gets tougher after this. The Hoosiers have a little over a week before Notre Dame comes to town in what will likely be a top-15 matchup. Following that, IU will host Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener and then head to Indianapolis to face Butler the next week. IU has a lot of good chances to boost the non-conference RPI in the following weeks but will need to clean up the offensive struggles and continue to play stout defense.
(09/06/19 10:55pm)
No. 2 Indiana took to the road for the first time this season as it visited South Bend for the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament for matchups with Denver and Seattle. On Friday afternoon, IU met Denver and per usual with this year’s squad, drama ensued. Here are three takeaways from Indiana’s dramatic 2-1 overtime victory over Denver.
IU plays from behind again
IU once again started on the flat foot on Friday afternoon after a goal from Denver midfielder Liam Johnson put the Pioneers up 1-0 in the sixth minute. It was the third straight match to start the season that IU has gone behind and it put the Hoosiers in a position where they had to quickly get shots off.
IU had 14 shots in regulation but just three on net, including the penalty kick that brought the game level by junior forward Ian Black. Over the past couple of years, IU has been accustomed to jumping out to a quick lead and playing back for the remainder of the 90 minutes. It appears that this year, IU won’t be afforded that luxury.
With a young team and a vulnerable defense at times, IU has to be more efficient with the chance it’s provided to avoid going down to begin the game.
Late drama
It’s only the third game of the season, but IU has already played more than 300 minutes of soccer after Black’s 97th minute goal capped off another overtime victory and a 2-1 defeat of Denver. During the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic, it took two overtimes in matches against UCLA and Pittsburgh to settle the score, but against Denver it took just one.
IU redshirt junior defender Spencer Glass noted that he would rather see these matches get done in regulation, but that the Hoosiers have the preparation and stamina to complete the job, no matter how long it takes. Black is now the third different IU player to score a golden goal winner this season along with freshman forward Herbert Endeley and sophomore defender Jack Maher.
Black breaks out
IU head coach Todd Yeagley wasn’t quite sure where the goals would come
from heading into the season, but after three games it has become clear that Black will have a hefty load for IU. After his brace against Denver that included a penalty kick and the game winner, Black now has three goals and an assist on the season for a total of seven points.
Black played well in the spring and figured to continue that form into the fall. Because of lineup adjustments, he’s played both on the front line and the midfield, but slots well at one of the outside forward positions. Going forward, Black will be one of the biggest threats on the field for IU.
IU returns to the pitch in South Bend on Sunday at 4 p.m. for a matchup with Seattle.
(09/05/19 4:32pm)
For the first time this fall, No. 2 Indiana gets on the road this weekend, heading to South Bend. After picking up two major wins at home with golden goals against Pittsburgh and UCLA, IU heads north to play matches against Denver (0-1-1) and Seattle (1-0-1) in the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. Indiana opens the tournament Friday afternoon against a Denver team which is receiving votes in the most recent coaches poll. Let's meet the Pioneers.
(09/02/19 8:47pm)
Sophomore defender Jack Maher wrapped his arm around freshman forward Herbert Endeley before taking the field for the second overtime period Monday afternoon.
His message: “Go do it again.”
Endeley played hero Friday night against Pittsburgh with a golden goal in double overtime. On Monday, it was Maher’s turn to wear the hero’s cape as his 104th minute goal gave the Hoosiers 2-1 victory over UCLA.
“Words can’t really describe what it’s like to get your first collegiate goal,” Maher said. “It was one of those ‘see ball, kick ball’ moments. You don’t even know where it is until, bam, you see it and I’m lucky to just put it away.”
Indiana needed nearly 14-and-a-half hours before it could kick off the 19th edition of a storied rivalry with the Bruins. Rain and lightning helped delay the final game of the Adidas/IU Credit Union classic until 10:30 a.m. Monday.
But nearly three hours after it started Monday morning, Maher put the finishing touches on another classic in the rivalry with his goal off assists from redshirt freshman defender Daniel Munie and redshirt junior defender Spencer Glass.
As surprising as it might sound for a player who is on the preseason MAC Hermann watch list and was named a third team All-American by College Soccer News, that was only Maher’s third career point. His first was an assist Friday night against Pittsburgh.
(09/01/19 3:53pm)
Dropped balls. Broken tackles. Late penalties.
It was a performance so reflective of former IU football teams, not of the IU team we were supposed to see this season.
When IU came so close to separating itself from Ball State, the Hoosiers reverted back to their old ways -- to “typical Indiana.”
The mistakes that Indiana made weren’t enough to hinder the Hoosiers from overcoming Ball State on Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis. But it was enough to show that there is still a ways to go before IU head coach Tom Allen gets his program to where he wants it.
“You get better as you go,” Allen said. “We just had two-and-a-half or three hours of live drills. You teach off that and you learn that and practice will be a lot better next week.”
There were plenty of positives in IU’s 34-24 victory over the Cards, even on a day where both sides of the ball were sluggish.
Sophomore running back Stevie Scott had a diving block in the first half to set up a 75-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Michael Penix to senior wide receiver Nick Westbrook.
Senior defensive back Andre Brown had a great open field tackle to stall a Ball State drive in the third quarter -- and let go of his man before being called for a penalty.
Plays like those epitomize the culture that Allen is trying to build -- sacrificing things for others, but at the same time finishing every play to perfection. There were a lot of things for this team to learn, especially as a handful of players got their first career collegiate starts.
“To be able to win and play sometimes not very good, but get the W and learn from a win is a great feeling,” Allen said. “Learning from an ugly loss really, really stinks. I think we’re going to be a much better football team next week, especially as a whole group.”
(08/31/19 7:38pm)
Well, as crazy as it seemed at times, Indiana managed to pull away from Ball State for a comfortable win in the season opener. It wasn’t always pretty, but IU turned around its performance in the second half to come away with a 34-24 win. It was Michael Penix’s first game as the full-time starter and it looked like that at times. There were bright spots and there were some moments to forget. But ultimately, it was the first step in IU’s quest for bowl eligibility. There will be much more from the Hoosier Network crew, but for now, here are my instant reactions.
Penix is very good, but still has a ways to go in his development
We have to remember that it was only 10 months ago that Michael Penix suffered a torn ACL against Penn State, ending what was a potentially a chance to overtake Peyton Ramsey as the starting quarterback. IU switched up a lot how they used Penix. There were the short screen passes to Ty Fryfogle and Whop Philyor, followed by deep passes to Nick Westbrook, showing off Penix’s arm. But there were times that Penix looked like the guy that only played in three games last year. He was picked off two times in the first half, including a ball to Fryfogle that never stood a chance of being completed. There’s no doubt that the arm strength is there, but the decision making has to get better. There’s no need for fans to overreact when he makes good decisions or whenever he makes bad decisions. His future is bright, and when he starts to overcome his own mistakes and when his receivers consistently catch the ball, the IU offense could be special.
Stevie Scott finds stride in second half
Stevie Scott found himself very frustrated in the first half. He could never find a hole and the defense swallowed him up before he could get out of the backfield. Things started to clear up in the second half and he capitalized to the tune of two touchdowns. He was far and away the most used tailback in IU’s backfield, finishing with 48 yards on 19 carries. You can see how much Head Coach Tom Allen wants to get the ball into Scott’s hands. As Penix develops and the offense becomes more dynamic, the holes will start opening up and Scott will start to find running space in the open field.
IU’s mistakes hurt but don’t kill Hoosiers
There will be plenty to talk about when IU looks at film on Monday. The Hoosiers had plenty of chances to put away Ball State, but a number of dropped balls, missed tackles and late penalties just hampered IU’s ability to play fast and free. However, the biggest problem there is that some of those mistakes came from IU’s veteran players. Fifth-year senior wide receiver Nick Westbrook and junior wide receiver Whop Philyor both had dropped balls that would’ve led to touchdowns. Redshirt junior linebacker Marcelino Ball had an unsportsmanlike penalty that extended a Ball State drive. Against Ball State, you can afford some of those mistakes, but against the Big Ten’s best, you can’t. Those are things that have to be cleaned up. IU welcomes Ohio State to Bloomington in two weeks. Ideally, it should be fixed by then.
There were plenty of positives to take away from IU’s 34-24 victory. The most important thing: it was a victory. IU will welcome Eastern Illinois to Memorial Stadium next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.