Men's soccer loses 2 OT games this weekend

For only the third time in a decade, the IU men’s soccer team is mired in the midst of a three-game losing streak after a pair of overtime losses over the weekend.

On Friday, the Hoosiers fell to No. 18 UAB 2-1 in  overtime. That loss was followed by a 5-4 overtime loss at home at the hands of West Virginia on Sunday night.

IU struck first on Friday when senior midfielder A.J. Corrado put the ball into an empty net in the 52nd minute.

Senior midfielder Nikita Kotlov slipped past his defender, streaked down the endline, and laid the ball off for Corrado.

“(Kotlov) beat his man down the line and got his head up and found me right in front of the goal,” Corrado said. “I was wide open. It was a great assist.”

Corrado’s strike stood as the only goal of the match until the final minute, when UAB was awarded a penalty as a result of junior defender Kerel Bradford’s bump of a Blazers’ attacker in the box.

With 47 seconds remaining in regulation, Blazers forward Diego Navarrete put the penalty kick in the back of the net to send the match to a sudden-death extra time period.

Just under 10 minutes into overtime, IU sophomore goalkeeper Michael Soderlund swatted away a UAB shot, but the ball fell at the feet of the Blazers’ Rami Dajani. The freshman forward’s shot bulged the back of the open net.

The goal dealt two losses to IU Coach Todd Yeagley’s squad — in addition to the Hoosiers’ second consecutive overtime defeat, Soderlund suffered a minor hip injury in the fracas in front of the goal, forcing freshman Colin Webb into goal for Sunday’s game with West Virginia.

That match saw a flurry of goals, with each squad scoring four goals in regulation to send the Hoosiers to extra time for the third consecutive match, where they were beaten for the third time by a sudden-death goal.

With 7:21 remaining in the second period of extra time, West Virginia’s Ryan Cain collected a ball in front of the goal, where he turned and slotted home the game-winning goal. 

Senior midfielders and team captains Harrison Petts and Jacob Bushue linked up twice to tally goals, with each player collecting a goal off the other’s assist. Also tallying for the Hoosiers were senior Nikita Kotlov and freshman Tanner Thompson.

The three-game losing streak is only the second of Yeagley’s tenure at the
position, though he said he remains focused on his team’s performance rather than scorelines.

“It’s a different disappointment,” Yeagley said. “These hurt because the guys know how well this team has played. They continue to be teaching moments for us, and we’re just focusing on the things we can control. Good things typically come from moments like these.”

Follow reporter Alden Woods on Twitter @acw9293.