IU Coach Todd Yeagley mentioned Friday afternoon during media availability that he thought his team was going to play its best game of the season against No. 12 Michigan State on Sunday.
He was right.
The Hoosiers had 20 shots on the afternoon and the defense allowed just a single shot on goal.
Despite outplaying the Spartans during 90 minutes of regulation time, it wasn’t until seven minutes into the first overtime period when the Hoosiers found a difference maker.
Senior defender Andrew Gutman fired a shot toward the goal, and after a diving save by Michigan State, the ball went toward the right side of the net and into the path of sophomore midfielder Justin Rennicks.
He had no issues striking the ball into the gaping net for a golden goal to give IU a 1-0 win to close its regular season.
With the win on Senior Day, the Hoosiers became the first team in Big Ten Conference history to finish the conference season with a perfect 8-0 record.
"To do it at home, the guys didn’t really get to enjoy the Big Ten Championship with their fans," Yeagley said. "We got to relive a little bit of that special feeling of excitement that an overtime win gives you.”
One of the reasons neither team was able to score in regulation was because of the wind.
All match long the ball hung in the air on goal kicks, kept above the pitch by the gusting wind. Both teams had to constantly readjust the ball on set pieces and goal kicks just to make sure it was in the right position.
There were multiple occasions where each team would have a corner kick, but the ball would curve too much and completely bypass all the players as it went out of bounds.
“The wind today was crazy,” senior midfielder Francesco Moore said. "I think it’s the craziest we’ve ever played in my years here. We said before the game it wasn’t going to be pretty.”
Luckily for IU sophomore goalkeeper Trey Muse, he only had to save a single shot during the match due to the stellar play of IU's backline.
In the 69th minute, senior defender Rece Buckmaster made an impressive defensive play that exemplified the dominance of IU's backline.
As the ball was passed to Michigan State senior forward DeJuan Jones, Buckmaster kept up with him. As soon as Jones touched the ball, Buckmaster saw an opening and forced himself in between Jones and the ball, forcing it out of bounds for an IU goal kick.
“Jones is a tough matchup for anyone,” Yeagley said. “They’re going to get a couple of chances. They're too good of a team. Trey didn’t have to work too hard today.”
After losing 3-0 to then-No. 4 Kentucky on Oct. 3, IU is 6-0 and has allowed just one goal.
With its current winning streak, the Hoosiers have earned the No. 2 overall ranking in the NCAA Tournament committee’s current top-10 standings.
“I’m firm a believer you make your own luck,” Moore said. “If we keep playing the way we’re playing, then the luck will follow.”
