The No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers took advantage of sloppy play and shot opportunities in their 2-1 overtime win against the University of Denver. Junior forward Ian Black scored both goals. The golden shot coming in the 97th minute.
At the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament in South Bend, Indiana, the Hoosiers improved to 3-0 on the season and are now 2-0 all time against the Pioneers.
Here are some key takeaways from the Hoosiers’ third consecutive overtime win.
1. IU continues to struggle scoring early
Denver’s sophomore midfielder Liam Johnson scored the first goal of the game following a corner kick in the sixth minute. It was the fourth goal of the season surrendered by IU senior goalkeeper Sean Caufield.
The Hoosiers gave up nine goals in the entirety of 2018. Although the defense has almost surrendered that many already, IU head coach Todd Yeagley said he is not concerned about the statistics.
“We’re not going to be 2018 defensively, and I told them we don’t need to be that team,” Yeagley said. “I’m really just focused on the team becoming better defensively as a unit and individually.”
IU’s defense shut Denver’s offense down in the second period.
2. Denver’s early penalties cost it big
The Pioneers picked up eight fouls and three yellow cards in the first period alone. By comparison, the Hoosiers had six fouls and no yellow cards.
Pioneer midfielders Stefan Deleone and Jacob Stensson combined for five fouls and two yellow cards. Taking advantage of Denver’s sloppy play, IU’s junior foward Ian Black scored a penalty kick in the 28th minute, giving him his second goal of the season.
The second half would feature a red card and subsequent ejection for Stensson in the 49th minute. IU managed to get off five shots and caused Denver junior goalie Will Palmquist to dive around the goal box blocking shots.
Moving the ball with better speed than previous games, the Hoosiers ran circles around the Pioneer defense and brought it home in overtime.
3. IU got a lot of shots off
IU’s nine corner kicks contributed to outshooting Denver 14-7 through the first two periods. The team’s 15th shot was buried in the net in overtime by Black.
Four Hoosiers finished the game with multiple shots on goal while only one Pioneer had more than a single shot. The ball movement was arguably the best it's been for IU as the offense finds its rhythm.
Black led the team with four shots, the most taken by a Hoosier this season. Junior defender A.J. Palazzolo took three shots while freshman midfielder Aidan Morris and sophomore midfielder Joe Schmidt took two each.
The Hoosiers have a day of rest before entering their fourth game of the season against Seattle University at 4 p.m. Sunday.
