When faced with adversity or a poor stretch of form this season, Indiana men’s soccer has usually had Bill Armstrong Stadium to fall back on.
The Hoosiers boast a remarkable 5-0-2 home record this season, with three of their final five matches in Bloomington to look forward to. However, such success hasn’t followed them on the road.
While not completely unsatisfactory, the Hoosiers’ 1-2-2 road mark isn’t on par with the program’s usual standard. Their only road win came in nonconference play with a 2-1 victory over Butler University on Sept. 14.
On Tuesday night, Indiana will get its final chance to correct its winless road campaign in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers will face the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, Wisconsin, with three major points on the line as the Big Ten regular season title race winds down.
After its 4-2 win against Penn State on Friday, Indiana moved up to second in the Big Ten standings with nine points. Since then, both Ohio State and Michigan State jumped back above Indiana with wins of their own, putting each at 10 points. Indiana stands in fourth place ahead of Tuesday’s match.
Both Ohio State and Michigan State have one less match played than first-place Maryland – 12 points – and Indiana, which could prove crucial on decision day, Oct. 30. The Buckeyes and Spartans must face each other as well, though, leaving plenty of mathematical possibilities on the table.
After acing the first of three must-win tests, the Hoosiers will get their least challenging opportunity to pick up three points against the Badgers.
The Badgers are 4-5-3 overall this season and stand in a two-way tie with Michigan for seventh in the conference standings. They’ve lost against three of the Big Ten’s top contenders – Michigan State, Penn State and Rutgers — all without scoring in any of those matchups.
Despite the down season, recent results make it clear any team in the conference can shake up the table in any given match. Wisconsin held Maryland to a 2-2 draw on Friday, handing Indiana a larger share of control over its own fate.
Still, the Badgers barely hung on to the draw. They were outperformed by the Terrapins on the attacking end, trailing 17-6 in total shots. Junior goalkeeper Carter Abbott stepped up with a nine-save heroic effort to keep the score level in the end.
As hinted at previously, the Badgers offense can’t find consistency this year.
Junior defender Maxwell Keenan leads the team with five goals this season. A back line player contributing to that extent would be positive sign on a successful team, but in the Badgers’ case it’s a direct indication of the attacking core’s struggles.
On the other end, Indiana’s offense is clicking. The Hoosiers have scored at least two goals in four of their last five matches while putting together two four-goal efforts in that span.
Look deeper, and all the right pieces are getting involved for the Hoosiers.
Senior forward Ryan Wittenbrink set a new personal single-season goal tally against Penn State, putting away his sixth goal on a penalty kick. Wittenbrink earned College Soccer News Team of the Week honors for adding two assists against the Nittany Lions, moving his total for the season to five.
Meanwhile, the Hoosiers back line has seven goal contributions in the team’s past four matches. Senior defender Nyk Sessock keeps finding ways to assist goals on throw-ins, while junior defender Joey Maher and redshirt senior defender Daniel Munie aren’t afraid to push up the field and fire shots toward the back of the net.
After Wisconsin, Indiana will play a three-match nonconference slate in preparation for the season finale against current league-leader Maryland.
Tuesday’s match will be broadcast from Madison, Wisconsin on Big Ten Network at 8 p.m.
