Indiana men’s soccer got its third win of the season after defeating Butler University 1-0 Tuesday night. The win marks Indiana’s first since Sept. 4 against Seton Hall University.
Indiana had its offensive struggles before this match as they were held scoreless by both the University of South Florida and Wisconsin. They snapped their two-match goal drought early in the game when junior forward Sam Sarver scored from close range following an assist from freshman forward Collins Oduro.
[Related: No. 23 Indiana men’s soccer ties Wisconsin in first Big Ten matchup of season]
The Hoosiers kept up the pressure in the first half following the goal and head coach Todd Yeagley said it was a good performance by the team. He believed that the team had a much more complete performance in the first half because of the control they had early in the match.
The Hoosiers not only failed to score in their last match against Wisconsin but they also didn’t generate many chances to put the ball in the back of the net. Tuesday was a different story as Indiana generated multiple opportunities despite only scoring one goal.
Yeagley said that the team’s decision-making in the final third was a lot better this time around.
“We haven’t been as good around goal as we need to be, but tonight we made some strides there,” Yeagley said. “There was more composure, and the final pass was a little more thought through. So more goals will come.”
Indiana’s goal marked the third time Sarver and Oduro combined for a goal for the Hoosiers this season.
Sarver has previously said that he often tells his teammates the kind of runs he plans on making before a match, and Tuesday was no different.
Sarver recalled a play from the match against Wisconsin where Oduro played a low and driven pass towards him and Sarver nearly scored, and he thought that a similar action could lead to a goal.
“I told him beat that kid and just play that same exact ball, and I’ll be there again, and as soon as he beat him I knew he was going to play the ball,” Sarver explained. “I let him beat the guy first, and then I made the run.”
The Hoosiers held on to the lead for the remainder of the game without allowing the Bulldogs to get on the score sheet. This gives them four clean sheets in seven matches.
Indiana’s next match will be a conference matchup against Michigan State in East Lansing this Friday. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at DeMartin Soccer Stadium.
