Indiana men’s soccer settled for a 1-1 draw on the road against the University of Kentucky on Tuesday in a match that featured more missed opportunities for the Hoosiers. Senior forward Karsen Henderlong’s early goal and a saved penalty by junior goalkeeper JT Harms didn’t prove to be enough to give Indiana the win.
While the Hoosiers were unable to capture a victory, there are some key takeaways from Indiana’s draw against Kentucky:
Indiana has depth and versatility
Head coach Todd Yeagley has moved his frontline around quite a bit this season, and he continued to do so Tuesday. He started Henderlong as the lone striker — a decision that was rewarded with an early goal. The Crown Point, Indiana, native found himself with a loose ball on the edge of the 18-yard box and proceeded to unleash a left-foot rocket that flew by Kentucky sophomore goalkeeper Casper Mols.
Henderlong showed more than just goal scoring ability this match as he also created opportunities for his teammates. His ability to hold off defenders and distribute the ball to his teammates posed problems for Kentucky’s defense. The Hoosiers created many chances that came from Henderlong’s hold up play but weren’t able to convert.
The defense also saw some shifting around as Yeagley opted to start senior forward Maouloune Goumballe as a right back. Goumballe usually plays as a striker or a winger but showed his versatility as he played further back on the pitch. Goumballe was still able to show off his offensive ability, often joining the attack for the Hoosiers. He constantly tried to dribble to the by-line and put in crosses which led to some chances for the Hoosiers. Although he didn’t end up having many opportunities on defense, he kept the opposing wingers quiet throughout the match.
Missed chances continue to haunt indiana
The Hoosiers once again had several chances to win the match but weren’t clinical enough in front of the opposing goal. The early score by Henderlong looked like it could have been the start of Indiana’s offensive improvement, but that was its only goal of the match. Indiana was able to constantly threaten Kentucky’s back line throughout the match, but the final pass would often not get to its intended target.
When Indiana was presented with goal-scoring opportunities, the shot accuracy was not on target. The Hoosiers had 14 shots in the match with six of those being on goal. This inaccuracy in front of the net has shown up a lot for Indiana this year and has left potential goals on the field.
Luck wasn’t on the Hoosier’s side either as they saw some of their shots hit the post and get cleared of the line. Junior forward Sam Sarver picked up a loose ball in the box following a mistake by Mols and ripped a shot that hit the right post. Just minutes later, junior midfielder Patrick Mcdonald had his shot blocked on the goaline following a corner kick, leaving Indiana with just one goal on the night.
Indiana will return to conference play in their next match, visiting Penn State on Oct. 7. The match will kick off at noon at Jeffrey Field and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Leo Paes (@Leordpaes) and Jovanni Salazar (@jio_duz_it) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
