Despite several scoring chances for both sides, Indiana men’s soccer tied the University of Kentucky 1-1 in Lexington, Ky.
Tuesday’s game started slow with both teams examining each other until Indiana junior forward Sam Sarver made a long pass to freshman forward Collins Oduro 11 minutes into the first half. Sarver’s pass was intercepted, but the ball went straight to forward senior Karsen Henderlong, who shot a curling ball on the top left corner from the top of the box and scored on the first shot of the game to put the Hoosiers up 1-0.
Oduro almost doubled the lead after a shot from outside the box 14 minutes into the game. The shot aimed for the same corner but, this time, Kentucky sophomore goalkeeper Casper Mols made a diving save.
Kentucky’s first shot attempt came 18 minutes into the first half. Off a long free kick, junior midfielder Casper Grening shot over the crossbar without much danger for senior goalkeeper JT Harms.
The Wildcats had another free kick around the box with 23 minutes, and Grening looked for the goal once again. This time, Harms saved the shot aimed at the top right corner.
On the very next play, senior forward Maouloune Goumballe, who was improvised as right back, lost the ball in the defense, which led to a dangerous attack by Kentucky. Hoosiers’ senior defender Hugo Bacharach brought down Wildcats' freshman forward Isaiah Chisolm inside the box.
After a quick VAR check, Kentucky was awarded the penalty. Graduate student midfielder Finn Ballard McBride shot on the low left corner, and Harms saved it.
But the Hoosiers could not keep the lead any longer. After a throw-in into the box 30 minutes into the first half, Indiana’s defense partially cleared the ball, and Kentucky junior defender Eoin Martin fired into the left corner from a volley to tie the game.
After the tie, both teams quieted down and did not generate a lot of chances.
The second half saw a couple of chances early on but was less eventful than the first. Wildcat sophomore midfielder Mathias Yohannes fired one wide to the right from the distance two minutes into the half.
A couple of minutes later, Sarver received the ball inside the box from Oduro but couldn’t control it well, which gave Mols time to close in on him and make the one-on-one save.
After that, the teams struggled to create chances until Mols gifted Sarver a chance. Off a bad cross by freshman defender Alex Barger, Mols dropped the ball on what would have been a routine save, and Sarver had a wide-open net. The forward shot off the bounce and hit the post from inside the box 27 minutes into the half.
Five minutes later, the ball was deflected inside the box off an Indiana corner and fell right in front of junior midfielder Patrick McDonald. The Hoosier fired from inside the 6-yard box, but his shot was deflected by the wall of Wildcats in front of him.
In the 40th minute, Yohannes fouled Sarver just outside the box and received his second yellow card. The Hoosiers had five minutes to try to press a 10-men Kentucky team but could not create any dangerous chances.
Indiana finished with 14 shots – six on goal – and Kentucky had 10 shots, with five of them on goal.
The Hoosiers now look forward to their fourth Big Ten matchup of the season, against Penn State. The game is scheduled for noon Oct. 7 at University Park and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Leo Paes (@Leordpaes) and Jovanni Salazar (@jio_duz_it) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
