After a 4-1 win over Rutgers to earn a share of the Big Ten regular season title, Indiana men’s soccer hosts Wisconsin on Friday to start its journey towards a Big Ten Tournament title.
The Hoosiers
Indiana finished the regular season strong with a convincing 4-1 victory over Rutgers in which the Hoosiers dictated play. With the win, Indiana finished its regular season with a 9-4-4 record, including a 7-1-2 record at home.
Against Wisconsin, Indiana is 44-5-10 historically and 26-1-3 at home. This year, the matchup against the Badgers on Sept. 15 saw little action – only six shots for the Badgers and 10 for the Hoosiers – and ended in a 0-0 draw.
Before the tie earlier this season, Indiana had won six straight against Wisconsin dating back to 2018. The Hoosiers’ last loss to the Badgers came in 2013.
Indiana averaged 16 shots per game and scored 21 goals in 17 games this season.
Junior forward Sam Sarver and senior forward Karsen Henderlong heated up towards the end of the regular season, allowing Indiana to grow offensively. Sarver had two goals and one assist in the last five games while Henderlong had two assists and one goal in the same stretch.
The Badgers
Wisconsin finished the season eighth in the Big Ten with an overall record of 6-4-6. Away from home, the Badgers went 1-3-2 this year.
The Badgers averaged one goal per game this season, but they also conceded one goal per game in the 16 games they played.
Individually, Wisconsin relies on sophomore forwards Thomas Raimbault, with three goals and two assists, and Mitchell Dryden, with three goals in the season.
Besides the top scorers, senior midfielder Maxwell Keenan also helped the Badgers with one goal and four assists this year.
Big Ten playoffs
The Hoosiers are the No. 1 seed, granting them the luxury of playing every game of the tournament at home.
The winner of Friday’s matchup faces the winner of Northwestern and Michigan – two of the teams the Hoosiers failed to defeat this season.
Kickoff against Wisconsin is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium with the match streaming live on Big Ten+.
