After a 2-1 home win over Lipscomb University on Thursday, Indiana men’s soccer will travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to face No. 10 Wake Forest University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Hoosiers
Indiana is on a hot streak with 10 wins in its last 11 games. In that stretch, the Hoosiers played only two games away from Bloomington – a 2-1 victory over Maryland on Oct. 20 and a 1-0 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 24.
The streak is much due to the Hoosiers attacking efficiency, which improved from the beginning of the season. In the same 10-game stretch, Indiana has scored 23 goals – including two four-goal games against Michigan and Rutgers.
The flood of goals reflects the good form of Indiana’s forwards. Senior forward Maouloune Goumballe — who hadn’t scored all season — has scored four goals in the last five games. Junior forward Sam Sarver – the team’s top scorer with eight goals – has two goals and two assists in the same stretch.
Defensively, the Hoosiers have been strong, averaging only eight shots against and 0.76 goals against per game.
Indiana has a negative history against Wake Forest. With a 2-3 record against them, the Hoosiers have lost their last three games against Demon Deacons, dating back to 2009.
The Hoosiers’ last win against the Demon Deacons was a 1-0 home game in 2005.
The Demon Deacons
Wake Forest finished its season with an 11-2-5 overall record and an 8-1-3 home record. However, the Demon Deacons lost 1-0 to No. 3 University of North Carolina in the ACC Championship quarterfinals.
Further, Wake Forest is on a three-game winless streak. The Demon Deacons’ last win came on Oct. 17 in a 5-1 game against Robert Morris University.
Wake Forest averages two goals in 15 shot attempts per game. In the back, the Demon Deacons’ are very similar to the Hoosiers, with an average of 0.78 goals against in seven shots against per game.
Individually, the Demon Deacons have a plethora of offensive threats and two players with over 10 goal contributions this season. Junior forward Roald Mitchell has nine goals and three assists and senior midfielder Jahlane Forbes has four goals and seven assists in 18 games this year.
The match
Four of the five matchups between Indiana and Wake Forest have been decided by only one goal difference.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. Nov. 19 at Spry Stadium with the match being streamed live on ESPN+.
Follow reporters Leo Paes (@Leordpaes) and Jovanni Salazar (@jio_duz_it) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
