On Feb. 6, former Indiana men’s soccer center back Joey Maher officially announced his transfer to Saint Louis University. Six months later, he’s set to face the Hoosiers, who travel to Saint Louis to face the Billikens on Friday.
Maher spent four years in Bloomington, accumulating 83 starts in 85 matches played while contributing to 40 clean sheets. His senior season featured All-Big Ten First Team honors after he led Indiana’s defense to nine clean sheets in 24 matches.
“I’m not excited to play against Joey,” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said in a press conference Tuesday. “It’s going to be hard to see him in another uniform, but I’ll be excited to see him.”
With the departure of Maher, Yeagley and his staff must fill a seismic hole in the center of their defense. The return of fifth-year senior Jansen Miller, who Yeagley believes is an All-Big Ten level center back, is vital, but the question surrounding the other center back spot still remains.
Yeagley said redshirt sophomore Breckin Minzey, freshman Jack Lindimore or freshman Josh Maher, Joey’s brother, will slot into the space. Each youngster brings different aspects to the position, but Yeagley is very pleased with the level they have played at.
“We’re still undecided, (but) we’re confident in all three,” Yeagley said. “All of the guys around them are comfortable with the options presented. We’ve played with all three now in the games and also in training, so it’s just a matter of who we insert.”
Beyond the center back position, Friday’s match will likely feature the debuts of Indiana transfers junior right back Quinton Eliott, graduate student midfielder Luke Jeffus and graduate student forward Justin Weiss.
Indiana enters the new season after finishing 15-4-5 in 2023 with a co-Big Ten regular season title and a Big Ten Championship victory. Its quest for a ninth national title will only hold its position of second in the record books, as Saint Louis has the most NCAA Division I national championships with 10.
The Billikens are coming off a difficult season in which they finished 8-4-5 and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament. But with multiple returning veterans and a quality group of transfers, the Billikens will provide a challenging match for Yeagley’s players.
“What I do know is they’re well coached, they’re going to play really hard, it’s a disciplined team and they’re playing for a very proud program.” Yeagley said. “They’re going to be old and mature and ready. It’s going to be an amazing first test.”
Kick-off between the Billikens and the Hoosiers is slated for 8 p.m. ET at the Robert R. Hermann Stadium with coverage on ESPN+.
