Indiana men’s soccer head coach Todd Yeagley likes to say the Big Ten slate is a season of its own.
His adage reigns as pertinent as ever this year. The Hoosiers have underwhelmed through five matches, compiling a 1-2-2 record plagued by inconsistencies. Indiana’s most recent 2-0 loss to Dayton on Sept. 9 seemed to encapsulate the team’s mixed play.
The backline struggled at times with the Flyers’ pace on counterattacks and seemed fortunate the goal tally didn’t extend to three or four. And Indiana’s attackers, though firing off a whopping 12 second-half shots, squandered their few chances near the net.
Yeagley insisted after the match he wasn’t worried, though he said that’s subject to change if the next five outings bear similar results. Against Rutgers at 7 p.m. Friday night in Piscataway, New Jersey, the Hoosiers open the first chapter in the book of their “second” season.
‘Small things’ adding up
Aside from Indiana’s 2-0 loss to Saint Louis University in the season opener on Aug. 23, there have been constant flashes.
After a pedestrian first half against then-No. 8 University of Notre Dame on Aug. 29, the Hoosiers unleashed an attacking onslaught in the second. Similarly, despite a disappointing 1-1 draw with Butler University on Sept. 4, Indiana offered glimpses of a dynamic backline and explosive attack.
Perhaps no player has exhibited the fluctuation more than senior forward Tommy Mihalic. Following a two-game stretch where Mihalic netted three goals, he’s regressed since sailing a penalty over the bar against Butler.
Mihalic’s playing time dipped in the second half against the Bulldogs and again against Dayton, allowing underclassmen like sophomore Clay Murador and freshmen Easton Bogard and Michael Nesci to see extended time on the pitch.
While cohesive team performances have only appeared in spurts so far, Yeagley is appreciative that they’re at least present. After losing leaders like Joey Maher to Saint Louis and Brett Bebej and Maouloune Goumballe to graduation, Yeagley said it took time for voices to emerge.
Now, he’s hoping those flashes of play — and an enhanced chemistry—will lead to results despite the slow start.
“Within the locker room walls, when we’re around, it’s really the communication and the focus and the small things,” Yeagley said. “That’s why we are typically a team that’s making waves. The small things add up.”
Sorting out rotations
Indiana has deployed numerous options on the attack.
Mihalic, senior Sam Sarver and sophomore Collins Oduro came into the season as the most tenured Hoosier forwards, but Yeagley has continued to toy with the rest of the group. Graduate forward Justin Weiss missed two matches after suffering a calf injury against Yale, and while he’s expected to return Friday night, Yeagley said he won’t be “90 minutes ready.”
Murador, whose blazing speed renders him one of Indiana’s most intriguing forwards, has started to see more time off the bench. Nesci has continued to impress and become a centerpiece of the attack, and Bogard’s debut against Dayton inspired hope that he too could become an important contributor.
“Attacking is the most difficult component to your game,” Yeagley said. “We have some versatile attackers, which we like. I think the continuity just takes time.”
The Hoosiers’ attacking group isn’t the only one being rotated. Yeagley lifted sophomore defender Alex Barger in favor of redshirt sophomore Breckin Minzey for the second half against the Flyers.
He cited Minzey’s athleticism as reasoning for the change. Yeagley added it wasn’t a “knee jerk” reaction while trailing and said Minzey has been in the mix for the role. Now, while Barger is expected to continue starting, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Minzey is utilized moving forward.
“We’re still tinkering,” Yeagley said.
Meet the Scarlet Knights
When the squads met last October at Bill Armstrong Stadium, the Hoosiers trounced the Scarlet Knights 4-1.
Still, Rutgers boasts a talented attacking core with experience from front to back. Junior goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton, despite a slightly down year in 2023, earned Big Ten All-Freshman and Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors two seasons ago.
Junior forward Ian Abbey — a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection alongside Dalton in 2022 — scored against Indiana in the 2022 conference tournament final. Abbey’s notched one goal and a team-high two assists through six matches this season.
Graduate forward Ola Maeland earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors last season, and he’s collected a pair of goals on just four shots in 2024. However, the attack is led by senior Curt Calov, who transferred from Syracuse University following the school’s national title in 2022.
Calov has scored a team-high four goals, and his 11 shots on goal are six more than Abbey, who ranks second on the team.
“They’re expansive,” Yeagley said of Rutgers. “They get after it offensively. They’re a good, technical team.”
While the Scarlet Knights have collected a trio of wins, they dropped their first noteworthy test of the season 3-1 to No. 22 Seton Hall University. Indiana will certainly be pressed by Rutgers’ explosion and skill on the attack, but its lack of collective experience on the backline lends opportunities for a Hoosier team starving for wins.
Friday night’s match kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
