Indiana men’s soccer head coach Todd Yeagley said Wednesday that minutes are earned on his team, not given by default. Which is why Tommy Mihalic, after scoring three goals in two games, saw little of the field against Butler University and the University of Dayton.
But Friday night, despite playing the fewest minutes amongst the Hoosier starters, the senior forward regained his goal-scoring touch, powering Indiana to a 1-0 victory over Rutgers in its first Big Ten contest of the season.
Indiana began the match with three new changes in the starting 11, the most crucial being the return of graduate student forward Justin Weiss. Lauded as a clinical finisher and playmaker, Weiss has yet to earn a goal or assist in the Hoosier kit, but his contributions on the frontline were evident in his 90 minutes against Rutgers.
Another big change came with redshirt sophomore Breckin Minzey, who stepped into the right back position for his second career start. Yeagley praised his performance in the second half against the Flyers, and he opted to carry the momentum over by granting the start.
For 86 minutes, Indiana produced a dominant performance with nothing to show for it in the goal column. The first half alone saw three clear cut chances for the Hoosiers, two falling to Mihalic.
The first chance highlighted a combination play yet to be consistently shown by Indiana in the young season, with a one-time pass from Weiss slipping Mihalic through on goal. The senior placed his shot to the bottom left corner of the net, but it ricocheted off the post and back into play.
Only moments later, Indiana worked the ball around and lifted a cross into the box. Mihalic rose at the six-yard box, completely unmarked, but his header blazed over the crossbar.
Senior forward Sam Sarver created the next big chance 12 and a half minutes later, with his shot smashing against the crossbar.
Indiana’s defense held a relatively unnerving performance, with the only clear chance of the game falling to Rutgers sophomore center back Nick Collins. A ball into the box met the head of Collins, which produced a looping shot that sailed over fifth year senior goalkeeper JT Harms and bounced off the crossbar.
The following 41 minutes after halftime featured many astounding saves from Rutgers goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton, highlighted by a point-blank effort from Weiss that the junior emphatically blocked.
It seemed Dalton, Collins and the rest of the Scarlet Knights were going to emerge from the game with a point, a tremendous success considering the level of domination they endured. Indiana finished the match with 13 shots to Rutgers’ seven, five shots on goal to one and seven corners to three.
But the Hoosiers continued to push, even in the final minutes. And when Sarver beat his man to the endline and drove a ball across the box that Mihalic finished off, it wasn’t a total surprise given how Indiana played the game for the previous 86 minutes.
A late push from Rutgers was never enough to generate any clear chances, and Indiana left Piscataway, New Jersey, victorious with three points in the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers briefly halt their Big Ten regular season with a home contest against the University of Evansville on Sept. 17, but they return to conference play against Maryland on Sept. 20 at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
