Following its defeat to Maryland on Sept. 20, Indiana men’s soccer appeared to be trending in the wrong direction. The Hoosiers sat at 2-3-3, scoring only seven goals through the eight games.
Then, Indiana’s fortune flipped.
The month of October can be accredited to some of Indiana’s success, as the squad boasts an October record of 21-4-6 since 2021. But a 2-2 comeback draw against then-No. 4 Ohio State kickstarted the Hoosiers’ six game unbeaten streak.
Most recently, Indiana routed No. 18 Michigan 5-0 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, earning its third consecutive win and putting the Hoosiers squarely in the hunt for finishing at the top of the Big Ten standings.
Friday’s match against Michigan State at Bill Armstrong Stadium provides Indiana with another opportunity to claim crucial Big Ten points, as the Spartans sit just two points back from the Hoosiers in second place yet 50 spots back in the RPI.
However, Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley isn’t too focused on the rankings or standings just yet — he only cares about winning.
“We’re just trying to win the Big Ten regular season,” Yeagley said in a press conference Thursday. “To me, it’s three points to get us to the top of the table and be in fighting position to win it, and (if) we continue to do well with getting points, then this postseason will take care of itself.”
Justin Weiss breakout
Indiana’s victory over Michigan granted the side its second marquee road victory over a ranked opponent, as the first was its 3-2 victory over then-No. 8 Wisconsin on Oct. 1.
The match also featured the emergence of graduate student forward Justin Weiss, who earned his first two goals of the year following a seven goal, seven assist Big Ten campaign last year for Northwestern.
“He’s a player that takes a lot of pride in his performance and in particular, scoring goals,” Yeagley said. “He was playing very well in many areas of the game. That goal was hard to come by, so it was great to see him not only get one, but two.”
Weiss’ goals marked the fifth straight game an Indiana player scored a brace, joining sophomore forward Collins Oduro, junior defender Quinton Elliot, senior forward Tommy Mihalic and freshman midfielder Charlie Heuer. Yeagley noted the value of a top goal scorer like Mihalic, who has notched eight goals on the year, but he also stressed the importance of having a variety of contributors.
“Anytime you lose your top goal scorer, and you don’t have other areas that you can feel like you can get goals from ... it’s a lot more difficult and also easier for the opponent to solve,” Yeagley said. “I think we have good balance, which was what we tried to build with, and the confidence is brewing, which is great.”
Indiana’s confidence is evident in its recent goalscoring surge, netting 10 goals over its past three games and 17 in its last six. With Weiss’s first two of the year, Indiana unlocks a new element to its already well-rounded attack with just three Big Ten matches to go.
Defensive results
In most of Indiana’s matches this season, Yeagley has commended his defense even when the results didn’t reflect the performance. But after back-to-back clean sheets, he has certainly been validated.
“I feel like we’re tightening things down a little bit more, but it’s been good all year, outside of a couple isolated segments, honestly,” Yeagley said. “You look at numbers, and you can overanalyze, but the reality has been pretty good all year.”
Indiana finally received recognition for its defensive efforts when fifth-year center back Jansen Miller secured his first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award Tuesday. But his partnership alongside freshman Josh Maher has solidified every game, and Indiana has begun to reap the rewards.
However, the emerging star of the Hoosiers’ defense has been Elliot. He’s notched three goals and an assist in the previous four games, but it’s been his defense that has impressed Yeagley in this string of “All-American type performances.”
Against Michigan, Elliot secured a goal and an assist in the first half, but Yeagley highlighted his defensive play against top Michigan forward, senior Jason Bucknor.
“It’s the first time they’ve moved Bucknor to the other side of the wing ... and that’s your best indicative of, ‘Ok, we’re not getting anything down this right side against Quinton Elliot,’” Yeagley said. “That’s a great compliment when they’ve never done that all year.”
Meet the Spartans
A lackluster start to the season brought Michigan State to a 1-3-2 record entering Big Ten play, but the Spartans rebounded with a 4-2-0 record in the conference.
The goalscoring is spread between six Spartans: junior midfielder Jonathan Stout leads the team with four, senior midfielder Sean Kerrigan is second with three and the remaining four players each have one. Redshirt junior Zac Kelly has earned five shutouts while conceding 12 goals in 12 games, helping solidify a defense Yeagley knows will be tough to break.
And with the two-point difference between the two sides, Yeagley knows how important the match is.
“They’re a tough team, as they always are,” Yeagley said. “There’s a lot to play for on both sides.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium with coverage on Big Ten+.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
