No. 11 Indiana men’s soccer will host the University of San Francisco in its second contest of the year Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
The Hoosiers currently hold a record of 0-0-1 coming off a tie against Clemson in their opening match of the season. After being down 2-0 in the 60th minute of action, the Cream and Crimson fought back and tied with the Tigers.
Old-school rivalry: The history between both teams
Both programs have a rich history, particularly in the late 1970s. Both schools met in the National Championship Match three times in five seasons between 1976 and 1980.
This period was San Francisco’s “Golden Era.” The Dons won six titles between 1950 and 1980, including all three over the Hoosiers when they faced off in the National Championship. The Hoosiers’ program was founded in 1973, so it was a growing process for them.
Despite not having success in the earlier matchups, Indiana still holds the all-time head-to-head record against San Francisco, going 6-4-3 against the Dons. The Hoosiers have not lost to San Francisco since 1983.
Indiana also sports an undefeated 3-0-2 home record when these two programs meet.
The last time these two teams met was Sept. 1, 2017, when Indiana dominated with a 5-1 victory.
Injuries headline Indiana coming into Sunday’s match
For the Hoosiers, Thursday night’s tie against a formidable opponent in No. 9 Clemson seemed to be a success on paper.
However, Indiana dealt with a ton of injuries, with both teams playing an intense and physical match.
Senior forward Palmer Ault played the full 90 minutes. He was laboring toward the end of the match, requiring attention on the Indiana bench when there was a break in the action. Ultimately, he played through the pain, but his status is uncertain heading into Sunday’s tilt.
Junior forward Collins Oduro also labored through some pain at the end of the match. In the 82nd minute, the star player collided with a Clemson defender and had to be held out of the match for a minute while receiving treatment on his upper-left leg. Oduro appears to be in the same boat as Ault, his status unknown for tomorrow’s match.
Three other players left the game with injuries: junior defender Victor Akoum, sophomore defender Josh Maher and sophomore midfielder Charlie Heuer.
Maher was the first injured Hoosier to leave the match. He went down in the 12th minute but appeared to be fine. Only a few seconds after returning to the pitch, he collapsed in pain again and was escorted off the field for the rest of the match.
Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said postgame that he thinks Maher “should be fine” for the second match of the year but “doesn’t fully know yet.”
Heuer and Akoum’s injuries occurred in the second half of play.
In the 72nd minute of play, Heuer went down in a heap right outside of Clemson’s box. The Illinois native appeared to be holding his leg and was helped off the field by the athletic trainers with a towel over his head.
Yeagley said he “also didn’t have an update” on Heuer, putting his availability for Sunday in doubt.
Only six minutes later, Akoum had to be helped off the field. The transfer from Virginia, who was playing in his first game as a Hoosier, appeared to cramp in his lower-right leg. He tried to play through it but couldn’t, being helped off the field.
“We’ll have to substitute on the fly,” Yeagley said. “Our players know that we don’t have to stick to a certain game plan.”
Meet the Dons
The University of San Francisco kicked off its 2025 season with a 1-0 victory over UC Davis.
Last year, the Dons went 7-6-4, led by senior Reid Roberts. Roberts was recognized as the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and also a WCC All-Conference First Team selection. However, he graduated and didn’t return this year.
Out of all the returning players, senior forward Isaiah Easley poses the biggest threat to opponents. He finished sixth in the WCC in points and seventh in assists.
Another top player for San Francisco is sophomore Brayden Beason, who led the Dons in goals last year with five.
In the second game of the year for both programs, an older rivalry will be renewed. Coverage of the match will be available at 7:30 p.m. on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
