Jacopo Fedrizzi is no stranger to scoring goals at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
The junior midfielder represented the University of Evansville on Jerry Yeagley Field just under a year ago. His left-footed, curling strike from the right side of the 18-yard box propelled the Purple Aces to a 1-1 draw Sept. 17.
Only the cheers of his Evansville teammates followed Fedrizzi’s goal last season. After thumping home his effort from nearly the same spot Sunday, on the same side of the pitch wearing red instead of purple, the cheers were much louder.
When Fedrizzi exited the contest, with No. 11 Indiana men’s soccer holding a 3-2 lead over the University of San Francisco, the cheers from the Hoosier faithful returned. And barring any of the celebrations for the three goals, it was one of the loudest moments of the night.
If his game-saving goal against No. 9 Clemson University on Thursday wasn’t enough, then his brace in the 3-2 win over the Dons on Sunday at Bill Armstrong Stadium sealed the deal.
Fedrizzi was a Hoosier.
“Of course, having all these fans cheering for you and scoring two goals was amazing,” Fedrizzi said postgame. “Helping the team today (and) getting a win was a good sensation.”
The Giulia, Italy, native joined the Hoosiers in January, allowing him to participate in the spring season alongside a good portion of his future teammates. Senior midfielder Cristiano Bruletti joined Indiana at the same time, which Fedrizzi said helped him adjust to life in Bloomington.
But it hasn’t been terribly hard for the Hoosier players and fans to adjust to life with Fedrizzi.
“He’s got a light heart to him,” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said. “He’s very easy to like, and I think the guys have a really good time with him. I think you’re seeing a lot of joy, even more so with what he’s doing for us.”
Fedrizzi’s first goal against San Francisco came with just under seven minutes to go in the first half — a shot from outside the box that deflected off a Dons defender into the bottom right corner of the net. Fewer than 10 game minutes later, he notched his second with a thunderous strike from close to the penalty spot, making the game 2-2.
It hasn’t been entirely smooth for Fedrizzi to start his Hoosiers tenure, even with his three goals. The junior came off the bench to net the equalizer against Clemson, only playing 51 minutes as a starter, and despite the heroics Thursday, he didn’t start against San Francisco.
Yet with sophomore midfielder Charlie Heuer out due to injury, Fedrizzi stepped into the role seamlessly, providing the two goals and numerous opportunities with his set pieces and crosses.
“He didn’t have a lot of touches, but his moments were critical,” Yeagley said. “And even his open field passing was really good. He just makes the most of his moments.”
Fedrizzi’s overall impact isn’t all that surprising to Yeagley. He knew that goal contributions would come with the transfer following a campaign that featured four goals and six assists.
But Fedrizzi is a versatile option for Yeagley — a player who can slot into the central midfield role or play out wide, just as he did in both preseason games and against Clemson. The adjustment to beginning the game in the starting 11, coming off the bench or switching his position entirely hasn’t affected Fedrizzi's mindset.
“I try to put the maximum I have every time,” Fedrizzi said. “Be ready mentally every time, every time can be your moment.”
So far, Fedrizzi has had three moments, which have each been a critical goal for the Hoosiers. Whether those moments continue to come won’t necessarily matter to him as team success is more important than his own accomplishments.
Yet if they do, he plans on making the most of them — just as he has done so far for Indiana.
Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer covers Indiana men’s soccer for the Indiana Daily Student. You can follow him at @mateo_frohwer on X and contact him via email at matfuent@iu.edu.
