Todd Yeagley knew Michigan State was better than its record suggests. He also knew, as the No. 3 Indiana men’s soccer head coach has mentioned multiple times, that the tape wouldn't tell the whole story.
The Spartans were going to bring their best. And that’s exactly what the Hoosiers got.
Indiana matched shot totals with Michigan State, totaling eight each. It had one more shot on target and double the number of corners.
But when the final whistle blew, the Spartans led in the only category that mattered — goals.
A 1-0 defeat Tuesday night in East Lansing, Michigan, marked Indiana’s second defeat of the season. On one hand, it took five games for the Hoosiers to reach two losses in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons while it took nine this year.
On the other hand, neither Big Ten season ended with more than two conference defeats. And Indiana has already reached that number.
Yeagley opted for sophomore forward Michael Nesci in the starting forward line for the second consecutive game, leaving freshman forward Colton Swan on the bench after starting the Detroit native in the first seven matches. Junior midfielder Jacopo Fedrizzi also stepped back into the fray, replacing junior forward Clay Murador.
The only two constants in the forward line remained senior forward Palmer Ault and junior forward Collins Oduro. And it was that Hoosier duo that nearly leveled the match for Indiana.
A looping ball found Oduro on the right wing, and without taking a touch, he lofted a cross into the box. The pass floated through the air, and with a first-time effort, Ault put a shot on frame, only to see redshirt senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly parry the ball to safety.
It was the first of five saves for Kelly, who secured Michigan State’s first shutout over Indiana since 2012. It seemed only fitting that with just over half a minute left, the ball found Kelly’s waiting arms, securing the victory as he blasted a punt downfield.
After a 5-0-1 start, the best in program history since 1997, the Hoosiers’ ride to glory has found some turbulence. The preseason favorites to win the conference regular season for the third straight year are not sweeping the Big Ten like they did through their opening nonconference play.
The Hoosiers now sit in the bottom half of the Big Ten, with seven conference games left and nine matches overall. Yet in 2022, they finished fourth in the Big Ten, only to win six of their next seven matches to reach the national championship.
Which is to say, there’s still a lot of season to go. And if history has any say, Indiana will be just fine.
The Hoosiers began the 2024 conference season 1-1-1 before securing a 6-0-1 record in their next seven Big Ten games to clinch a share of the regular season title. They went undefeated in October, a month synonymous with success for Yeagley and his squads.
A match against UCLA, a side undefeated in the Big Ten so far, kicks off Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. It’s all that will stand between the Hoosiers and October.
Maybe their form will return, beginning with a contest in front of the Hoosier faithful. Or maybe the slide will continue, leaving the program and its fans disappointed.
But one thing is for sure: every opposition will bring its best against Indiana.
The Hoosiers simply need to make sure they do the same.
Follow reporters Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer and matfuent@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men's soccer season.
