Over 350 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal. Three straight clean sheets. Five straight victories. No. 1 in the nation for the first time since 2021.
Although it’s been a close-to-perfect start for the Hoosiers, the schedule doesn’t get any easier as the group heads into Big Ten play.
Indiana’s schedule to open the year was daunting on paper, but the Hoosiers have lived up to that challenge so far. The Hoosiers tied with then-ranked No. 9 Clemson University in the season opener before rattling off five straight wins, including a series of victories over No. 14 Oregon State University and No. 16 Saint Louis University, as well as a hard-fought victory against the University of Notre Dame in South Bend.
Now with Big Ten Conference play beginning, Indiana remains undefeated (5-0-1) heading into an affair against Michigan on Saturday night.
Indiana’s backline has held strong
The Hoosiers’ backline has been nearly flawless over the last three matches.
Despite going 2-0-1 in its first three matches, Indiana’s defense showed some flaws due to a mixture of injuries and general lack of aggressiveness with high-level play from the opposing team.
One explanation for the slow start defensively was that sophomore defender Josh Maher left the Clemson match with an injury, one that would hold him out for three games. Maher was someone Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley expected to have a bigger impact heading into the year.
Without Maher guiding the backline, Indiana conceded two goals against the University of San Francisco and a singular goal against the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay before shutting out Oregon State in his absence.
Maher ultimately returned to play against Saint Louis. Since his return, the Hoosiers have put up back-to-back clean sheets.
Although Indiana’s backline has been steadily better over the last couple of matches, Yeagley feels growth is still occurring.
“We can give up fewer quality chances; some of that is controllable. Some of the goals we’ve given up have been mistakes on our end," Yeagley said during a press conference on Sept. 10. "We’re not giving teams a lot of looks, which is partly why we’re getting shutouts... but we’re still improving.”
Indiana’s success in the defensive zone, matched with superb goalkeeping from graduate Holden Brown, has led to national recognition in terms of awards.
Brown collected Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week two weeks in a row, while redshirt junior defender Breckin Minzey won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his contributions in Indiana’s last two victories.
Meet the Wolverines
Michigan enters Big Ten Conference play with a 3-0-2 record.
The Wolverines have allowed the fewest shots against them in the Big Ten, allowing their opponents to attempt only 26 shots through five matches, conceding four total goals through five games.
Overall, Michigan went 9-5-7 last season. The Wolverines beat Indiana 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament before losing to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game. Despite the loss to the Buckeyes, Michigan clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament. Ultimately, the Wolverines were knocked out in the second round by the University of Dayton.
In the face of defeat, the Wolverines also lost numerous key players over the offseason.
Notably, these losses included graduate forward Beto Soto, who led the team in assists with nine, and senior defender/midfielder Jason Bucknor, who led the Wolverines in goals scored with six. Bucknor was selected by the LA Galaxy with the 20th pick of the 2025 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, opting to play professionally rather than returning to Michigan for one more season.
But over the offseason, Michigan brought in several new pieces and returned a couple to fill gaps in their roster.
A major piece of the puzzle for Michigan so far this season is University of the Cumberlands transfer and graduate midfielder Shuma Sasaki. The native of Kawasaki, Japan, has tallied five points this year, leading the Wolverines in that category despite it being his first year in Michigan.
One of the returning pieces is sophomore midfielder Kamau Brame. Brame was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team last season, appearing in 19 games and totaling 12 starts.
Another piece is junior midfielder/forward Kyle Pierson. Pierson missed two seasons of play but has been impactful so far for the Wolverines. He tallied his first career goal and assist in Michigan’s 2-2 tie last match against Oakland University.
Although Michigan has a revamped roster and a brand-new identity, Yeagley knows his group will have to be ready.
“They have no lack of talent on their team,” Yeagley said. “They have good weapons; their transfers have been a big help to them, especially Shuma Sasaki. He’s a player who balances everything. They returned most of their backline and their keeper, so they’re steady. It’s going to be a good, tough challenge on Saturday.”
Coverage of the match will be available on Big Ten+. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. Saturday at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington.
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.
