It took seven games, but No. 5 Indiana men’s soccer finally lost its first match.
The Hoosiers faced No. 8 Michigan on Sept. 13, losing 3-2 after a comeback attempt fell short following a missed penalty kick in the dying moments of the match. It marked the end of Indiana’s five-game win streak and six-game unbeaten streak to start the season, as well as its first loss in its only game as the No. 1 team in the nation.
The competition won’t get much easier for the Cream and Crimson as they continue to comb through the Big Ten schedule. Next on the docket is Penn State at 7 p.m. Friday in Happy Valley, with the Hoosiers facing a side they have beaten five times in a row.
Head coach Todd Yeagley won’t take any of that into account. The Nittany Lions are just another team standing in the way of Indiana, a team motivated regardless of wins, losses or draws.
“Every game is an opportunity the way we look at it, and someone’s trying to take something from you,” Yeagley said in a press conference Wednesday. “Every game is critical. Every point is critical.”
A worrisome defense?
Entering the match with the Wolverines, Indiana held a three-game clean sheet streak as well as 358 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal. Graduate student Holden Brown won back-to-back Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week awards, and redshirt junior Breckin Minzey earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9.
Yet, after 90 minutes against Michigan, Indiana conceded three.
One came from the penalty spot. Another came from a restart. The third and final goal was an open header in the box.
Some of the mistakes leading to the goals were unavoidable, Yeagley noted, but some of them were. However, the 16-year Hoosiers head coach isn’t overly worried with his team’s defense based on his overall assessment of the match.
“I think we gave up more chances (against) Saint Louis that were more quality for the opponent than we did in this game, and we didn’t concede a goal against Saint Louis,” Yeagley said. “But yet we conceded three (against Michigan). I think the scores can be always a little tricky on focusing on the number of goals versus quality of chances conceded.”
Oduro shining
Since going scoreless to begin the season, junior forward Collins Oduro has netted three goals in three games. All have been with his right foot, and all have been critical for the Hoosiers.
Oduro was the only returning starter from a forward line that featured Tommy Mihalic — the 2024 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year — Sam Sarver and Justin Weiss. Even though Oduro was drafted in the second round of the 2025 Major League Soccer SuperDraft by Orlando City SC, Yeagley preached development for his attacker once he decided to return, specifically citing his final third play.
So far this season, that development is shining through.
Oduro has added two assists to go with his three goals, and his attacking prowess has drawn the attention of opponents, leaving many open opportunities for his teammates. Goals against Saint Louis University on Sept. 3 and the University of Notre Dame on Sept. 7 were the deciding finishes in tight contests — and Yeagley is pleased to see the clinical nature of Oduro in recent matches.
“Collins has had a good year,” Yeagley said. “To have a player that’s obviously feeling it and scoring some really big goals — and good goals — is great, and then everyone else will chip in as they have the opportunity.”
Meet the Nittany Lions
Penn State opened its season with a 2-0 win over Stetson University, but it has only won one game since then, coming in a 5-0 thrashing of Mercyhurst University. Three losses and a draw have subsequently begun a bleak start to the season for a squad that won a share of the Big Ten regular season title in 2023.
The Nittany Lions are not a side that has scored in bunches, barring the 5-0 victory that has accounted for half their season goal totals. Each of their first five games featured a goal, but the streak ended after a 1-0 defeat in their Big Ten regular season opener against Rutgers.
Of the 10 team goals, nine have come from different players. The only player with more than one is junior midfielder Caden Grabfelder, who has scored twice this season and nine in his career with Penn State.
Yeagley is still cautious about the match, regardless of the Nittany Lions’ record. Penn State returned nine players that played at least 12 games last season, and Yeagley noted many of them played in the 2-0 contest last season at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
The Nittany Lions are an overall “balanced team” and “well-coached.” Yet they’re also not in the greatest form, which won’t hurt Indiana — but ultimately, the Hoosiers’ play will be more pivotal than anything else.
“We’ll have to perform well,” Yeagley said. “Most importantly, be decisive in our moments, and also, continue to be better on our restarts.”
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Friday at Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pennsylvania. Coverage will be available on Big Ten+.
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.
