After going undefeated in its first five matches of the year, No. 5 Indiana men’s soccer finally conceded a 3-2 loss to No. 8 Michigan on Sept. 13. The loss was despite two late opportunities to tie the score — the most notable chance being a penalty kick from senior forward Palmer Ault that hit the post in the 90th minute.
So how did Indiana respond to the loss versus Michigan?
The Hoosiers went on the road to University Park, where they rebounded with a 4-1 victory over Penn State on Sept. 19.
During the match, Ault tallied a hat trick in the second half and assisted on sophomore defender Josh Maher’s equalizing goal in the 14th minute. Ault’s hat-trick was the first for Indiana since forward Victor Bezerra accomplished the feat in 2019.
Now, the Hoosiers sit at a record of 6-1-1 (1-1 Big Ten).
With Indiana continuing Big Ten conference play Tuesday in East Lansing, Michigan, Ault and his teammates will look to carry the same dominance.
Ault’s hot streak
Speaking of Ault, the Hoosiers’ last match got him out of his cold streak.
Ault — who won co-Big Ten offensive player of the week Sept. 3 — hadn't scored a goal since Aug. 31.
In Indiana’s three games leading up to the match against Penn State, Ault only had one assist.
But the match against the Nittany Lions showed Ault’s dynamic nature.
In the postgame interview, Ault said, “it felt good to finally break through again” and credited his teammates for putting him in spots where he was able to finish.
Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley also understands the senior forward isn’t close to reaching his ceiling yet.
“He’s still got another gear in him” Yeagley said in a press conference Monday. “He’s doing good stuff for us and has been super sharp in his training. He has the ability to finish in a variety of ways.”
Programs’ history
Indiana holds a sizeable record all-time in head-to-head matchups over Michigan State, going 44-9-6.
In their most recent matchup on Oct. 18, 2024, Indiana took home a comfortable 3-1 victory. That victory was the 200th of Yeagley’s career.
In 2024, the one Michigan State goal was from then-Spartan sophomore midfielder Cristiano Bruletti. Bruletti, who is now a Hoosier, spent two years at Michigan State before transferring to Indiana in January 2025.
Meet the Spartans
Michigan State’s one consistent is its coach Damon Rensing.
Rensing sports a career record of 151-116-49 over 17 years as the Spartans’ head coach.
And although the team’s standing 3-4 record might appear slow on paper, Yeagley knows the Spartans are still a dangerous team.
“They’re a better team than their record indicates,” Yeagley said Tuesday. “It’s going to be a challenging game up there; we get everybody’s best, so whatever we’ve seen on video, it’s going to be a better version of that.”
So far this season, Michigan State has lost to the University of Pittsburgh, Bowling Green State University, Washington and Ohio State.
The Spartans’ two key players to keep an eye on in this matchup are freshman midfielder Luke Spadafora and junior midfielder Miles Merrit, who lead the team in goals and assists with two apiece.
For the Hoosiers, it’ll be the second match in four days on the road.
The kickoff of the match is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Coverage of the match will be available on Big Ten Network.
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.
