No. 4 Indiana men’s soccer has won its last three matches, including then-ranked No. 14 Oregon State, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of San Francisco.
Indiana displayed late-game heroics to salvage a tie in the season opener against then-ranked No. 9 Clemson with a goal in the 81st minute from junior midfielder Jacopo Fedrizzi in a comeback effort. The group has carried this theme since then.
The Hoosiers came from behind in their first three matches, two of those being wins.
But with a shutout victory in its last match against Oregon State, Indiana has found new juice heading into Wednesday’s affair.
Now, Indiana will turn its attention to the No. 16 ranked Saint Louis University Billikens, looking to wrap up its five-game homestand on a high note.
Here’s what you need to know before the Billikens and Hoosiers take the pitch Wednesday night.
The history between the programs
Both programs have a cherished history. Saint Louis has the most championships (10) in NCAA Division I history. Its last championship came in 1973. Indiana, meanwhile, has eight. When the teams face off Wednesday night, it’ll be a renewed rivalry between the two soccer powerhouses.
Indiana and Saint Louis have faced each other 38 times since Indiana’s program was founded in 1973.
The first meeting between the schools was Oct. 11, 1975, in Saint Louis, where the Billikens won 4-1.
However, since then, the Hoosiers have held a sizable advantage in the all-time series, going 24-10-4 all-time against Saint Louis and 16-3-2 at home. In their last 10 matchups, Indiana has gone 7-3.
Despite holding the head-to-head series lead all-time, Indiana fell to Saint Louis in their meeting last year, which was the season opener for both schools. The Billikens shut out the Hoosiers 2-0, with Indiana’s play being sluggish all night long.
But this year, Indiana looks to remain undefeated as the next chapter in this meeting is written on Wednesday.
Meet the Billikens
Saint Louis fell short in the Atlantic-10 Conference championship game to the University of Dayton last year before their season ended shortly thereafter. The Billikens were knocked out in the NCAA tournament’s first round by Kansas City University.
Saint Louis lost their best player last year, senior Luis Lara. Lara scored eight goals during the season, totaling 17 points, and scored three game-winning goals for the Billikens to help push them to an NCAA tournament appearance.
Despite the loss of Lara, Saint Louis’ defense and goalkeeper play have been spectacular to open the 2025 season.
Saint Louis graduate goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel, who was named the Atlantic-10 Goalkeeper of the Year and first team All-Conference last season, returned to the fold for the Billikens. So far this year, he has been perfect, recording a clean sheet in all three games.
The other key player for Saint Louis is graduate defender Grady Easton. The Texas native scored the game-winning goal for the Billikens in their last match — a shutout victory over Seton Hall University on Aug. 30.
The Billikens have gone 2-0-1 so far this year. Saint Louis tied with the University of South Florida 1-1 in its opening match before winning two straight games over Southern Methodist University and Seton Hall in shutout fashion.
Saint Louis is looking for its third straight victory over Indiana, albeit a tough task for the visitors as it faces a consensus top-five team in the nation. Coverage of the match 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.
