Indiana men’s soccer needed a burst of energy.
After a quiet first 30 minutes of play where the visiting Hoosiers failed to generate any real attacking opportunities, Indiana finally broke through in the 35th minute.
But right before, the Hoosiers had a supreme opportunity to tack on another goal.
The opportunity arose when freshman forward Colton Swan, who was running toward the far side of the goalpost, stuck his leg out on a cross but misjudged the flight of the ball. The ball rolled harmlessly out of bounds past Swan, who put his hands over his head in disbelief.
Although the play didn’t produce a goal, the Hoosiers still pulled out a 1-0 win in their first road match of the year against the University of Notre Dame.
Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley viewed the misjudged play as an opportunity for Swan, one that he just missed out on. Yeagley, who spoke highly of Swan from the start of the season, feels as if it’s only a “matter of time” before the freshman breaks through.
“That play was a good example of what I’ve been talking about,” Yeagley said. “We’ve just missed him; I thought that was a moment he could’ve found a goal. I don’t know if he lost sight of the ball as he was tracking because the ball had more elevation than he anticipated or maybe he thought the goalie was coming. As a striker in that spot, you’re kind of waiting to get knocked, but the goalie stayed put. I thought he was a couple of yards away from putting it in.”
Despite being mere feet away from being on the scoreboard, Indiana’s true moment came in the 35th minute — only seven minutes later.
On a header chance between a couple of Notre Dame defenders and Indiana sophomore forward Easton Bogard, the ball was redirected. Senior forward Palmer Ault, sensing a chance to attack, burst into action.
Ault ran down the pitch at full speed, beating the two Notre Dame defenders on his hip, to the ball. The Noblesville, Indiana, native then pushed the ball toward the Fighting Irish box.
As Ault entered the proximity of the box, he crossed the ball in front of the Notre Dame goalkeeper. At first, the ball appeared to be drifting away from the cutting Bogard, who had run down the field.
But quietly trailing behind Bogard during the play was junior forward Collins Oduro. As the ball went past the right foot of Bogard, Oduro fielded it. The forward kicked it through the defender’s legs and past the diving goalkeeper to put Indiana in front 1-0.
Oduro then celebrated with the “be quiet” celebration, putting his index finger up to his mouth, as he ran to the flag on the other side of the pitch. Teammate and junior defender Victor Akoum did the same celebration as Oduro while the rest of their teammates hugged them.
However, the more underrated aspect of the play was Ault’s hustle and setup that led to the goal. Yeagley acknowledged Ault’s effort — something that Ault has carried with him ever since he transferred to Indiana.
“Palmer’s effort on that goal was superb,” Yeagley said. “He came sprinting from all the way across the field and made the cross that ignited the play. He’s such a class player; I thought the first 30 (minutes) were a little off. We weren’t able to find him, yet he can just make one play that changes the game. He’s a game changer.”
Following the Oduro goal, Indiana continued to apply pressure on a retreating Notre Dame defense.
Only three minutes later, the Hoosiers had another opportunity to score.
Senior midfielder Jack Wagoner and Bogard passed back and forth before Bogard saw an opportunity to fit the ball into the cutting senior. Wagoner, now in front of the Notre Dame net, fired a shot that was saved by Notre Dame sophomore goalkeeper Blake Kelly.
Ultimately, Indiana finished the half with seven total shots compared to Notre Dame’s three.
But despite the pressure the Hoosiers put on the Fighting Irish, Yeagley thought there was room for improvement.
“We could have done a little bit better in the final third [of the attacking zone],” Yeagley said. “But we created a couple of really good chances, and the goal set both Collins and the rest of the group to life.”
In the second half, Indiana continued to stifle the frustrated Notre Dame attack. Despite not being able to net a second goal, the Hoosiers’ defense led the way as Indiana ran out the clock on its fifth consecutive victory.
The defining moment in the match was Oduro’s goal, at least in Yeagley’s eyes.
“Collins getting the goal kind of set a fire to the rest of the group,” Yeagley said. “The goal kind of just ignited them.”
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.
