Senior night is a different experience than it used to be for Todd Yeagley.
The No. 14 Indiana men’s soccer head coach took part in the celebrations as a player in 1994. In his era, transfers were a possibility but uncommon, so most seniors lasted four years with a single program.
Not anymore.
Indiana’s current squad reflects what Yeagley tabbed a “modern version of senior day” — a group of players from all different places. And against Hanover College at 7 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Yeagley and the Hoosier faithful will celebrate that group of players.
Midfielder Jack Wagoner and forward Luka Bezerra are the only two seniors that have lasted all four years within the Indiana program without a redshirt. Defender Breckin Minzey is a redshirt junior, but Yeagley noted he will play his fifth season with Indiana next year, and midfielder Noah Joseph and goalkeeper Cooper Johnsen are redshirt juniors that have spent four seasons with the Hoosiers, as well.
Other than the small crop of players, Indiana’s senior lineup is an assortment of transfers with different "storylines” leading them to Bloomington — whether it be graduate goalkeeper Holden Brown, graduate defender Ben Do, senior midfielder Cristiano Bruletti and senior forward Palmer Ault.
With seven starters leaving the 2024 squad, expectations were high for this group. Indiana’s season is far from over, but Yeagley knows the level has been met so far — and there’s still work to be done to immortalize the 2025 Indiana squad.
“It’s a lot of pressure on a group that some of these guys have not played big roles and not been in programs that have won,” Yeagley said in a press conference Monday. “They need to keep us going, and they’re doing a nice job at it.”
Indiana’s match with Hanover comes just before the final stretch of the regular season. The Hoosiers finished the nonconference schedule undefeated, barring the contest against the Panthers, but they went 3-3-0 to begin their Big Ten season.
The turbulent start was not necessarily what Indiana expected with a No. 1 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Poll ahead of conference play. But with 9 points in the league and two matches in the Big Ten against opponents ahead of them in the standings, the Hoosiers still have a chance to compete at the top.
A large portion of the credit goes to one of the transfer seniors — Ault.
His 11 goals lead the Big Ten, and his five assists are tied for third. In Indiana’s three Big Ten wins, Ault has contributed five goals and three assists. Most recently, he recorded two goals in the Hoosiers' 2-1 ranked win over the No. 25 University of Kentucky.
However, in three conference defeats, Ault didn’t record either a goal or an assist. His impact is paramount, something Yeagley has stressed countless times this season, and the rest of the season will largely hinge on his production.
Wagoner is captain of the squad. Brown started 11 of the 13 matches this season. Do delivered a game-clinching goal against Ohio State on Oct. 10. Bruletti has started every contest but one.
The seniors have largely paved the way for Indiana’s success. The season is far from over — and it will likely fall on those same seniors to continue to chase a third-straight Big Ten regular season title and a ninth national championship.
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.
