The first half of the match against Northwestern on Friday was filled with relentless pressure from Indiana men’s soccer. The Hoosiers controlled the pace.
But when Indiana looked up at halftime, it found itself knotted up 0-0.
The Hoosiers had plenty of opportunities to score in the first half but couldn’t execute.
It started in the seventh minute with a shot by junior forward Clay Murador that rolled toward the bottom left corner of the net but was saved by Northwestern senior goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de León.
The chances didn’t stop there.
In the 20th minute, sophomore midfielder Charlie Heuer was in the box when he fired a shot that deflected off a Northwestern defender in his way and bounced wide of the net.
Indiana had three consecutive corner-kicks thereafter but couldn’t convert — a theme that stuck throughout the entire game.
Ultimately, Indiana outshot Northwestern 6-3 in the first half. The Hoosiers took five corners compared to the Wildcats’ one.
But the constant pressure the Hoosiers put on Northwestern in the first 45 minutes of the game slowly started to fade away.
The Wildcats ran away with the game in the second half, winning 2-0 Friday night at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois.
Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley started graduate goalkeeper Holden Brown instead of freshman Judewellin Michel, and it paid off in the first half.
It was up in the air as to which goalkeeper was going to start. Michel started the last four games for Indiana, but Yeagley opted for Brown after Michel’s shaky performance against Maryland on Oct. 24.
Brown was spectacular in the first half when given the opportunity. In the second half, though, Brown was shaky. He made a crucial error on the first Northwestern goal in the 59th minute.
On a corner from Northwestern graduate midfielder Joe Suchecki, the ball went wide. Although it appeared to be off target, junior defender Bryant Mayer found an angle on it and headed it to senior forward Alejandro Martinez Santamaria.
The senior forward headed it past Brown, who came out of his net early, to give the Wildcats the lead.
Northwestern extended its lead minutes later with another goal.
Junior midfielder Peter Riesz found the open freshman forward Aaron O’Reilly on a run in the middle of the field. O’Reilly did the rest, pushing the ball past the sprawling Brown in net.
Northwestern led 2-0 after O’Reilly’s goal. But Indiana still had its chances to fight back.
In the 70th minute, Indiana had three straight shots. Two of the three were blocked, and the third shot by senior forward Palmer Ault was saved by Ponce de León.
Indiana had another chance to push the match closer in the 79th minute with junior forward Collins Oduro’s one-on-one chance in the box with Ponce de León. Oduro’s shot went over the crossbar.
After the missed shot, the Hoosiers remained blanked in the remaining 11 minutes of the game.
Indiana now moves to 11-5-1 overall and 4-5-0 in Big Ten play with Friday’s loss. Its next match, the final match of the regular season, is against Rutgers on Nov. 7 at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington.
Despite the loss, the Hoosiers still find themselves battling for the decisive fourth spot in the Big Ten standings, which would ensure the Hoosiers a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
Indiana will need a win over Rutgers on Nov. 7 and either a loss or draw from UCLA against Washington as well. If both happen, the Hoosiers will move into fourth place in the Big Ten and compete in the Big Ten Tournament.
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.
