Two months ago, No. 17 Indiana men’s soccer was on top of the college soccer world.
A 1-0 victory over the University of Notre Dame on Sept. 7 moved the Hoosiers to 5-0-1 on the season, their best start to a season since 1997. Two of the five wins came against ranked opponents, and three victories were accompanied by clean sheets.
The Hoosiers earned a No. 1 ranking in the following United Soccer Coaches poll, and a third-straight Big Ten regular season title appeared to be theirs to lose.
But Big Ten play proved to be a different beast.
It began with a 3-2 loss to Michigan. Later wins over Penn State, UCLA, Ohio State and Wisconsin were canceled out by losses to Michigan State, Washington and Maryland.
At 4-0-4 in conference play, Indiana traveled Friday to Evanston, Illinois, to face Northwestern, a squad with only one Big Ten victory. After 90 minutes, the Hoosiers fell 2-0 to the Wildcats — making program history just as they had almost two months before.
Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley has been the head coach of the Hoosiers for 16 seasons. His resume features one national championship, three runners-up seasons and five College Cup appearances. He’s won six Big Ten regular season titles and five Big Ten Tournament championships.
Losing is not a common feature of Yeagley’s career with the Hoosiers. Indiana had not lost consecutive matches since Nov. 1, 2013 — Yeagley’s fourth season at the helm.
That changed against Northwestern.
The 2-0 defeat, coupled with the 3-2 loss to No. 2 Maryland, broke Indiana's streak just one day before it reached exactly 12 years. The Hoosiers’ five Big Ten losses are the most in Yeagley’s career and the most in the program’s history, although the conference slate expanded from six matches to 10 in 2025.
Indiana’s season is far from over. The Big Ten regular season title is out of range, but a Big Ten Tournament berth is still in play. A win over Northwestern would have made the path easier, but the Hoosiers still have a chance.
Sitting with 12 points in fifth place, Indiana is 2 points behind UCLA. However, the Bruins face Washington in their final match, and a draw or loss to the Huskies leaves the door open for the Hoosiers, who would need a win over Rutgers at home to secure a spot in the four-team Big Ten Tournament.
And with Indiana’s record at Bill Armstrong Stadium, history favors the Cream and Crimson.
The Hoosiers’ defeat to Michigan is their only home loss this season. They are 8-1-1 in Bloomington, scoring 32 goals and conceding 13. They haven’t lost more than two games in a season at the Bill since 2021.
Conversely, Indiana has largely struggled away from home. Victories over Notre Dame, Penn State and the University of Kentucky mark its only road wins. The bout with the Fighting Irish is the lone away match the Hoosiers have managed to score first, with the next six featuring deficits to their opponents.
Indiana’s stark contrast between home and away performances makes the seeding for the NCAA Tournament that much more important. Only 16 teams receive a seed — the top four seeds have home field advantage through to the College Cup, the next four have home contests through the first two rounds and the next eight have at least one match at home.
The NCAA Division I men’s soccer committee revealed its top 16 seeds October 17, and the Hoosiers were No. 5. Since the announcement, Indiana secured victories over Hanover College and Wisconsin but fell to Maryland and Northwestern.
There’s still a lot to play for in the 2025 season. Consecutive losses almost certainly won’t stop Yeagley and his squad from pursuing the titles still available in front of them.
But matches like Friday’s make the journey more difficult for Indiana.
And soon, those losses could spell the end of its season.
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.
