For the first 45 minutes, Indiana men’s soccer’s offense was firing on all cylinders — completing passes that led to scoring chances — but wasn’t able to get on the board.
But whether it was the 16 days of rest since its last game or simply a lack of execution, the Hoosiers couldn’t break through. No. 6-seeded Indiana fell to Saint Louis University 1-0 on Sunday at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Through the first 10 minutes of action, Indiana had two key chances.
Senior forward Palmer Ault had the first true opportunity of the game from inside the box, but his shot was saved by Saint Louis graduate goalkeeper and Atlantic 10 Conference Championship MVP Jeremi Abonnel.
Moments later, a looping cross from junior defender Alex Barger found junior forward Collins Oduro in the box. Oduro’s header was saved by Abonnel again in the bottom right corner, near the post of the net.
Indiana had plenty of other chances. Ault had another shot on goal that was saved. Redshirt freshman Nolan Kinsella and freshman forward Colton Swan had ensuing shots that were off target.
Then, in the 17th minute of play, disaster struck for the Hoosiers.
Abonnel kicked the ball away after a save. His kick was precisely headed forward by Saint Louis’ Theo Franca in the middle of the pitch. The freshman forward's header landed right in the vicinity of Indiana redshirt junior defender Breckin Minzey.
However, Minzey failed to clear it away. Instead, he tapped it forward to Saint Louis junior midfielder Tanner Anderson, who flicked the ball past Indiana graduate student goalkeeper Holden Brown in a one-on-one situation into the back of the net.
Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said after the match that, in hindsight, his group could’ve handled the play better.
“It was a goalie (Abonnel) who played the long ball well,” Yeagley said. “We didn’t win the first one (header), they won the deflection, and they got a great finish... We could’ve dealt with moments like that better.”
Anderson’s goal was the first and only goal scored in the match for both sides. Ultimately, Minzey’s miscue came back to bite Indiana in its 1-0 loss.
Senior midfielder Jack Wagoner said the missed chances were a part of soccer but viewed the loss as “unfortunate” postgame.
“Soccer is almost a cruel game,” Wagoner said. “You can have, you know, a majority of the chances, but all it takes is one that goes the other way. So, it was unfortunate to see it go that way. I think we created enough big chances to get the job done, and the result we needed, but it just didn’t fall that way.”
As the second half progressed, the momentum Indiana had in the first 45 minutes came to a sudden stop. The Hoosiers couldn’t generate any further clear-cut opportunities like they had in the first half.
When the final whistle blew at the 90-minute mark, the Hoosiers had 16 total shots to the Billikens’ three. But it didn’t matter.
“We had full control,” Yeagley said. “I didn’t even feel they (Saint Louis) had any dangerous possessions other than the one shot. So, to leave the day with nothing on the board is tough. Regardless of whether it's a tournament game or not, you have got to find a way. We had some great chances, particularly in the first half.”
With the 1-0 loss, Indiana wrapped up the season with an overall record of 12-6-1 with a 5-5-0 mark in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers faltered in the second round of the tournament to end their hopes for a ninth NCAA 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 offseason.
