Last season, Indiana men’s soccer scored more goals per game than anyone else in the Big Ten, besides eventual champion Washington, netting 46 goals in just 19 games.
The offensive explosion continued the team’s near-decade long streak of finishing third or better in goals scored in the conference, a run that’s been alive since 2017.
Outside of five shutout victories, Indiana won the majority of its games by utilizing its ability to score goals over its ability to prevent them.
The 2025 Hoosiers conceded 25 goals, which equated to the sixth-best goals allowed per game in the Big Ten.
A middle-of-the-pack backline was enough to propel Indiana to a 12-5-1 record ahead of the postseason. The road ended in the second round for the offensive-centric Hoosiers, who ended their NCAA Tournament run short after a 1-0 second-round loss to Saint Louis University.
The talents of Ben Do and Victor Akoum have left Indiana since the end of the 2025 season. Head coach Todd Yeagley filled these roles with the additions of Ohio State transfer junior Nick McHenry, freshmen Sam Hess and Vincent Uglow and the conversion of redshirt sophomore Nolan Kinsella from forward to defender.
As Indiana looks to rebound from last season’s lackluster finish, a defensive improvement will be among the team’s top priorities.
Returning players
Senior Alex Barger, junior Josh Maher, redshirt senior Breckin Minzey and redshirt junior Luke Reidell all had elevated roles last season, combining for 19 points.
Barger and Maher were named captains ahead of the season.
Without the dominant production of Palmer Ault, who tallied a Big Ten-best 42 points last season, scoring opportunities will spread far wider throughout the Hoosiers’ roster, opening the door for defenders to have breakout offensive seasons.
By way of incrementally improved seasons, Barger stands out as a Hoosier defender with a remarkably optimistic outlook. The Naperville, Illinois, native went from three points to four in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and then climbed to an eight-point season in 2025.
Similar, but less dramatic, trends can be found in Maher, Minzey and Reidell, who have yet to statistically decline between seasons. Minzey and Reidell were both unable to notch a point in their first season but totaled six last year.
The returning class of Hoosier defenders are all primed to improve upon already great careers.
“Our existing players, developmental guys,” Yeagley said during a press conference Aug. 4. “(They are) doing a tremendous job.”
Three members of the 2022 NCAA runner-up Hoosiers remain on the current roster. With the likes of Barger, Maher and Reidell entering upperclassmen status, the next chapter of Indiana men’s soccer dominance is theirs to earn.
Newcomers
Following a zero-goal 2025 season, Kinsella’s pivot from forward to defender does not make him a newcomer to the Hoosiers, but rather to the Hoosiers’ defensive line.
Kinsella counted four assists in his second year at Indiana, joining two other Hoosiers at third most. With a single career shot on goal, Kinsella’s shift away from forward should allow him to elevate his defensive-minded, pass-first play style.
McHenry, the former Big Ten All-Freshman, contributed seven points to last year’s Buckeyes, the second-most on the team.
Ohio State won six games last season, three of which were shutouts. While his former team lacked total wins, McHenry brings a defense-oriented history to Indiana.
“McHenry was ‘captain-to-be' at Ohio State,” Yeagley said. “He will be an important leader.”
Indiana’s defense welcomes two freshmen, Hess and Uglow, who will likely be learning by observing in their first seasons in Bloomington.
Hess, Barger’s Naperville North High School teammate, was a three-star recruit and No. 12-ranked player in the Midwest region, according to Top Drawer Soccer.
In 101 high school games, Hess stockpiled 17 goals and 15 assists on his way to being named NNHS’ 2026 Male Athlete of the Year.
Uglow, another three-star recruit, was Top Drawer Soccer’s No. 9 ranked player in Pennsylvania.
As a member of the Daily News first-team All-Area team in 2025, Uglow offers a great amount of promise for a Hoosier team that currently holds five upperclassmen defenders.
Indiana men’s soccer will debut in the 2026 regular season against the University of Notre Dame on Aug. 20 at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
