With two early wins under its belt, No. 14 Indiana men’s soccer is preparing to welcome Butler University to Bill Armstrong Stadium for a Thursday night match.
Indiana enters as the freshly-ranked No. 14 team in the United Soccer Coaches’ poll, the Hoosiers’ highest ranking since week nine of last season.
The Hoosiers and Bulldogs have faced each other 36 times since 1991. Indiana has won 26 and drawn five, holding a .792 winning percentage against the Indianapolis team. The last of these matchups was a 1-1 draw at Butler's Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl in 2024.
This year’s undefeated Hoosiers will host the winless Bulldogs as Indiana hopes to remain perfect before hitting the road for the first time.
The Hoosiers through two
Indiana’s 2026 slate opened with three in-state matchups. The first two, against the University of Notre Dame and the University of Evansville, resulted in Hoosier wins by a combined score of 6-1. Thursday's game with Butler offers an ideal opportunity for a sweep of the in-state trifecta.
For the first time since 2021, Indiana men’s soccer has two straight wins to start the season. A third consecutive win would set a mark the Hoosiers have not reached since 2019.
Indiana’s offensive and defensive efforts have been equally notable, with the Hoosiers recording 32 shots while allowing just 19 through two games. Junior goalkeeper Michal Mroz has generally been unneeded thanks to the Hoosier backline saving five of only six shots on goal.
This hot start by the Hoosiers has been accomplished amid the absence of senior Collins Oduro and junior Stephane Njike. The pair of forwards bring a total of 21 career goals to a Hoosier roster that has been crafted with a tremendous amount of transfer talent. These fresh faces need Big Ten experience and leadership that Oduro and Njike will provide.
The offensive slack left by Oduro and Njike has been primarily carried by senior Oliver Moller-Jensen, named National Player of the Week on Tuesday, and junior Easton Bogard. The two Indiana forwards have both scored in each game, totaling five goals through the first week of the season.
The offensive boost of Moller-Jensen was not a surprise to Indiana, as the Florida Atlantic University transfer summed 18 points last season. But Bogard, who scored just three goals last season, has provided unexpected support to the injured Hoosier frontline.
“(Bogard) didn’t force things,” head coach Todd Yeagley said after Sunday’s 3-0 win against Evansville. “He kind of let the game finally find him and he still offered where he needs to. As our team started to get into the game, he started to get more involved.”
With the timeline of Oduro and Njike’s recovery still murky, it is unclear whether the star strikers will play against Butler. Regardless, offensive success through two games means that the floor is already high for the Hoosiers.
“It’s just amazing to have such amazing players coming back from injury,” Moller-Jensen said. “I look forward to playing with such good talent.”
Running of the Bulldogs
Butler has not had a winning season since 2022. The Bulldogs were shut out seven times in 2025 on their way to an abysmal 5-10-2 record that featured a five-game losing streak and three-game winning streak.
The Butler roster, assembled by first-year head coach Ian Sarachan, features 19 underclassmen and zero seniors alongside a handful of juniors and fifth-year players.
Redshirt sophomore forward Brendan Cunningham has led this group, taking more shots than any other Bulldog. Cunningham let it fly three times against Northern Illinois University and four times against Bradley University.
These seven shots from Cunningham make up over a third of Butler’s total shots this season. However, entering Thursday, Butler has yet to score a goal. Through two games, the Bulldogs are 0-1-1 by way of a 2-0 loss to NIU and a 0-0 draw with Bradley.
While the Bulldog offense has been flimsy so far, defensive numbers have favored the team, despite possessing zero wins; opponents have shot the ball just 15 times this year, with only three on goal.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Brooks Boersma has struggled just as much as the offense has, with a lone save on three chances. No other goalkeeper on Butler’s roster has ever appeared in a collegiate game, giving the Bulldogs very few reliable second options in the net.
Despite the slow start, Indiana stands as the only ranked team on the Bulldog schedule, giving Butler plenty of opportunities to turn the season around, especially with the deep roster of first-year players.
Indiana and Butler will kick off from Bill Armstrong Stadium at 8 p.m. Thursday with coverage on B1G+.
Follow reporters Noah Boudouris (@noahboudouris and nboudour@iu.edu) and Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
