No. 22 Indiana men’s soccer started the season on a high note, cruising past the University of Notre Dame on opening night in a dominant 3-1 defensive spectacle.
The Hoosiers, in front of a packed Bill Armstrong Stadium of 7,078 strong, continued their unbeaten regular season streak against the Irish, an unbeaten run dating back to 2017.
“I told them,” head coach Todd Yeagley said postgame. “This is your chance. Make them fall in love with you.”
With forwards senior Collins Oduro and junior Stephane Njike absent, Indiana’s defense became the main story of the night, evident by the lone Irish goal coming by way of a penalty kick.
Six Hoosiers wore the eight stars for the first time Thursday, including junior defender Nick McHenry, who joined senior Alex Barger, junior Josh Maher and redshirt sophomore Nolan Kinsella on Indiana’s first starting backline.
The services of junior goalkeeper Michal Mroz were hardly needed in the first half, as Indiana’s defense shone out of the gate. Nearly 25 minutes passed before Notre Dame tallied its lone shot on goal of the half, a routine save for Mroz.
“You worry a little about them getting a shot from 30, 25 out,” Yeagley said postgame. “I thought we closed that space well.”
The season’s opening match started slow, as the first 10 minutes featured two total shots, one from each side, and neither on goal.
Following senior Oliver Moller-Jensen's opening goal, his first as a Hoosier, the Irish defense showed some vulnerability, allowing five shots on goal in the final 30 minutes of the first half.
Junior goalkeeper Blake Kelly supported the Irish defense greatly, putting on a goalkeeping clinic in the later minutes of the first half, including a heroic top-left save in the 31st minute.
Unfortunately, this goalkeeping surge could not be maintained, with Indiana junior forward Easton Bogard netting the Hoosiers’ second goal as the rain began to fall in Bloomington.
While the rain ceased before the start of the second half, Indiana’s offense continued to pour it on against Notre Dame. The Hoosiers fired six shots in the first 15 minutes of the second half, the sixth resulting in Moller-Jensen's second goal of the evening.
“We did our due diligence on him, a lot of scouting,” Yeagley said. “He’s better than we thought. We thought he was going to be really good. I’m really excited.”
Although the final 45 minutes lacked the action of the first, Indiana’s defense remained steady, allowing just two non-penalty shots on goal, both saved by Mroz.
“It was a team effort,” Yeagley said. “I thought Alex (Barger) and Wes (Carnevale) won a lot of duels in close space really well.”
Notre Dame emptied the bench ahead of the 25th minute, giving three additional substitutes meaningful minutes with the game out of reach. Twelve total substitutes touched the pitch between the two squads.
A physical defensive stop by Maher, followed by a corner kick save by Mroz, preserved the shutout late in the second half, as the Irish mustered a short offensive boost in the later minutes.
Notre Dame finally broke the goose egg in the 83rd minute, as a penalty kick from fifth-year midfielder Vlad Walent made it a 3-1 game with not much to play for.
Mroz finished his first night as a Hoosier with three saves on only four shots on goal. Indiana’s backline supported the new goalkeeper considerably, containing the Irish to just 13 shots, carrying much of the defensive load.
“Attackers win games, defense wins championships,” Moller-Jensen said postgame. “If you don’t have a defense like we do, a solid foundation from the back, we’re not going to be as comfortable.”
Indiana men’s soccer will hope to build on its opening night victory, continuing the 2026 season with a matchup against the University of Evansville on Sunday, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
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.
