No. 2 Indiana men’s soccer and Washington played a gritty, defensive start to Friday’s match at Bill Armstrong Stadium. After 15 minutes of play, the Hoosiers weren’t able to get past the pressure from the Huskies and record a shot.
Yet Indiana never wavered against a daunting Washington backline.
As senior forward Clay Murador played an arching pass to junior forward Stephane Njike just outside the box, the Cream and Crimson faithful surrounding Jerry Yeagley Field knew this was the break their team needed.
Njike made his move on Washington senior midfielder Connor Lofy, as the cheers grew. Njike’s pass from his left foot barely rose over the right leg of Lofy, which fooled two Huskie defenders and fifth-year goalkeeper Stockton Short.
Junior forward Easton Bogard subsequently jumped into the air from his wide-open spot at the back post, heading the ball into the back of the net. Bogard pointed to Njike to acknowledge the assist before a knee slide capped off the score.
Bogard’s 16th-minute strike was the only ball that found the back of the net throughout the 90 minutes, as Indiana improved its unbeaten streak to eight matches this season. The Oak Park, Illinois, native also provided his fourth goal of the season — a career-high — with 10 matches remaining on the Hoosiers’ schedule.
“I found the open space at the back post, and you know he (Njike) made it pretty easy for me,” Bogard said postgame. “Just kind of dropped it on my head, so that's all I had to really do there.”
After only starting four matches last season, Bogard carved out a role for himself as Indiana’s starting striker in 2026. Without Njike and senior forward Collins Oduro in the lineup due to undisclosed injuries during the Hoosiers’ early nonconference slate, Bogard and senior forward Oliver Moller-Jensen became a potent one-two combination in the final third.
Bogard provided goals in the Hoosiers’ opening victories over the University of Notre Dame and the University of Evansville, before scoring his team’s only goal in a 1-1 draw against the University of Louisville on Aug. 31.
“He's honed in on a lot of parts of this game,” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said postgame. “This is the fittest he's been. He's improved in all aspects of this game. He's always been a good finisher, but his move off the ball, his endurance, both feet have gotten cleaner.”
Before Friday’s game, Bogard’s seven shots in September weren’t clinical inside the box. He didn’t record a shot in 56 minutes during a defensive 1-0 win over Michigan. Yet Washington was a different story for Bogard and Indiana.
The Cream and Crimson had only nine shots and tied their season-low two shots on goal. But they stopped a dangerous attack from Washington, even after giving up 19 shots and eight shots on target.
“They had better control,” Yeagley said. “They had territory ... But our group didn't look rattled. They looked like, ‘OK, let's punch through this. Let's try to find our way through.’”
Indiana wore the Huskies out after their high-intensity defensive shape started to falter in the latter part of the first half. The Hoosiers have created chances this season through patient passing from their backline. But Washington didn’t give Indiana chances to play through balls.
Then Bogard broke through.
“He's just really easy and fun to play with,” Yeagley said. “I expect him to have a lot more goals this year with the different players. That if we're in a good rhythm, he'll find it.”
The Hoosiers' rhythm continued through the first half, recording six shots as a team. Moller-Jensen provided two shots in each half, trying to catch the Washington defense off guard at times. Yet both of his attempts in the second 45 minutes were blocked.
Njike had a chance in the 28th minute after Bogard created a turnover just outside Washington’s penalty box. The ball ricocheted off Bogard and into the charging feet of Njike, who tried to chip the ball over Short. However, his powerful leg put enough force into the ball to push it over the net.
Attempts from both teams couldn’t overcome Bogard’s strike, as junior goalkeeper Michael Mroz blocked or saved each of Washington’s chances. The netminder stopped five shots in the second half and eight throughout the 90 minutes, a season high.
“We harp on defense so much,” Bogard said. “If anyone's going to shut them out, you know I back our boys to do it. And it wasn't easy, but you know we stuck through it, and you know we stick to our principles.”
Indiana will next hit the road for its second road Big Ten contest against No. 7 Wisconsin in Madison. The Badgers dropped their first match of the season on Friday, falling to No. 8 Maryland. Tuesday's kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
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.
