Perfection is a difficult thing.
Despite eight national championships, no Indiana men’s soccer team has ever finished a season entirely in the win column. This year’s Hoosier team cemented that imperfect streak Monday, drawing with the University of Louisville 1-1 at Lynn Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky.
Just as in Indiana’s first three games, defense was not an issue; the Hoosiers held Louisville to just 10 shots, two of which were on goal — both season lows for the Cardinals. The Hoosiers and Cardinals entered play Monday with matching 3-0-0 records, with both teams sporting two three-goal games on their resumes.
Indiana’s true weakness emerged on the offensive side, where six total shots proved to not be enough to propel the Hoosiers to victory. Indiana averaged nearly 22 shots per game through its first three contests, with a shot-on-goal percentage of 43%.
The Hoosiers were nearly silent for most of the first half. Senior forward Collins Oduro recorded Indiana’s first shot of the game in the 45th minute, left of the goal.
Oduro made his season debut Thursday, coming off the bench for 31 minutes and shooting twice, with neither attempt on target.
“He’s just so explosive,” head coach Todd Yeagley said after the victory against Butler University. “He has not been able to train a lot, so his final third and sharpness is a little bit off. We’ll get that back as we get him more into regular reps.”
After a Louisville goal in the 58th minute, Indiana’s next shot came nine minutes later. A spectacular bender by junior forward Easton Bogard resulted in the Hoosiers’ lone goal. Bogard scored in each of Indiana’s first two matches, bringing his season total to three, tied with senior forward Oliver Moller-Jensen.
Senior defender Alex Barger assisted on the Hoosier goal, his second of the season. With this, Barger joins Moller-Jensen and redshirt sophomore defender Nolan Kinsella atop the Indiana assist leaderboard.
Indiana outshot Louisville 4-1 after the equalizing goal but could not net anything. Bogard was the only Hoosier to tally multiple shots in the Monday draw, leading the team with two shots. Bogard's single goal on two total shots rose his shooting percentage to 33.3%, tied for team best with junior defender Nick McHenry, who has one goal on three shots.
Moller-Jensen, fresh off an 11-shot night in the win over Butler on Thursday, did not shoot the ball against Louisville, closing his 73-minute performance with an empty stat line, besides one foul. Moller-Jensen was the Hoosiers’ hottest hand through two matches, tallying eight points, but has been unable to contribute in the point column since.
In addition to an offside call in the 81st minute, a late-game effort from Indiana came by way of two shots in the final 10 minutes. Junior defender Josh Maher’s 85th-minute attempt counted for Indiana’s second and final shot on target, but it was saved by Louisville sophomore goalkeeper Nathaniel Abraham.
Louisville’s defense has not needed to rely on its keeper much this season, as Abraham recorded just two saves on three chances against Lipscomb University on Thursday and one save on two on-target shots against Indiana on Monday.
Indiana earned only two corner kicks on the evening, as Indiana lacked opportunities to score. The Hoosiers averaged nine corner kicks through their first three games, including 13 against Butler.
Junior forward Stephane Njike added his fourth shot as a Hoosier. The Maryland transfer, following a quiet Monday, stayed at a single shot on goal through two games. Njike, who missed the Hoosiers’ first two games due to injury, recorded just 64 minutes on the pitch Monday, eight less minutes than against Butler.
“There’s just a lot of layers to him,” Yeagley said Thursday. “We’re starting to scratch the surface of our guys learning how to play with him.”
With the season’s first draw in the books, Indiana has just two more games, both at home, before conference play begins. Indiana’s 10 conference matchups feature six ranked opponents, giving the Hoosiers plenty of opportunities to prove themselves before the postseason — even if they won’t achieve a flawless record.
Indiana men’s soccer will look to rebound and stay perfect at home, taking on California Polytechnic State University at 8 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. Coverage will be 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.
