Tuesday’s result for No. 2 Indiana men’s soccer wasn’t a win mentally or on the scoreboard. But the Hoosiers continued their unbeaten streak through nine games this season. Though a 1-1 draw to No. 13 Wisconsin didn’t provide Indiana with three points, the Hoosiers proved themselves in a physical match.
Redshirt sophomore defender Nolan Kinsella was the Hoosiers’ hero with a 57th-minute goal until Wisconsin sophomore defender Isaac Brown-Samper spoiled it 11 minutes later.
The contest was the Cream and Crimson’s third road trip of the season, but they now have four straight matches at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, starting with Penn State at 1 p.m. Friday.
Indiana enters Friday as winners of the past six contests between the programs dating back to 2022. The Hoosiers are also undefeated in their last eight home matches in the series, with the last loss coming in 2014.
A new era for the Nittany Lions
Two seasons ago, Penn State head coach Rob Dow stood atop the men’s collegiate soccer world.
His unseeded University of Vermont squad defeated four seeded opponents in the NCAA Tournament on its way to the 2024 national championship. The Catamounts’ 2-1 overtime victory over Marshall University was the first team-sport national title in the school’s history.
Meanwhile, Penn State finished rock bottom in the Big Ten standings with a 2-6-2 conference record that year. Under former head coach Jeff Cook, the Nittany Lions didn’t improve their standing in 2025. A 1-6-3 conference record led to Cook’s resignation after eight seasons and Dow’s subsequent hire in December 2025.
Redshirt sophomore defender Toby Grant was Dow's only addition to the Penn State roster from Vermont. Grant appeared in 18 matches in 2025 with the Catamounts and six games with the Nittany Lions this season, including both Big Ten matches.
Even with a new coach, Penn State sits in a similar place in the conference standings: last.
After a 4-2 defeat to Washington on Sept. 11, the Nittany Lions lost to then-No. 19 Michigan State on Sept. 18. Penn State has compiled a 2-4 overall record, with its only wins coming in its season opener against Mercyhurst University on Aug. 20 and Yale University on Sept. 4.
Rather than relying on the NCAA transfer portal, Dow and his staff brought in international talent to bolster the Nittany Lions. In total, 11 international players are on the team’s 22-man squad — including five from Germany.
Canadian Amadou Kone has been Penn State’s most prolific attacker. The senior forward has a team-high three goals and seven points, with 28 games of experience with Canadian Premier League club Forge FC.
After Kone, four other Nittany Lions have scored one goal. Penn State’s 1.33 goals per game ties with Michigan for last in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions started the season with a 23-shot performance but fell to 10th in the conference at 11 shots per game.
In net, 23-year-old freshman goalkeeper Daniel Peluffo-Wiese has stood tall against competitors. The 6-foot-7 netminder’s only clean sheet of the season came against Yale. Peluffo-Wiese has produced 15 saves this season, including an eight-save performance against Washington.
Hoosiers’ endless defensive quality
It took 68 minutes for Wisconsin to finally produce a shot to beat Indiana junior goalkeeper Michal Mroz. Though the Hoosiers’ backline allowed a season-high 15 shots, only three were on goal and two were easy saves for Mroz.
While Indiana’s netminder didn’t produce his sixth clean sheet of the season, he was clinical when playing balls at the edge of his box. Mroz produced several punchouts and didn’t allow Wisconsin chances on its seven corners.
The stellar play from Mroz was honored by his Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week recognition on Tuesday. He leads the Big Ten in goals against average (0.44), save percentage (85.2%), shutouts (5) and victories (7).
Now, a matchup with Penn State allows Indiana to regain any momentum lost from the draw.
The Hoosiers’ only other game this season when they didn’t come out victorious was a 1-1 draw at the University of Louisville on Aug. 31. In its next two nonconference games, Indiana defeated California Polytechnic State University 2-0 and the University of Denver 3-1.
“We wanted to start better than we did a little before,” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said after Cal Poly. “We were slow out of the out of the gate, and it got better as that way.”
Indiana had a similar slow start against Wisconsin. Yet the offense started to find its rhythm, producing eight shots without a goal being scored. However, a second-half four-shot performance didn’t help Indiana make up any ground after the Badgers’ goal.
Offensively, the Cream and Crimson have shown quality during build-up play and on the attacking side of the field. Senior forward Oliver Moller-Jensen's five goals rank third in the conference, while his 4.33 shots per game are second. Junior forward Easton Bogard’s four scores also follow closely behind.
Friday’s showdown between Indiana and Penn State kicks off at 1 p.m. 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.
