No. 5 Indiana men’s soccer junior forward Stephane Njike began his first season as a Hoosier on the mend. He missed the team’s first two contests, which were wins over the University of Notre Dame and the University of Evansville, with an undisclosed injury.
Njike played 254 minutes in his four games since returning, tallying seven shots with one on goal and one assist.
Against Michigan on Friday, he finally found his goal.
With the score still knotted at zero in the second half, Njike stole the ball from Michigan fifth-year midfielder Michael Haikal, unloaded a rolling shot to the bottom left corner of the goal and unveiled an array of acrobatic celebrations as the Hoosiers took the lead.
Before the Cream and Crimson left Ann Arbor with a 1-0 victory, their first of the Big Ten season, they entered Friday’s matchup without a road win with their only road match resulting in a 1-1 tie with the University of Louisville on Aug. 31. Michigan, on the other side of the pitch, had yet to lose a game at home.
Indiana headed into Friday as winners of its past two, sweeping the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington. In the second game of the classic, a 3-1 trouncing of the University of Denver on Sept. 7, Njike recorded his first point of the season, as he assisted freshman forward Michael Adu-Gyamfi's game-winning goal in the 56th minute.
Michigan returned home after its first loss of the season, falling 2-1 to Notre Dame in South Bend on Sunday. The loss to Indiana made it a two-match skid.
The Hoosiers and Wolverines were exceptionally timid through the first 45 minutes. Njike recorded the only shot on target of the first half and his second on the season with a bottom-right attempt that was saved by Michigan junior goalkeeper Alen Bean in the 26th minute.
With six shots and none in the net, Indiana entered halftime on pace for another draw on the road. The Hoosiers contained the Wolverines to only two shots in the first half, leaving limited opportunities for junior goalkeeper Michal Mroz.
Indiana took three shots in the second half, including one on-goal by junior midfielder Charlie Heuer before Njike found the back of the net with an unassisted, right-footed, bottom-right scorcher that gave the Hoosiers the only lead of the game.
“Njike, his ability to finish in different ways is pretty remarkable,” head coach Todd Yeagley said following the win over Denver. “We’re not worried. We know he can strike a good ball. We know he’ll get goals for us.”
Just a game later, Yeagley’s claims were fulfilled.
Njike was the Hoosiers’ highest profile transfer over the offseason, entering the season as Top Drawer Soccer’s No. 6 player in the nation. The Hoosiers brought in the nation’s best transfer class, which included senior forward Oliver Moller-Jensen, the team’s current goals leader.
The Hoosiers took one additional shot after the Njike goal, an off-target try in the 83rd minute from Moller-Jensen, who led the team with four shots in the contest. Indiana finished the evening with 11 total shots, including three on goal, while holding Michigan to six total attempts with just one on goal.
Last season, it took only two games for Njike to record his first goal with Maryland. His opening goal in the Terrapins’ 2-2 draw with Bucknell University was the first of seven goals in the Frenchman’s sophomore year. The Hoosiers will play Njike’s former team on Oct. 2.
Njike’s seven goals last season were tied for sixth best in the Big Ten. With his cold, injury-hindered start beginning to thaw, his return to the conference’s elite lists could be sooner than expected.
After being shown a yellow card in the 72nd minute, Njike was substituted out of the match, closing his book against Michigan with a goal, three shots with two on goal and two fouls. He joined the list of three additional Hoosiers with at least one goal and assist on the season, recording three.
With the win, Indiana surpassed last year’s 5-0-1 start and now owns the longest unbeaten streak to start a season since the 2017 Hoosiers, who did not lose until the national championship.
Indiana men’s soccer will return home for another conference matchup, taking on Washington at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. Coverage will be on B1G+.
“We know that it’s a long race, 10 games,” Yeagley said at a press conference Sept. 9. “A lot can happen along the way, so we have to stay really steady and take each opponent uniquely.”
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.
