So far this season, No. 2 Indiana men’s soccer has squared off with four teams that are currently ranked in the United Soccer Coaches’ poll: No. 11 University of Louisville, No. 14 Washington, No. 20 Wisconsin and No. 7 Maryland.
Its remaining schedule features two more ranked sides: No. 21 UCLA and No. 19 Michigan State, as well as vote-receiving Ohio State.
Before the championship-hopeful Hoosiers round out this demanding slate, they will host Hanover College on Friday.
Meet Hanover
The Panthers have flipped a switch since starting the campaign with just one win in the first six matches. Hanover holds a 2-0-1 record in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, defeating Franklin College on Sept. 26 and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Oct. 3 by a combined score of 6-1.
The draw came Wednesday when Hanover and Transylvania University stalemated after 90 minutes for a 0-0 final score. The Panthers are now 3-1-1 in their past five contests.
The mid-season shift can be attributed to the permanent installation of sophomore Dugan Webster at goalkeeper. Although five Panther goalkeepers have made appearances this year, most of these minutes were split between Webster and junior Patrick Schoellig.
While Schoellig dominated in the season’s early weeks, Webster started each of Hanover’s past five matches, surrendering just two goals for an 89.5% save percentage in that stretch. Schoellig allowed eight goals through six starts and holds a save percentage of just 63.6%.
The Panthers possess several offensive options as eleven members of the Hanover roster have scored this season, surpassing Indiana’s total of eight goalscorers. While senior forward John Azzara has scored a team-best four times, eight individuals currently own a single goal.
Despite their winning record, offensive inconsistency has been an ongoing theme for the Panthers. Hanover achieved single-game goal totals of six in its season opener against Spalding University on Sept. 1 and five against Franklin. However, the team has also been shut out four times.
As a Division III program, Hanover visits Bloomington as an underdog. But with the goalkeeper position solidified and a plethora of offensive pieces, now may be the best time to play Indiana — a team coming off an uncomfortable victory.
“The game’s a long game,” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said after Indiana’s 3-1 win over the University of Kentucky on Tuesday. “You just need a couple moments, and we’ve seen that around college soccer this year.”
Indiana’s final non-conference test
The Hoosiers’ 3-1 win over Kentucky was not the breeze the final score may present it to be. As Indiana entered the halftime locker room, the team found itself trailing at intermission for the first time this season.
“When you learn lessons and win, that’s really nice,” Yeagley said. “That’s what we hope to have happen (against) Hanover is just keep the mojo.”
With five Big Ten matches still to play, this wakeup call may have come at the ideal time for the Hoosiers, who host Hanover for their final non-conference game. With the first half against Kentucky being Indiana’s worst-played half of the season, the Panthers present a chance for an emphatic rebound.
The hero of the Kentucky match, as he has been on several occasions, was senior forward Oliver Moller-Jensen, who leads the team with nine goals in 12 games played. The Florida Atlantic University transfer has established himself as Indiana’s first option within an elite roster.
“I’m staying humble,” Moller-Jensen said after the Kentucky game. “I don’t let it get to my head. I know we have another game on Friday, and we need to see that as another opportunity to go out and get a win.”
Despite surrendering a goal on his only save opportunity against Kentucky, junior goalkeeper Michal Mroz remains the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week, owning a conference best 0.58 goals against average and 82.1% save percentage.
For most of the season, Indiana relied on its back five while hoping for an eventual breakout night from the offense. Across their past three contests, the Hoosiers have scored eight goals, collecting multiple goals in three consecutive matches for the first time this season.
As the Hoosiers celebrate senior night on Friday, honoring the twelve members of this year’s senior class, Indiana aims to rotate bench pieces and repeat last season’s 8-0 senior night victory over Hanover.
“We hope to get a lot of guys some minutes,” Yeagley said. “We’ll see how the game ends up playing out but that’s the goal, to get more minutes.”
Indiana and Hanover will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. 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.
