A pair of Hoosiers — junior goalkeeper Michal Mroz and junior forward Stephane Njike — earned weekly awards on Tuesday following notable performances in No. 2 Indiana men’s soccer’s 3-1 victory over Maryland on Oct. 2.
Mroz earned his second Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week title, making four saves against the Terrapins, including a match-sealing save on an 87th-minute penalty kick. Mroz leads the conference with a 0.55 goals against average, an 84.2% save percentage and five shutouts.
Through 11 contests, Mroz has yet to allow more than one goal in any game.
“Every week, I see improvement with Michal,” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said after the Maryland game. “He played really well and it just gives the guys in front a lot of confidence that he can make the play for us.”
By way of a goal and an assist against Maryland, Njike was crowned the College Soccer News Offensive Player of the Week. Njike has tallied a goal or an assist in five of his past six matches.
The emphatic goal against his former team was not just the cherry on top of the Hoosiers’ ninth win but was also the first time that Njike had recorded a goal and an assist in the same game for Indiana.
“If he (Njike) gets past the last defender, he’s got another clean shot,” Yeagley said. “He was dangerous all night.”
Indiana will test its newly garnered hardware with a matchup with the University of Kentucky at 8 p.m. Tuesday from Bill Armstrong Stadium.
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.
