Hoosiers tie Kentucky 1-1 in double overtime match

Welcome to the roller-coaster ride that is IU men’s soccer.

The season took us for an uphill climb when the team beat then-No. 11 Creighton 11 days ago.

But what goes uphill must come down, right?

First, they pushed the cart a little higher four days ago, beating the then-Big Ten conference-leading Michigan Wolverines 2-1. But their latest match up against Kentucky, a team they have beaten 21 times out of now 25 meetings, ended in a 1-1 tie on Wednesday in Lexington, Ky.

“This season has had its ups and downs, but even though we tied this game, I think the direction we’re going as a team is the right direction,” sophomore midfielder Joe Tolen said. “Especially the last few games the way we’ve been playing. I’m not too worried about it. The way we’ve come along throughout the season has been good, and we’re just working for the rest of the season.”

A team that has defeated all four of the ranked opponents it has faced, including a 5-1 whooping of then-No. 5 UCLA, just tied a former 4-6-3 Kentucky squad.

However, the team will look to get back on track against Michigan State in four days.
It’s not like they didn’t try to take a turn from the normal track during the match; the Hoosiers took 21 shots to Kentucky’s 13.

They even had a thrilling corkscrew moment 2:14 into the second half when senior midfielder Andy Adlard drilled his third penalty kick of the season, bringing his total season goals to five.

“The second half we really went at them, and we had our chances, (we) just didn’t put them away,” junior midfielder Tyler McCarroll said. “It was good to get the tie, but we weren’t satisfied because we thought we were the better team.”

After the squad’s third double overtime of the season, IU is still looking to win in extra minutes. The Hoosiers are now 0-1-2 in extra time.

The team that opened with a 5-1 win against UCLA at home has struggled to find any form of regularity with its records standing at 3-2-1 at home and 4-2-1 on the road.
But IU coach Todd Yeagley isn’t worried.

“Every season is a bit of a ride,” Yeagley said. “Every year has ups and downs. We’ve seen some tough ones and some great ones. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before.”