IU out of running for Big Ten title

IU’s match against Northwestern ended in a double overtime 1-1 draw for the once-top two teams in the Big Ten. Both teams had a fighting chance for the season title in Thursday’s game, and both teams scored to eliminate each other from the hunt.

“This tie is not going to hurt us in the big picture,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “We have the Big Ten Tournament, then the national tournament, and that is what everyone is chasing for.”

IU maintained possession most of the first half. Indiana had the chance to build its attack from the back starting with junior defender Matt McKain and sophomore midfielder Patrick Doody on the wings, then playing in the middle and finding one of a number of speedsters up top.

“Every game this year some teams have sat in, some teams have come at us,” Doody said. “We weren’t too surprised. We noticed it, and we just kept moving the ball up top as best we could.”

The first real chance of the game came from junior midfielder Nikita Kotlov at the top of the 18 in the middle of Northwestern’s offensive third. Junior midfielder A.J. Corrado dribbled his way up the middle of the pitch and found Kotlov for an optimistic chance with the outside of his foot. The shot sailed wide-left.

Sophomore forward Eriq Zavaleta led the way by finding the net first in the 29th minute.  He found his way into the right side of the six-yard box while Doody dribbled down the left touchline. Doody then played a low cross into the box, and Zavaleta chested it to his right foot.

He then fired a bullet at the near post, beating Northwestern keeper Tyler Miller to his left side.

Indiana found itself heading into the locker room one half away from clinching a guaranteed share of the Big Ten season title.

The Hoosiers were 4-0-1 when leading 1-0 at halftime.

Joey Calistri found the equalizer following a ball up from the Northwestern defense. The Wildcats countered the Hoosier offensive aggression they had been taking much of the first half.

“It’s difficult balancing going up and defending back,” Doody said. “It was a bad goal to give up, because Matt and I know when we’re up 1-0, we need to start rotating over.”

Senior goalkeeper Luis Soffner pulled off his line in an attempt to grab the ball from Calistri’s feet. Senior midfielder Caleb Konstanski came in sliding and collided with Soffner. Calistri possessed the ball and with one touch, played a ball over sophomore midfielder Kerel Bradford’s head and into the back of the net.

The rest of the second half played out in the same fashion with more aggression coming from both teams in an attempt to find the go-ahead goal. Both teams were unable to find the net, and the Hoosiers went into golden-goal overtime for the third time this season.

The Hoosiers had an advantageous chance in extra time following a right-footed shot from junior midfielder Harrison Petts that clanked the far post.

The best chance of the game came in the final minute of extra time as Petts found his way into the box and played a ball to Zavaleta. Zavaleta hit a shot then grabbed his own rebound away from the keeper. The shot rolled inside toward the goal as a Wildcat defensemen cleared it off the line. That final block ended IU’s chances at a goal, and subsequently its chances at grabbing the Big Ten regular season title.

With both the Hoosiers and Wildcats in a draw, both are out of the hunt for the title.

“As a coach you ask things of your players,” Yeagley said. “You can ask for performance or effort and you just go down the list and check those boxes off. Everything I could’ve asked for tonight they completed, and that is what is tough when you don’t get the result after those things. Our sport can do that to you sometimes, and it’s painful.”