Men's soccer faces Evansville

Mired in the worst stretch of performances in program history, the IU men’s soccer team has not walked off the field with a victory in 24 days.

The team’s last win came in a 2-0 defeat of Ohio State on Sept. 29.

This unprecedented run has seen IU lose five consecutive matches, the longest losing streak in program history. Of those five matches, IU has been shut out four times, and opponents have outscored the Hoosiers 12-3 in the process.

The Hoosiers’ (4-9-1, 1-2 conference) recent struggles have guaranteed the defending national champions their first regular season with a losing record in IU men’s soccer history.

IU Coach Todd Yeagley said the lack of positive results has been frustrating for his team.

“It’s tough to play well and not find results,” Yeagley said. “Our guys have put in dominating performances, and they’re just not being rewarded for it. They need to be rewarded.”

The Hoosiers will attempt to snap the losing streak and return to their winning ways when the University of Evansville visits Bill Armstrong Stadium Wednesday night.

IU will look to continue its domination of the all-time series against Evansville, a matchup that has seen IU win 25 of its 32 matches. The Hoosiers haven’t lost to the Purple Aces since 1990, a streak of 15 consecutive games without a loss to their in-state rivals.

The Purple Aces (8-4-1) come to Bloomington on a string of solid performances, winning seven of their last nine games.

UE Coach Mike Jacobs’ squad has had little trouble finding goals this season, netting 27 times in 13 games.

Much of that attacking prowess comes from the duo of sophomore midfielder Mark Gonzalez and sophomore forward Faik Hajderovic, who have combined for a total of 32 points on the season: Gonzalez’s 7 goals lead the Aces, while Hajderovic’s 14 assists place him in the upper echelon nationally in that statistic.

Yeagley said the two Aces are talented, but the Hoosiers’ difficult schedule has prepared his team for any opponent.

“They’re good, but we schedule so tough so we’re prepared for anybody,” he said. “We respect those players, but there’s not a player we’ll see tomorrow that we haven’t faced before. But those are some fantastic stats.”

Yeagley, who has overseen three victories in three chances against Evansville during his IU tenure, said the Purple Aces will present a challenge to the IU defensive line with their attacking arsenal.

“This is probably the best attacking team I’ve seen from Evansville. They’ve been fairly direct, but they’re technical and athletic,” he said. “Our backs have to be really keyed in defensively. They can create chances.”

Despite the record-breaking lack of success this season, Yeagley said he will not let the Hoosiers relax in the final stages.

“We’re staying on task,” he said. “I think some teams would be shattered, the way some of the untimely things have happened. I think they’ve been extremely
resilient. We’re in a position to win games.”

Follow reporter Alden Woods on Twitter @acw9293.