The Hoosiers are on a roll. They recorded their third straight win in a 1-0 victory against Wisconsin on Saturday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium. In addition to the winning streak, IU (10-4-2) also has not lost in its last nine matches and has added three shutouts in its last four games.
And now, a week after being last in the Big Ten, IU controls its destiny in terms of hosting a Big Ten quarterfinal match.
“The guys are very motivated to have that opportunity,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “Last year we had to go on the road, and I believe now we control our destiny for hosting a quarterfinal.”
The win Saturday night also put the program among the best, if not the best, in the country. The win was the 700th in program history. Only UCLA has surpassed that mark, and the Hoosiers did it faster than the Bruins.
Saturday was also senior night for the Hoosiers, so the win meant ever more.
“We were excited for the opportunity to have this big game on a senior night so it was a little extra something,” Yeagley said. “It’s a pretty special game to be involved with considering we’re the fastest to ever get (to 700 wins).”
As for the lone goal Saturday, there was some controversy amongst the Hoosiers. After junior midfielder Tanner Thompson’s initial corner kick was knocked back to him early in the second half, he played another cross toward sophomore defender Grant Lillard.
Lillard had lost his man in the shuffle following the initial clearance, and rose above the Wisconsin (4-10-3) defense for an open header.
He headed the cross back across goal toward the far post and into the net, but not before freshman midfielder Austin Panchot put his head on it for the goal.
“I mean he got the final touch so he got the goal,” Lillard said. “I guess he was in the right place. I don’t know if he needed to be there but he was there and he headed it in. So I’m happy he was there, and I’m happy we still scored. I don’t care.”
Panchot’s header was his second goal of the season. It was also Lillard’s fourth assist this season and Thompson’s eighth.
The goal came after a half in which the Hoosiers outshot the Badgers 10-1 and thoroughly dominated the pace of play. But the game was scoreless, and as the rain continued to drop, the field condition deteriorated.
Yeagley told his team at halftime not to panic. If the goal didn’t come in the first five to 10 minutes, don’t worry, because it will come.
The Hoosiers were in control of the game, so Yeagley knew eventually they would crack the Badger defense which had bunkered into the box to try and keep the Hoosiers out.
Now, the Hoosiers control more than the game. They control how their season plays out.
“We want to be in control of where we stand,” Panchot said. “We just know every game for us counts, and we want to control our own destiny.”
