IU Coach Todd Yeagley was forced to test his team’s depth early.
Senior defender Billy McConnell scored the opening goal for IU in the 27th minute, but then went down to the ground in excruciating pain. As the Pennsylvania native rebounded a long shot by junior forward Rashad Hyacenth, he was tripped up at the goal line.
The defender had to be helped off the field by both Yeagley and the athletic trainer and didn’t return for the remainder of the match.
Sophomore midfielder Rece Buckmaster came off the bench for the fifth consecutive game, for the injured McConnell. This time, he saw a more increased role, as he played the rest of the game.
From that point forward, Yeagley experimented with what his lineup. Sophomore midfielder Cory Thomas also checked into the match after not seeing the field since the second game of the year.
Thomas was also able to fill in comfortably on the right side. The 6-foot sophomore slotted into the lineup and made it tough for Wolverine attackers to maneuver around the perimeter and get any chances into the penalty box.
With IU carrying a one-score advantage over Michigan, Yeagley was able to give some unexpected players playing time. At halftime, Yeagley made a tactical change, moving his star senior midfielder Tanner Thompson up as a second forward.
“There’s some space to play centrally, as this game opened up and also gives him a little more freedom,” Yeagley said in a halftime interview with Big Ten Network. “It also protects our wide spaces a little bit, because they cheat their wide midfielders very high in the field, so our wide midfielders have to be a little more sound.”
While Thomas played 46 minutes in the Big Ten road opener, sophomore midfielder Rees Wedderburn also found playing time after not appearing in the past two games.
The 5-foot-6 Englishman earned high praise coming out of the preseason and was expected to push for a starting role. Wedderburn notched a goal and assist in three exhibition matches before the year but has only seen the field in three games this season.
He was able to rip his first shot on goal in the regular season against the Wolverines but wasn’t much of a factor in the 2-0 victory, playing just 13 minutes in relief.
Sophomore defender Jack Griffith also came off the bench for IU in what was just his second match of the year after redshirting a season ago. Recording just 15 minutes on the field, the Indiana native was affective in his time picking up his second career assist and his first of 2016.
With sophomore midfielder Austin Panchot getting into the mix as well, this depth could help the Hoosiers. As more players were able to contribute than usual, Hoosiers have some more experienced options as they continue on into conference play.
