LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With a ball up for grabs around the IU box and the clock ticking, senior Phil Fives put his body on the line in an attempt to preserve what could be the Hoosiers’ biggest win of the season.
Louisville midfielder Tim Kubel bore down on Fives and, just outside the 18-yard box, bulldozed his IU counterpart. Fives was down on the grass, but the victory was IU’s.
“Phil Fives, just the play at the end of the game,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “Small detail of him knowing he’s going to get hit, but it seals the game. Those are the types of plays we made tonight.”
The ensuing penalty on Kubel helped No. 9 IU scratch out a 2-1 win against No. 4 Louisville, and gave the Cardinals their first home loss of the season.
Yeagley said he looks for small details like Fives’ play in IU’s matchups, and, in one where Louisville had most of the quality possession, those details became the difference.
The Hoosiers pressed the Cardinals early in the match, and junior defender Grant Lillard scored IU’s first goal in the 12th minute. After IU saved a ball from going out of bounds, the ball fell to Hoosier sophomore Jeremiah Gutjahr. Gutjahr flicked it back post to Lillard who did the rest with his head.
“Coaches did scouting and told us about the back-post ball,” Lillard said. “He had a chance to hit a blind one, and I was able to recycle my run, hit it high in the air, and I was able to go up and get it.”
For most of the match, IU’s defense bent but didn’t break. In the 18th minute, however, it broke completely.
Louisville’s Kubel was pressing up the pitch all night long.
He had seven assists coming in and made it eight. Off a free kick from the right flank, he sent a ball back post for Louisville sophomore Tate Schmitt to finish. Schmitt sent it past a diving Colin Webb in goal, and the match was level at one.
“We were bending a little bit,” Yeagley said. “We weren’t giving them great looks, some of them were serves or shots from distance. There are going to be times when you have to make it hard for them to play and pick moments to go forward and not get frustrated, and this group does a good job of that.”
The match swung IU’s way in the 46th minute when senior Tanner Thompson was taken down in the box. The foul gave IU a penalty kick, and the Hoosiers needed sophomore midfielder Trevor Swartz to step up and deliver, and he did. Swartz slotted the ball into the bottom right corner to give the Hoosiers the lead, and the visitors held on.
Yeagley said IU didn’t play its best, but in a match against a team like Louisville, it’s important to look at the bigger picture.
“We’re building the résumé,” Yeagley said. “The country has seen the team play on national TV in a great way. We’ve played some fantastic soccer. This win gives us the résumé, but also the eyeball test, as I call it. You look at this team over the year and they know that this team is certainly a good one.”
