Despite holding a 16-3 shot advantage and earning five shots on goal, IU tied No. 4 Akron, 1-1, on Friday night to finish the preseason on a high note in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
It wasn’t the strongest start for the Hoosiers, as Akron found the back of the net first when the Zips scored in the 13th minute.
After trailing heading into halftime, IU started the second period aggressively. The Hoosiers had three shots within the first eight minutes.
Senior midfielder Cory Thomas scored the equalizer when the Akron goalie came out to punch a cross, and the ball fell to Thomas from 20 yards out. Freshman midfielder Joe Schmidt had a chance to take the lead in the 84th minute but the shot grazed past the post wide.
With the preseason finally over, the Hoosiers will open the regular season next weekend on the road against No. 5 Wake Forest and No. 3 North Carolina.
Phillip Steinmetz
