As soon as the 90th minute struck, the lights went out at Jerry Yeagley Field.
It was for fireworks, but it may as well have symbolized the lights out performance from sophomore goalkeeper Trey Muse.
Muse only had three saves Sunday, but each one of them were vital in the No. 6 Hoosiers 1-0 victory over No. 18 Connecticut to round out the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic.
With a little less than 27 minutes remaining in the game, the Huskies had a perfect opportunity to tie. UConn freshman forward Ibrahima Diop got behind the IU defense and found himself with a one-on-one opportunity with Muse.
With IU senior defenders Andrew Gutman and Timmy Mehl closing in around him, Diop was running out of time to take the shot. So, he sent a last-ditch effort with his left foot, but Muse had charged up and made a sliding save with his right foot to steer the ball clear of the net. Gutman tracked it down on the goal line and cleared it out of harms way.
"I just got set and waited for the guy to shoot it," Muse said. "He took an extra touch, which allowed me to come out a little bit more, and I think he scuffed it a little bit and it came right at my feet."
It's the type of save that no longer surprises IU Coach Todd Yeagley after seeing his keeper shutout 18 teams a season ago.
“Trey is capable of making that save and that was a big moment,” Yeagley said. “Certainly, the advantage is the attacker, so for him to make that save was great.”
It was one of the few chances UConn saw throughout the 90 minutes. The majority of offense seen in Sunday's contest was from the cream and crimson.
Sophomore midfielder Griffin Dorsey set the tone. His explosive speed and crafty moves led to some early offense for IU. It was infectious as just four minutes in, the Hoosiers forced a corner kick that resulted in sophomore forward AJ Palazzolo heading it off the crossbar.
In the 27th minute, UConn had a long shot from far outside the box. It was a one-hopper that seemed tricky with the conditions of the field, but Muse made it look routine.
That was one of two shots the Huskies had the first half. The Hoosiers had eight, including five corners, one of which was placed perfectly for Gutman.
With less than five minutes remaining before halftime, Gutman had a header at the near post, off a corner kick from senior midfielder Trevor Swartz, to give IU a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
“Gutman’s a really good soccer player,” Swartz said. “He gets up and down the flanks. He’s creative in the final third but at the same time he’s very good defensively.”
The second half mirrored much of the same as IU out-shot UConn 10-4 throughout the match.
With the win over the Huskies, it marked the first time since 2012 that IU had three straight wins over Top-25 teams. Gutman was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player with his two goals and single assist performance over the weekend. Palazzolo and senior defender Rece Buckmaster also earned All-Tournament Team honors.
After facing four straight ranked opponents, the Hoosiers will take on Virginia Commonwealth University this upcoming Friday to finish a three-game homestand.
“I think all the teams that we’ve played will have very good seasons," Yeagley said. "I think from a resume standpoint this is going to be important for us.”
