Following its 2-1 loss against Butler University, No. 5 IU men’s soccer returns home for a match against the California State University at Sacramento before departing for a two-game conference road trip.
IU’s offense was quiet for much of Tuesday’s loss until it displayed a surge of life in the final 10 minutes. Sophomore defender Jack Maher kicked his second goal of the season, but it was not enough to get the Hoosiers back into the match.
With this next game against the Hornets being the Hoosiers' last nonconference match for nearly two weeks, here are three things to clue in on for Friday’s battle at Jerry Yeagley Field.
First time bouncing back from a loss.
IU head coach Todd Yeagley and his players often talk about the resiliency of this year’s team. IU has three victories in 2019 after trailing those matches and needs the entire roster to bounce back from its loss to Butler.
The last time IU lost consecutive matches was in 2014. Maryland beat the team out for the Big Ten title, and then Xavier University took IU out in the NCAA tournament.
Going back to last season, whenever the Hoosiers lost, they won their next game by a score of 1-0. If that carries into Friday, Yeagley’s defense may put up its second shutout of the year.
Sacramento State is playing well in 2019.
The Hornets have won two of their last three matches and are 5-2-1 on the year. They also boast a 3-1 away record with their most recent victory against the University of San Diego.
Unlike IU, Sacramento State went into overtime just once and escaped with a 1-1 tie against the University of the Pacific. As IU soccer fans may already know, only two of IU’s games ended in regulation.
Leading the scoring with three goals apiece for Sacramento State are sophomore forward Benji Kikanovic and sophomore midfielder Oscar Govea. There is also a trio of players with two goals each.
Opponents have not had too much trouble scoring against the Hornets. Although the team has three shutouts, they allow roughly two goals per game.
Sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Curtis, who has started the majority of games for Sacramento State, allowed 12 balls to go through the net to go with 37 saves.
The other goalkeeper, junior Hector Grajeda, has two starts for the Hornets with only one goal allowed and three saves.
The Hoosiers need to find Endeley.
Offensive production has been fairly quiet for freshman forward Herbert Endeley. Arguably the team’s fastest man, Endeley wrecks havoc for defenders with his ability to drive the ball all around the field, speeding past defenders and setting up plays.
For the last two games, Endeley broke into the starting rotation and continues to use his speed to get by attackers. His speed cannot be the only factor going for IU, however.
Time and time again the freshman creeps into prime positions for corner kicks, but his teammates have not been able to set up the right plays for him. Senior defender Simon Waever connected with Endeley on a strong right cross for a goal in IU’s 1-1 tie with Notre Dame, but IU has not found Endeley much since.
His pressure on attackers and ability to destroy a defense’s formations have been vital for IU’s offense, and success against Sacramento State means finding the Minnesota native off restarts and passing plays.
