Solid defense and a relentless offense pushed No. 10 IU men’s soccer within one game of the Big Ten regular season title. IU defeated Ohio State on Tuesday 5-1.
The Hoosier offense was led by freshman forwards Victor Bezerra and Joshua Penn. The duo had two goals apiece as well as an assist from Bezerra.
IU’s defense allowed no shots on goal in the first half while its offense had four looks on goal. Three of those passed the Buckeye’s senior goalkeeper, Parker Siegfried.
“We were decisive, we were aggressive, we defended really well,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “Overall, I’m really happy with where we were tonight.”
From the left side of the box, Bezerra kicked home his fourth goal in the seventh minute off an assist from junior midfielder Spencer Glass and freshman forward Herbert Endeley.
“Vic is one of the better strikers on the ball that we have on our team,” Yeagley said. “The ball just pops off his foot. He loves to score and you love that.”
Bezerra struck again for the Hoosiers in the ninth minute following a yellow card from OSU sophomore defender Luis Hernandez. The Buckeye defender tripped up Endeley outside the box, allowing Bezerra to drill his free kick in the upper right corner of the goal, his fifth of the season.
Yeagley’s freshmen pestered the Buckeye defense once more in the 30th minute along the sideline.
Penn drove up the field, juking defenders left and right until he got to the top of the goal box. Shifting to his left foot, the freshman laced an ankle-high kick past the diving OSU keeper and into the lower right corner of the goal.
“Scoring early is nice," Penn said. "We’ve been doing it for the past three games, and it’s something we want to continue doing."
IU’s first-half defense was arguably as relentless as its offense. Freshman goalkeeper Roman Celentano did not make a save attempt in the first half as sophomore defender Jack Maher and freshman defender Daniel Munie kept the ball outside the box.
The backline duo, along with senior defender Simon Waever, kept through balls from setting up open shots and headed the ball away when cross passes got near.
“Jack and Munie are giants for us,” Bezerra said. “They’ve been playing very well lately. We know the potential that they have, and they prove week in and week out how good they are.”
OSU came out with more energy than it started with, threatening with a shot on goal and a corner kick, its only corner of the night. It was unable to convert on those opportunities which flicked the momentum back toward IU.
In the 60th minute, freshman midfielder Aidan Morris kicked the ball up to Penn for a 1-1 play with Siegfried.
Chipping the ball over the goalkeeper’s head, Penn put in his fifth goal of the year, giving IU a 4-0 lead. This was Morris’ sixth assist, tying him for second in the conference.
IU slipped up in the 77th minute allowing senior midfielder Jack Holland to score his sixth goal of the year off an assist from sophomore forward Luke Kiley.
Less than three minutes later, however, IU struck again. This time, the goal came from junior forward Thomas Warr.
After Bezerra passed the ball up the left side of the field, Warr finessed the Buckeyes’ defense, transferring the ball to his right foot and knocking his second goal of the season into the left corner of the net.
Aside from goal scoring, Yeagley said Warr has been a leading voice and attitude for the team this season.
“Tom does a lot for us besides the couple goals recently and he’s been a good leader for us,” Yeagley said. “He brings edge and wants to push the guys around him.”
Yeagley used the remainder of the night to feature the team's seniors.
Senior defender Jordan Kleyn and senior goalkeeper Sean Caulfield entered along with other members of the Hoosier bench. This was the first time all season when two Hoosier goalies played in the same game.
Since No. 16 Penn State defeated No. 17 Maryland 3-2 in overtime, IU did not clinch the Big Ten regular season title.
If IU knocks off Michigan State on Sunday, it will win the regular season conference title. Should IU tie and Penn State defeat Rutgers, then there will be a tie for the conference title.
“There’s a new team coming together, and it has developed well around each other,” Bezerra said. “We’re all comfortable with each other.”
