Coming off its first regular season loss to a Big Ten opponent, No. 6 IU men’s soccer will welcome the University of Evansville to Bloomington on Tuesday, in a fight to keep its 33-game home unbeaten streak alive.
The Hoosiers were shut out 3-0 and were unable to get off a shot on goal for the first time all season. Their loss to Maryland was the first defeat at the hands of a conference foe in more than four years.
With a three-game homestand beginning at Jerry Yeagley Field, here are three things to know for the Hoosiers’ battle with the Aces.
Senior defender Simon Waever is facing his old team.
Waever is playing his first and final season with IU. As a member of the Big Ten preseason honors list, Waever has contributed much to IU’s defense, especially the program’s four shutouts.
In his three years prior to IU, the senior started 55 games for the Aces and was named a two time All-Region honoree by United Soccer Coaches.
He led the program with seven assists a season ago and already has one assist from the Hoosiers’ 3-1 win at Penn State.
Evansville is playing poorly.
The Aces are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. Outside of McCutchan Stadium, Evansville is 0-4-1 with the tie coming on Sept. 10 against Lipscomb University.
Evansville has been shutout in five consecutive games and are being outscored 14-2 during that stretch. On the season, the team is trailing opponents 22-10, allowing roughly two goals per game.
Senior midfielder Jesse Stafford-Lacey and sophomore midfielder Ryan Harris have been the offensive bright spots, scoring three goals a piece. Only three other players have scored.
IU dominates Evansville.
IU is 30-4-3 and holds 16 consecutive victories over Evansville. It also remains unbeaten against its in-state rival in its last 20 matches.
The last time Evansville won in Bloomington was back in 1985 when it shut out IU, 3-0.
A goal has alluded the Aces in their last four games against the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers have posted 18 clean sheets in their 40-year history with the Aces while only getting shut out four times themselves.
Offensively, IU outscores Evansville 90-29 and averages 2.43 goals per game. On its 16-game win streak, IU leads Evansville 48-9.
