In an exhilarating potential College Cup preview between two men’s college soccer powerhouses, No. 13-ranked Indiana men’s soccer came up short in a 3-2 loss against No. 1-ranked Clemson University on Friday at Historic Riggs Field in Clemson, South Carolina.
The Hoosiers began yet another journey for an elusive ninth star on their crest in one of the most hostile environments in the nation. Those in cream-colored jerseys waited a few extra minutes for the opening whistle, as the Tigers, the most recent kings of men’s Division I soccer, gathered for a championship ceremony with their fans to welcome in the 2022 season.
“There are very few environments you’ll find that tough,” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said. “That was a very loud and proud student section. If we’re in a situation as the season advances where we’re in big games, there won’t be an environment we’re not used too.”
[Related: Indiana men’s soccer kicks off 50th season in primetime showdown with No. 1 Clemson]
Sophomore forward Samuel Sarver didn’t waste any time spoiling the party.
In the sixth minute, Sarver responded to the Tigers’ predictably high energy and hustled toward a pass which was poorly controlled by junior goalkeeper Trevor Manion. After an alert slide tackle, Sarver slotted home his eighth career goal from a few yards out to put the Hoosiers ahead 1-0.
High spirits quickly returned among those packed inside the stadium, though, as Clemson found an equalizer in the 12th minute. Junior midfielder Ousmane Sylla received a pass near the top of the 18-yard box, cut to his right foot and beat both Indiana junior defender Joey Maher and junior goalkeeper JT Harms with a strike into the bottom left corner.
The Tigers once again showcased their individual attacking quality just a few minutes later as senior forward Mohamed Seye gave his team a 2-1 lead in the 16th minute. Seye shrugged a pair of Hoosier midfielders off the ball and completed his run toward the top of the box with a perfectly placed outside of the foot shot into the lower right corner.
A shift in formation from a four-player backline to 3-4-3 formation generated a greater flow and created consistent attacking chances for the Hoosiers in the second half.
The pressure led to a penalty for the Hoosiers after sophomore forward Tommy Mihalic was taken down in the 18-yard box. Senior forward Ryan Wittenbrink stepped up for the spot kick and fired it into the upper right corner to knot the score at 2-2.
“Tommy was able to find the seams pretty well, and Sammy (Sarver) continued to stretch and cause a lot of problems,” Yeagley said. “They were dangerous all night.”
After a back-and-forth final half-hour which saw quality chances denied by last ditch defending and stout goalkeeping, the Tigers found the breakthrough. Sylla found his way on the scoresheet once again in the 79th minute with a rocket that carved a path above Harms’ gloves and into the top netting.
“That’s as good of an attacking team we’ll face,” Yeagley said. “We defended well for most of the game. Individually, they’re just very talented.”
Despite the three goals he conceded, Harms showed potential and built a case for keeping the starting role in net for the Hoosiers. The Duke transfer helped prevent a blowout, making six saves on the night, including a point-blank stop in the 63rd minute when the teams were still level.
Yeagley said Indiana did enough in its attacking buildup to ultimately win the game and acknowledged the long stretches of play in which the squad played as a collective against such a challenging opponent as Clemson.
“The goal this year is to leave the field every game trying to be on the front foot and trying to push the game, whatever the other team provides and whatever players are asked to be on the field,” Yeagley said. “We did that tonight.”
Indiana will return to Bill Armstrong Stadium for its home opener against the University of Portland at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Questions were raised about the readiness of the playing conditions at Jerry Yeagley Field after the Indiana women’s soccer team was forced to move its home opener to the nearby practice field Thursday, but Yeagley assured the pitch will be ready.
As for the Hoosiers’ mindset ahead of the rest of the nonconference schedule, Yeagley said the players won’t hang their heads due to the quality of Friday’s performance. He reiterated the importance of crafting an unforgiving schedule for a program used to facing the best.
“We’re still a young team trying to figure out the best combinations,” Yeagley said. “The great news is we have unbelievable opponents every game. Bring on the next one.”
