Indiana men’s soccer welcomes an intrastate foe in No. 22 University of Notre Dame at 8 p.m. on Saturday night.
The Hoosiers will enter the contest with a 0-1-1 record after a frustrating 3-3 draw to the University of Portland. While the attacking play has blossomed against formidable backlines, key mistakes in the midfield and on defense have kept the win tally at zero.
Here are three things to look for when the Hoosiers take the pitch against the Irish:
Can the Hoosiers tighten up in their own half?
In two matches this season, the Hoosiers have surrendered six goals. While the competition has been strong, it is still a far cry from the .83 goals against average the Hoosier faithful grew accustomed to last season.
From a talent perspective, the likes of redshirt senior Daniel Munie, junior defender Joey Maher and fifth-year senior defender Nyk Sessock are some of the best the Big Ten has to offer. Their contributions span beyond just great defending, as they are all capable of springing a promising attack with just one pass.
However, within their own half this season, both on offense and defense, the Hoosiers have been susceptible to mistakes, and the Pilots’ second of three goals on Tuesday epitomized the Hoosiers’ inconsistencies.
After a costly turnover right around midfield, the Pilots took advantage of the Hoosiers’ lack of defensive recovery and thrust themselves right back into the match.
For the Hoosiers to come away with a win on Saturday, it is crucial to eliminate mistakes in their own half.
Testing Notre Dame’s Bryan Dowd
Last year, now-junior Notre Dame goalkeeper Bryan Dowd was a member of the ACC All-Tournament team, finished the season with 10 clean sheets and made phenomenal penalty shootout saves throughout the College Cup. Despite conceding five goals in the team’s first two matches, he has still made plenty of acrobatic saves this season.
For the Hoosiers to win on Saturday, testing Dowd early and often will be crucial. This has hardly been an issue in the first two matches, as the Hoosiers have been routinely striking first and putting pressure on opposing keepers.
However, there have been spurts where the intensity and pressure up top has briefly faltered. On Saturday night, the Hoosiers will have to maintain a high level of ferocity and look to make Dowd work as much as possible.
Keep Maouloune Goumballe rolling
Though he does not have the most decorated career with the Hoosiers, senior forward Maouloune Goumballe’s talent was evident on Tuesday against Portland. Goumballe, one of the largest guys on the pitch at 6 feet, 2 inches tall, played with a physical edge desperately needed against such a physical Pilots squad.
[Related: Sessock, Wittenbrink guide balanced attack for Indiana men’s soccer in draw against Portland]
His size gave way to brilliant holdup play, which in turn allowed the smaller and shiftier wingers to get in behind the defense. Goumballe was fighting relentlessly for every 50-50 ball, and he displayed plenty of shot-creation ability when he struck the post on a screeching long shot against the Pilots.
While the formations and tactics are still being sorted out, Goumballe will likely remain heavily involved in the attacking rotation. Against a stingy and extremely tall Notre Dame backline, a fast, lengthy and physical marksman like Goumballe will be needed to create and maximize chances.
While the offense has been clicking in the first two matches, the Hoosiers will need to cut down on mistakes in the midfield and backline to gain points on Saturday.
