Head coach Todd Yeagley said he had some “choice words” for his team at the halftime break amid a one goal deficit.
However, after a second half in which Indiana men’s soccer notched two equalizing goals en route to a 2-2 draw at the University of Michigan on Sunday, Yeagley said he sensed a shift in energy and urgency. Though the Hoosiers have played to a couple deflating ties this season in which they surrendered leads, he said he was more pleased with Sunday’s result.
“It’s a different feeling,” Yeagley said after the match. “That was a really important point for us in a lot of ways, so as poorly as we played in that first 30 (minutes), to come away with a result is a positive. When you come from behind in most scenarios, it’s definitely a different feeling than losing a lead.”
In a rather similar manner of its previous road matches, Indiana began the match on the back foot. The Wolverines pressed with intensity and were aggressive in the attacking third.
With a stagnant attack being stifled by Michigan’s backline, and sloppy play on the part of the Hoosiers’ midfield, the hosts were on the cusp of a goal seemingly from the first kick of the match. In the 20th minute, they broke through.
From the left wing, a Michigan player sent a long, lofted cross to the far post. Indiana junior goalkeeper JT Harms, coming well off his line, fully extended for the ball but fell just inches short. Michigan sophomore defender Jason Bucknor was on the receiving end of the bounce and fired a shot that junior defender Joey Maher, who filled Harm’s spot in the net, had no chance to save.
“The group looked a little rattled,” Yeagley said. “They have to be better than that. The backfoot mentality was what could not happen in that first segment.”
Despite improving in the latter 20 minutes of the first half, the Hoosiers still entered the break empty. However, from the first touch of the second period, they were in control. By slowing down the pace to suit its style, Indiana was able to build from the back more and create a handful of nifty combinations on the attack.
Aided by the substitution of redshirt senior defender Daniel Munie, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury for four matches, the Hoosiers’ second half play compared to the first was stark. In the 65th minute, sophomore forward Tommy Mihalic tallied the first of Indiana’s two equalizing goals with a screaming shot from the top of Michigan’s 18-yard box.
Despite rarely threatening in prior second half sequences, the Wolverines came storming back just two minutes after conceding. Graduate student midfielder Kevin Buca worked his way down the right wing and sent a cross to senior midfielder Cameron Martin, who skied over Munie to nod the ball past Harms.
With eight minutes left in the match, after multiple futile attacks, the Hoosiers brought the match level yet again. After a brilliant individual run from Munie, senior forward Karsen Henderlong played a dangerous cross from the right side of the box. The ball deflected off a Michigan defender into the goal, although Munie was applying heavy pressure.
“The second half we were in control,” Yeagley said. “It was just a matter of time that the goal for (Michigan) came against the flow, but I was pleased with the response. We were on the front foot and (got) after it.
For the second consecutive match, the Hoosiers’ resilience was evident. Tied for fourth in the Big Ten table with 5 points, Indiana will take a break from conference play and return to Bloomington to take on the University of Notre Dame at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
