Senior defender Hugo Bacharach made his return to the starting lineup in Indiana men’s soccer 2-1 loss against Michigan State.
Bacharach returned to action against Michigan State after a two-game absence. Bacharach played his first game for the Hoosiers since the 2-1 loss to the University of South Florida on Sept 8.
[Related: Indiana men’s soccer falls 1-0 to South Florida]
Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley previously explained that Bacharach’s absence was due to fatigue. Yeagley said that the accumulation of games was getting to the Fairleigh Dickinson transfer and he needed rest.
Senior defender Jansen Miller filled in for Bacharach in the two matches he missed, helping the Hoosiers claim back-to-back clean sheets. Yeagley said he was impressed with Miller’s performances in the two matches especially considering he hadn’t started a match since the pre-season.
Bacharach’s aerial presence was seen throughout the match, consistently clearing dangerous balls that went into the box from both set-pieces and open play. Bacharach also showed his ball-playing ability, carrying and passing the ball through the lines as he routinely did before his two-game absence.
Bacharach also had his fair share of struggles, committing fouls and eventually receiving a yellow card after bringing down a Michigan State forward following a counterattack.
The Hoosiers suffered an immediate setback after Michigan State freshman forward Richie Ludwig scored just 15 minutes into the match to give the Spartans the lead. Ludwig received a long ball on the right side of the field and proceeded to cut onto his left foot and curl the ball past junior goalkeeper JT Harms.
The Hoosiers responded just five minutes later after junior forward Sam Sarver tied the game up following an assist from junior midfielder Patrick McDonald. McDonald sent a long pass to Sarver who then chested the ball down and blasted it past Michigan State sophomore goalkeeper Zac Kelly. Kelly got a hand on it but the shot was too powerful, bouncing into the net.
Both teams continued to generate goal-scoring opportunities as the game started to become an end-to-end spectacle. Neither team necessarily controlled the match with the amount of open space in the midfield and behind the back lines.
The Hoosiers found themselves in the Spartans’ box multiple times but were unable to complete the final pass or finish. Yeagley has previously said his team needed to improve on its finishing, but they were unable to do so Friday.
With both teams having chances to score it was the Spartans who found themselves the golden opportunity in the 77th minute with a penalty kick. Freshman midfielder Justin Shreffler tripped up Michigan State sophomore forward Jonathan Stout in the box.
The referee reviewed the penalty and ended up confirming it. Michigan State junior midfielder Sean Kerrigan stepped up to take the kick and converted, smashing it in the top right corner of the goal.
Indiana couldn’t equalize the game and went home with its first conference loss of the season.
The Hoosiers will play host to Michigan on Sept. 26 in Bloomington with their sights set on their first conference win.
