Indiana men’s soccer lost for the second time this season in its 1-0 loss to the University of South Florida on Friday night.
The Hoosiers got off to a slow start against the Bulls, as they were down 1-0 going into halftime.
Indiana struggled to keep possession for long periods of time in the first half, which turned the match into an end-to-end spectacle. The Hoosiers conceded a lot of chances in the half, and the Bulls looked like a threat any time they went forward. This was uncharacteristic of Indiana, as it has limited the chance creation of its opponents in the games leading up to its match against South Florida.
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Indiana was outshot by South Florida 7-4 in the first half, which was the first time Indiana has had less shots than its opponent in a half. The Hoosiers’ defense was playing a high line, which left a lot of space behind the center backs and full backs.
The Bulls took advantage of this by sending a lot of long balls over the top for their forwards. This caused Indiana’s back line to scramble back multiple times, and South Florida constantly threatened Indiana’s net throughout the first half.
South Florida graduate forward Jalen Anderson got in behind the Indiana defense after a through ball he received left him alone against junior goalkeeper JT Harms. Anderson struck it across the goal with his left foot and got it past Harms to give South Florida the 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. Harms had four saves on the night and was the main reason Indiana limited the deficit to one.
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The Hoosiers had a couple of counterattacking opportunities in the first half but none led to any shots that seriously threatened the opposing net. Junior forward Tommy Mihalic had some of these opportunities and was knocked down twice in the box, but the referee didn’t call for a penalty on neither of the two instances.
Indiana maintained more possession in the second half, as South Florida sat back and defended its lead. The Hoosiers were able to pin the Bulls in their half and continued to look for a goal to get them back into the match.
Indiana sent a lot of crosses into the box in the half, but the Southern Florida defense dealt with all of them. Indiana’s best chance in the second half was a shot on the edge of the box by Mihalic, but the shot was just wide. Indiana didn’t create many chances in the half after that and ended the match without scoring.
Indiana's next match will be against Wisconsin at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The match will be streamed on Big Ten+.
