It’s difficult to say whether the problems facing Indiana men’s soccer stem from personnel or merely inconsistent play.
At 2-2-3 heading into Friday night’s matchup with Maryland at Bill Armstrong Stadium, the Hoosiers continue to create dangerous opportunities in the final third but fail to capitalize. While senior forward Tommy Mihalic ranks third in the Big Ten with four goals, the rest of the squad has only logged three combined.
Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with the University of Evansville epitomized Indiana’s finishing struggles, as evidenced by the Hoosiers’ 20-6 shots advantage. While the tie continued an underwhelming string of performances in the out-of-conference slate, head coach Todd Yeagley’s teams tend to have a knack for evolving in Big Ten play.
The Hoosiers took care of Rutgers 1-0 on Sept. 13 in the conference opener, but with each passing match, positive results become more and more vital.
“They’ll be pumped,” Yeagley said Tuesday night. “They’ll be ready...Friday is not going to change the trajectory of our season, but it certainly can go a long way.”
Shortly after a 3-2-2 start through seven matches last year, Yeagley moved Hugo Bacharach, who was drafted ninth overall by Minnesota United FC in December’s MLS SuperDraft, from center back to defensive midfielder. The change helped spearhead Big Ten regular season and Big Ten Tournament titles, two feats that may have seemed lofty in the first month or so of the season.
Recouping the impact of Bacharach and graduated players in forward Maouloune Goumballe and fullback Brett Bebej was always going to be difficult. Graduate forward Justin Weiss and junior defender Quinton Elliot were brought in from Northwestern and the University of Louisville, respectively, to infuse some experience and production, and there have certainly been positive flashes.
Despite missing two games with a calf injury and remaining without a goal or assist, Weiss played all 90 minutes against Rutgers. While he only totaled 44 against Evansville, he had a pair of near goals within the final five minutes of the match.
As for Elliot, his aerial ability and skill on the ball have made him an indispensable member of the lineup. But like Weiss, Elliot too has yet to record a goal or assist. The optimistic signs, coupled with a lack of scoring, have been true for the rest of the squad as well.
Though Indiana averages just over 14 shots per game, not far off from last year’s 16.3, it’s currently netting just one goal per contest compared to last season’s 1.46.
Meet the Terrapins
The quest for goals won’t come much easier Friday night against Maryland, who’s shown capable of slowing opposing attacks.
On Sept. 13, Maryland defeated then-No. 8 Wisconsin 3-0, holding Badgers’ freshman forward Dean Boltz and sophomore midfielder Trip Fleming — the top two goal scorers in the Big Ten — to just one combined shot.
After finishing dead last and without a win in the conference in 2023, the Terrapins appear to be returning to their typical form under 32nd year head coach Sasho Cirovski, the second winningest coach in Big Ten history behind Indiana’s first head coach Jerry Yeagley.
Maryland is scoring 1.86 goals per game with nine players already having found the back of the net. Junior forwards Colin Griffith and Chris Steinleitner, as well as sophomores Luke van Heukelum and Leon Koehl, are tied for the team lead with two goals apiece.
Indiana’s backline has held up well this season behind the emergence of freshman center back Josh Maher, the younger brother of former Hoosier defenders Jack and Joey Maher. Yeagley has opted to play redshirt sophomore Breckin Minzey over sophomore Alex Barger at right back over the last two matches, and opposing teams have scored just one goal in that span.
The group should have its hands full with the Terrapins, and while there are still questions that need to be answered about Indiana’s finishing and struggles on restarts, there’s a simple focus for Friday night.
“Getting a positive result against Maryland, to just get a good win against a good team and obviously get more points in the Big Ten,” Yeagley said. “That’s the focus.”
The match kicks off at 7 p.m. at Bill Armstrong Stadium and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
