Justin Weiss never regretted his decision to transfer.
He didn’t care about the goals. He wanted more.
He wanted titles.
Starting his first 11 games with No. 16 Indiana men’s soccer scoreless was a moot point. Weiss, a graduate student who transferred from Northwestern this season, knew the goals would come. They did, to the tune of four in three consecutive matches.
Tuesday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium, scoring a pair of goals against his former Wildcats wasn’t the primary reason for his joy.
“He wasn’t motivated to beat Northwestern,” head coach Todd Yeagley said postgame.
Weiss was motivated by something much grander.
The Hoosiers pummeled Northwestern 6-1, and with the help of an Ohio State draw against Michigan State, clinched a share of their 19th Big Ten regular season title. That’s what Weiss cared about.
“This was the vision I saw,” Weiss said. “This is what you come to Indiana for: championships like this.”
The match itself was never in much question. Senior forward Sam Sarver opened the scoring with a howling long shot in the 17th minute, and his senior running mate Tommy Mihalic added two of his own goals before the first half concluded.
Weiss scored two clinical finishes in the second half, and freshman midfielder Charlie Heuer found the back of the net in the 88th minute to put an end to Indiana’s attacking onslaught.
RelatedNo. 25 Indiana men’s soccer earns fifth straight win, downs No. 15 UCLA 2-1 The Hoosiers are unbeaten in their last eight matches.
Mihalic and Sarver are perhaps the two Hoosiers most acquainted with the postseason and with the magic of October. Mihalic was reminded by his Snapchat memories of exactly one year ago when Indiana trounced Rutgers 4-1 en route to a share of the Big Ten regular season crown.
The Hoosiers experienced a similarly slow start last year. But something about this season felt different. A position switch for Hugo Bacharach –– the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft –– spearheaded Indiana’s seemingly unfathomable turnaround in 2023.
Without Bacharach, there would be no miracle position change this season. And yet, the Hoosiers finished the conference slate on a six-game winning streak. They haven’t lost a game since Sept. 21 against Maryland. In the last six matches, Indiana outscored its opponents 21-5.
“We can beat anyone,” Mihalic said. “We can put a lot of goals past any team. That’s where we gain the confidence. Lifting trophies is almost the reward, the icing on the cake.”
The season-opening loss to Saint Louis University on Aug. 23 left a poor taste in Yeagley’s mouth. If the squad played four or five more matches in a similar manner, he said that would’ve been cause for concern.
But they didn’t. Even when goals seemed excruciatingly hard to come by. Even when they drew Butler University on Sept. 4 and lost to the University of Dayton at home five days later.
The talent, bolstered by strong transfer and freshman classes in the offseason, was always evident. The Hoosiers knew that. More important, however, was how much they were willing to sacrifice for one another.
“I think we’re talented guys that know it’s not just talent that’s going to get wins,” Weiss said. “We’re willing to do the hard work, do the little gritty things, the extra tackles, the extra run for each other.”
Throughout September, the proverbial puzzle of Indiana’s squad hadn’t fully taken shape. It certainly took time for the revamped group to mesh and instill a distinct level of trust in one another. But when October hit, the puzzle rapidly formed.
Tuesday night, it looked nearly complete.
“The reason we do so well in October is because that’s when coach Todd finds the right puzzle pieces,” Sarver said. “You’re not going to get them in September. It’s a process.”
Throughout the entire season, Yeagley fielded questions about the team’s leadership. He consistently responded that there wasn’t one central voice. That it was a collective effort. Throughout October, it’s been an area he’s seen specifically make strides.
RelatedIndiana men’s soccer triumphs over Michigan State 3-1, earns Yeagley 200th Hoosier win Weiss, McDonald and Sarver contributed the three Hoosier goals.
He never worried much about the lack of goal-scoring early in the year. The players didn’t either. But over Indiana’s last eight matches, the collective of players’ voices has become louder, while the coaching staff has quieted.
“They’ve taken ownership the last two, three weeks,” Yeagley said. “You kind of subtly feel like there’s less that we say at halftime, less we say before the game. I hear them through the locker room, and they’re talking, they’re solving things, they’re getting themselves ready. That’s when you know you got a group that’s really locked in.”
The Hoosiers will certainly be paying close attention to Ohio State’s season finale against Maryland on Sunday. A Buckeye draw or loss grants Indiana the outright Big Ten regular season title.
It isn’t lost on Yeagley that a little over a month ago, there was external doubt. He’s been around the game, around the Indiana program, long enough to know how that ends.
“I think there were some people that were writing us off a little bit,” Yeagley said. “It’s a dangerous thing to do.”
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
