Indiana men’s soccer needed goals.
The Hoosiers netted seven through eight matches, and senior forward Tommy Mihalic accounted for four of them. The lack of output was not entirely destructive for Indiana, as it limped into the second half of the year with a 2-3-3 record.
Then came a match against then-No. 8 Wisconsin –– the game which head coach Todd Yeagley said Tuesday was the turning point of the season –– where Indiana began to score. Including their victory over the Badgers, the Hoosiers netted 28 goals in nine matches, including their 6-1 rout of Northwestern on Tuesday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
On the surface, the win clinched a share of the Big Ten regular season title. But beneath it all, the victory was emblematic of Indiana’s attacking line finally finding their form all at the right time, displayed through goals from Mihalic, senior Sam Sarver and graduate student Justin Weiss.
It took them until the final Big Ten regular season match, but the veteran trio is hot –– and they know it.
“I think between us, it’s very hard to contain three guys,” Mihalic said postgame. “It’s hard to stop multiple people when they’re on fire.”
Sarver began the scoring in the 17th minute, lacing a long-range effort into the bottom left corner. The goal set the tone for the rest of the match, which began as a cagey affair and ended in an open game with seven total goals.
“Getting on the board that early was vital,” Sarver said. “Happy I was the guy that did it, but I don’t care who did it.”
Eighteen minutes later, Mihalic rocketed his strike into the top right corner of the net, doubling Indiana’s advantage. Then, only three minutes later, he earned his third brace of the season from the penalty spot, increasing his conference-best goal total to 10.
Mihalic’s contributions this season have been nothing short of critical. Two goals against Yale University on Sept. 1, one against Rutgers on Sept. 13 and one against then-No. 4 Ohio State on Sept. 27 secured seven critical points for Indiana, four within the conference.
Even though his scoring output is the highest for Indiana since Ryan Wittenbrink in 2022, Mihalic doesn’t care too much. He enjoys scoring, as he noted most attackers do, but his mind is only on winning.
“Double-digit goals are pretty cool, but it’s a team,” Mihalic said. “Winning is the most important thing, but obviously you got to score to win.”
In the second half, Sarver and Mihalic took a back seat while Weiss, a transfer from Northwestern, flourished. His two goals 14 minutes apart marked his fifth and sixth in the previous four games, a complete turnaround following his goalless streak through 13 games to begin the year.
Weiss acknowledged Yeagley was one of the people helping him through the goal-scoring drought, reminding him to “stay patient” and “do the other things well,” but the graduate student also emphasized his teammates’ support.
“I couldn’t do anything without my teammates,” Weiss said postgame. “They kept texting me after games, saying, ‘You got this. Don’t worry, just keep going.’”
One of those teammates was Mihalic, who struggled with his goalscoring woes a season ago. Entering the Trine University match on Oct. 27, 2023, Mihalic had yet to score a goal following a season in which he had seven goals.
So, when Weiss, who scored seven goals and assisted seven in 2023, failed to contribute in the box score, Mihalic knew all about his struggles. And yet, Weiss’ demeanor failed to waver, even through the issues.
“He did a great job staying the course every day,” Mihalic said. “He came to training, worked hard, and guys are supporting him. Now you look back and all that feels like it doesn’t even matter."
Securing a Big Ten regular season title grants Mihalic the ability to forget about the goal-scoring issues, and the Hoosiers netting six goals in a match helps with that too. But beyond earning the win, securing six goals sends a message to the rest of the country.
“It shows that we can beat anyone,” Sarver said. “We can put a lot of goals past any team. So that’s where we gain the confidence. And then lifting trophies it’s almost the reward, the icing on the cake.”
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
