A miniscule touch from fifth-year senior goalkeeper JT Harms tipped the ball off the crossbar and away from danger. The Indiana faithful let out a collective gasp, unsure of what had transpired but aware of what could have been.
Thirty seconds were all that remained in the match, and Harms’ save proved to be the final marquee moment, as his sprawling right hand secured a 2-2 draw for Indiana men’s soccer against Washington.
The last 10 minutes of the match featured significant chances for Washington, including its 80th minute finish from junior midfielder Richie Aman. But for the other 80 minutes, Indiana largely controlled the match.
“I said, ‘Take the last 10 minutes, they don’t get the goal — what would the locker room feel like?” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said postgame. “‘You’d be very pleased. You’d be proud of the performance.’”
Indiana’s previous two matches were high-scoring thrillers, and Friday night’s contest was no different. Junior right back Quinton Elliot got the Hoosiers out to an early lead with a tight angle finish, Washington responded five minutes later with a goal of its own, then Elliot finished off his second chance of the evening with an immaculate trivela.
Elliot has featured in every minute for Indiana this season, but Yeagley mentioned Thursday his desire to see more “aggression” from the University of Louisville transfer, especially going forward.
It appeared Elliot delivered on that desire Friday night.
“We’ve always said he could help us in the attack, whether that’s an assist or a goal,” Yeagley said. “I mean those (goals) were fantastic. ... What a great performance by him, both offensively and defensively.”
After two goals inside 20 minutes, coupled with consistent, attacking play, it seemed almost ignorant to assume Indiana would not score another in the match. Yet, that’s exactly what happened.
Chances came for the Hoosiers from everyone in the attacking line. Senior Sam Sarver had an early 1v1 that missed the frame completely, and senior Tommy Mihalic slammed a shot over the crossbar from inside the box.
So, even though Indiana bagged two goals, the finishing was not satisfactory for Yeagley.
“Although we did create a lot, I thought (with) 20-30% of our chances, we could have had a little more composure and kept them on frame,” Yeagley said. “We’re creating a lot of chances (and) we’re converting better, so we’re heading in the right direction, no doubt.”
Limiting opposing chances has also been critical for Indiana. Even though the Hoosiers conceded two goals and 12 shots, their backline kept any clear chances for Washington at a minimum.
Part of that positive defensive play stems from fifth-year senior center back Jansen Miller, who Yeagley tabbed in the preseason as an All-Big Ten caliber player. And for Elliot, playing next to the seasoned veteran has been critical to his success as well.
“He’s a brick wall,” Elliot said postgame. “It’s a fun time playing next to him. ... He makes it easy.”
Graduate student forward Justin Weiss was another standout veteran against Washington. Although the Northwestern transfer has yet to score a goal or provide an assist for Indiana this season, he contributed possibly his best performance to date.
Weiss’ play centered around his hold-up ability, as he often provided a “target” for Indiana and allowed the Hoosiers to get the ball past Washington’s pressure and into the attackers. No moment better encapsulated Weiss’ night than one run of his, which featured his strength to fend off two defenders, his tight dribbling to get past a sliding challenge and his vision to find a pass to Sarver across the field.
As the goals have arrived for Indiana, the results have not. Wins will be crucial going forward as the Hoosiers hope to build a resume capable of earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament, and an annually tough matchup with the University of Kentucky awaits them Tuesday.
But Yeagley isn’t worried about any of that — he knows Indiana’s time will come.
“When you perform well over the course of a lot of games, that’s the most important thing,” Yeagley said. “We will get results, I’m confident of that.”
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
