After Indiana men’s soccer drew No. 4 Ohio State 2-2 on Sept. 27 in Columbus, Ohio, head coach Todd Yeagley said the squad was capable of more goal scoring.
For the first month of the season, scoring just seven goals in seven matches, there were valid concerns regarding the attack’s execution in front of the net. But Tuesday night in Madison, Wisconsin, the Hoosiers edged the No. 8 Badgers 3-2, marking Indiana’s highest goal tally of the year.
The result comes at an especially critical time for an Indiana team starving for momentum. Seemingly each sign of progress has been followed by a disappointing performance. There were certainly flashes when senior forward Tommy Mihalic’s brace spearheaded a 2-0 win over Yale University on Sept. 1, but a sloppy 1-1 draw with Butler University ensued three days later.
In the first conference clash of the season against Rutgers on Sept. 13, Mihalic broke the deadlock in the 87th minute to deliver a pivotal road victory. And still, Indiana returned home four days later and looked discombobulated in a 1-1 draw with the University of Evansville.
But Tuesday night, the Hoosiers didn’t regress following an optimistic outing against the Buckeyes. In the 12th minute, senior forward Sam Sarver wove a pass across the Badgers’ 18-yard box to sophomore forward Collins Oduro.
Without hesitation, Oduro curled a shot from the top of the box — with the help of a slight deflection from a Wisconsin defender — into the left corner. The goal marked Oduro’s first of the season, perhaps surprising given his impressive freshman campaign. Last year, Oduro netted five goals en route to Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.
It didn’t take long for the Badgers to respond. Roughly 10 minutes later, after offering a few threatening chances toward Indiana fifth-year senior goalkeeper JT Harms, Wisconsin equalized.
After a cross lofted into the Hoosiers’ box, it took four separate headers before tumbling to the grass. Wisconsin junior forward Thomas Raimbault pounced on the rebound and fired a half-volley past Harms into the bottom corner.
Generally this season, Indiana’s half-to-half consistency has been a glaring issue. It was present when the Hoosiers collapsed in the second half against Butler, but it was far from a struggle against the Badgers.
Just four minutes into the second half, Mihalic received a pass from Oduro at the top of the box and immediately swung his hips toward the goal. With Wisconsin freshman goalkeeper Matisse Hébert slightly off his line, Mihalic launched a shot just over Hébert’s grasp to put Indiana up 2-1.
As Yeagley noted after the Hoosiers’ draw with the Buckeyes, Mihalic is pressing less than he was last season, when he tallied a meager two goals despite leading the Big Ten in shots and shots on target.
Now, Mihalic leads Indiana and ranks second in the conference with six goals, just one shy of his career-high seven in 2022. It seemed probable that the Hoosiers — which record just under 13 shots per game and boast a talented and experienced attacking unit — would eventually start finding the back of the net consistently.
Wisconsin equalized yet again in the 62nd minute after Harms mishandled a cross and Badger sophomore defender Ellis Jones poked the loose ball in. Level at 2-2, it only took Hoosiers a little over two minutes to find the deciding goal.
After dispossessing a Wisconsin midfielder, Oduro burst onto the attack and quickly maneuvered into space at the top of the box. He cut to his right and blasted a shot past Hébert before charging toward Indiana’s sideline and sliding into a swarming celebration from his teammates.
Indiana warded off a late surge from the Badgers and earned its second conference road win of the season, along with its first victory over a ranked foe. Yeagley’s teams tend to surge in October, and the Hoosiers notched their finest win of the season right after the calendar turned.
Now 2-1-1 in the Big Ten, Indiana jumped to fourth in the table with six conference matches remaining. The Hoosiers next return home for three consecutive games at Bill Armstrong Stadium, starting with a bout against Washington at 7 p.m. Friday.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
