With just over a minute left on the clock, freshman midfielder Charlie Heuer lifted a pass over the Michigan defense, aiming for junior defender Quinton Elliot and sophomore Clay Murador. The ball floated in the air, and when it finally returned to the ground, neither Elliot nor Murador could receive it, effectively sealing the Hoosiers’ fate.
No. 6 Indiana men’s soccer created numerous close chances against Michigan, opportunities it normally would have converted on its seven-game winning streak to finish the regular season, a run which included a 5-0 Hoosier win over the Wolverines on Oct. 15.
But as head coach Todd Yeagley and his players have stressed, the postseason is a different season. And following Thursday's 1-0 defeat to Michigan at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, Indiana’s first half of the postseason ended in disappointment.
Throughout the first half, Indiana struggled to maintain any of the offensive consistency it established during its past 10 matches, all games in which the Hoosiers scored multiple goals. Conversely, Michigan began quickly, forcing an early save from fifth-year senior JT Harms from a close-range effort by senior midfielder Jason Bucknor.
Indiana settled into the match for a brief stint, but it failed to create many chances that troubled Michigan sophomore goalkeeper Isaiah Goldson. A cross into the box deflected from the foot of a Wolverine and off the crossbar, but barring the fluke opportunity, the Hoosiers did not record a shot on target in the first half.
Michigan did not suffer from the same problem, and 25 minutes after his first chance, Bucknor opened the scoring.
A couple of quick passes in midfield ended up at the feet of graduate midfielder Bryce Blevins, and he instantly played a pass over the defense to Bucknor. It took the Weston, Florida, native one touch to control the ball outside the 18-yard box, and his next touch smashed the shot into the top right corner of the net.
At the end of the half, Heuer managed a close chance, but his shot adjacent to the penalty spot sailed over the bar without much of a threat to the Michigan goal.
With Indiana’s Big Ten Double hopes held in the balance, a bounce back second half seemed imminent. But much like the first half of the season, the Hoosiers failed to generate many opportunities.
The best chance of the half for Indiana fell to sophomore forward Collins Oduro, who received a cross from Murador. After just slipping past the outstretched foot of senior forward Sam Sarver, Oduro placed a shot across the goal that just slipped past the post.
When the final whistle blew, Indiana finished with a 10-7 shot advantage over Michigan, but the Wolverines earned four shots on goal to the Hoosiers’ one. The defeat ends Indiana’s streak of consecutive Big Ten Tournament finals appearances, a mark dating back to 2017.
Without a Big Ten Tournament victory, Indiana will have to wait until Nov. 18 for the NCAA Tournament selection committee to determine its place in the tournament.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
