No. 16 Indiana men’s soccer celebrated its senior class minutes before kickoff against NCAA Division III side Trine University at Bill Armstrong Stadium, only days removed from clinching a share of the Big Ten regular season title.
The celebrations continued throughout the night, as the Hoosiers rolled to a 4-1 victory in their final regular season.
Freshman midfielder Charlie Heuer kicked off the festivities with a goal less than one minute into the match, notching his fourth of the season. Since his two-goal performance against Penn State on Oct. 11, the Elmhurst, Illinois, native has played in every match.
Head coach Todd Yeagley noted that freshmen often get “nervous and anxious” when games begin, as they need more experience to become more comfortable. However, Heuer is not like most freshmen.
“He’s ready to go,” Yeagley said postgame. “And that’s commendable. That’s not easy.”
The Hoosiers continued the pressure with another goal seven minutes later. Freshman forward Michael Nesci nodded in a cross from Heuer, and while it was originally judged to be offside, a video review determined it to be Indiana’s second goal.
Indiana continued the onslaught over the next 10 minutes, adding two goals to their advantage.
The first came from sophomore forward Collins Oduro, who slammed in a cross delivered by fellow sophomore left back Alex Barger. Six minutes later, Barger got his own goal, finishing off a through ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
But Trine responded shortly after with a goal of its own, courtesy of midfielder Ben Borak. The sophomore’s finish marked the Thunder’s first and only shot on goal of the entire game.
Both sides failed to get on the score sheet in the second half, but Indiana continued to pile up the chances. One finish from freshman forward Easton Bogard met the back of the net, but it was ruled offside. The Hoosiers finished with a 23-3 shot comparison, holding Trine shotless in the second frame.
It will take until Sunday for Indiana to have a seed for the Big Ten Tournament. If No. 1 Ohio State defeats No. 10 Maryland in College Park, Maryland, the Buckeyes will earn the No. 1 seed and an automatic bye.
Otherwise, the Hoosiers will finish atop the Big Ten, earning the bye and a break from action until Nov. 10.
Regardless of where they finish, fifth-year senior goalkeeper JT Harms knows his squad will be ready for a match. Riding a seven-game win streak and 10 straight matches unbeaten, Harms and Indiana have more to aim for, and they’re ready to start moving toward it now.
“We’re peaking at the right time, and that seems to be a trademark of IU,” Harms said. “We’ve been here, we’ve played the big games, and now it’s time to get to work.”
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
