Not much needed to be said at halftime. Trailing 1-0 to the University of Akron, No. 14 Indiana men’s soccer didn’t need a brilliant tactical adjustment or a rousing speech.
The season hung in the balance.
Sunday afternoon at Bill Armstrong Stadium, the Hoosiers’ seniors knew they were 45 minutes away from an unceremonious end to the NCAA Tournament, and a cruel finale to their collegiate careers.
“It came to our heads that this could be the last college game for a lot of us,” graduate forward Justin Weiss said postgame. “We’re going to leave it all out there.”
They did just that, storming from behind to level the match in the 71st minute courtesy of a chip from Weiss. Neither side broke through in regulation, and despite holding a 1-5 record in NCAA Tournament overtimes since 2010, Indiana needed fewer than 10 minutes to score the golden goal.
Fifth-year senior center back Jansen Miller’s game-winning header induced a chaotic celebration and punched the Hoosiers’ ticket to their 10th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.
But through most of the first half, that energy and “bravado,” as head coach Todd Yeagley put it, was absent. The 17 days of rest since Indiana’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal loss to Michigan were obvious.
“We were just a little rusty,” Miller said.
Akron held a 4-1 advantage in shots through the first 45 minutes and forced a couple heroic saves from fifth-year senior goalkeeper JT Harms. But in the 31st minute, the Zips struck first.
Redshirt senior midfielder Victor Gaulmin swung a dangerous corner into Indiana’s penalty area into fellow redshirt senior Dyson Clapier, who rose above the line of Hoosiers to knock a header past Harms.
For a moment, Indiana’s players stood motionless in the box.
“The first half we were a little rattled,” senior midfielder Patrick McDonald said. “We had a good gameplan, but they’re a good team. Your gameplan might be out the window 10 minutes into the game, and it kind of was.”
But 45 minutes into the game, Indiana was still searching for answers. Akron deployed a high tempo and was uber-physical on challenges, and the Hoosiers weren’t entirely comfortable.
Yet, as was the case throughout Indiana’s regular season resurgence, goals were a matter of when, not if. Shortly before the end of the first half, Akron redshirt junior goalkeeper Mitch Budler, the Big East Goalkeeper of the Year, was substituted due to an injury stemming from a collision with Indiana sophomore forward Clay Murador.
Freshman goalkeeper Brett Kaminski –– in his first action of the season –– stepped in for the Zips.
“He obviously has some nerves,” Weiss said. “He probably didn’t expect to play today.”
Indiana tested Kaminski in the second half and started controlling not just possession, but a larger share of threatening opportunities. Then, in the 71st minute, Weiss had an opening.
Near midfield, McDonald volleyed a looping pass over Akron’s backline. Kaminski considered charging toward the ball and took a few steps forward, but he changed course and started backpedaling.
It was too late.
After McDonald’s pass took one high bounce, Weiss flicked a shot over Kaminski’s outstretched right glove to draw the match level.
7️⃣ BRINGING THE ENERGY.
— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) November 24, 2024
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“I knew I was going to go over the top there,” Weiss said. “He stepped out a little too far.”
Weiss’ seventh goal of the season was his most dramatic, and fueled a level of confidence that Indiana lacked early in Sunday’s match. The aggression continued. When sophomore Alex Barger came on for freshman defender Josh Maher –– who exited with a head injury –– his fullback pairing with junior Quinton Elliot allowed Indiana to attack more on crosses.
After logging just one shot in the first 45 minutes, the Hoosiers led the Zips 9-1 in shots in the second half, pushing the backline and Kaminski as far back onto their heels as possible.
“Since we got the first one out of the way,” Miller said, “now we’re just gonna start flying.”
Still, the attacking push wasn’t reckless.
Yeagley said it wasn’t a match that would be determined by being “methodical,” but the added aggressiveness didn’t correspond with defensive vulnerability.
“They weren’t like house on fire, leave everything in danger,” Yeagley said, “but they were just more aggressive.”
By the time the whistle sounded in the 90th minute, Indiana’s players were feeding off the energy. The urgency to keep the season alive was magnified by what they saw on the other side of the field.
“You could see them leaving the field dejected,” Yeagley said of Akron. “They did not have much bounce.”
And with just under a minute left in the first period of overtime, that shortage of “bounce” gave Indiana just what it needed. Sophomore forward Collins Oduro swung a cross into Akron’s box, and Miller soared to power his header into the bottom corner.
For the first time since Sept. 14, 2022 against Butler University, Miller found the back of the net. As he slid toward the corner flag, being engulfed by Weiss, Harms, McDonald and the other Hoosiers’ veterans, it was evident just how strongly they wanted this quest to continue.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
