For 45 minutes, it appeared to be déjà vu for No. 14 Indiana men’s soccer.
A goal within the first 10 minutes propelled No. 3 University of Denver to an early lead, and the Hoosiers showed little in the first half that they would overcome the deficit. Only six days ago, that had been no issue for the battle-tested, veteran Indiana squad as it defeated the University of Akron 2-1 in overtime.
This week was a different story.
The second half featured a stronger push from Indiana, but ultimately, its comeback effort fell short at the hands of the Pioneers, exiting the NCAA Tournament with a 1-0 defeat Saturday at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium in Denver, Colorado.
From the opening whistle, Indiana looked a step slower than Denver. Whether it was the higher altitude in Colorado or just a slow start — something that was common in the early portion of the season — the Hoosiers concession of the first goal of the game was not entirely out of the blue.
But the manner in which the goal occurred was not entirely the fault of Indiana. Standing in the proper position to defend an incoming ground cross, junior midfielder Jack Wagoner launched a clearance off sophomore defender Alex Barger’s body. The ball then landed at the feet of Denver freshman forward Keegan Kelly, who tucked home the chance.
For the rest of the match, Indiana’s chances were never as clear as Kelly’s goal. And when those chances did come, it often came from corners or free kicks, restarts which head coach Todd Yeagley has often emphasized throughout the season.
“Restarts have been a challenge this season,” Yeagley said postgame. “Our service and timing have been a bit off at times. I think today, anytime you’re at a new facility, (with the elevation), I think it does affect the travel. So, we over hit some today, I think that was part of it.”
In the first half, the Hoosiers secured two corners and a couple of free kicks in dangerous positions. However, on more than one occasion, the cross into the box floated over the heads of every player and out for a goal kick, failing to even trouble the Denver defense.
Even with the halftime break to reset and adjust its restarts, Indiana continued to struggle in the second half. An overall failure to create chances and misplaced passes plagued the Hoosier offense, whether it was on restarts or just in the attacking half.
But after little success, the chance Indiana had been hoping for finally came. With only 13 minutes remaining, a free kick from senior midfielder Patrick McDonald found the foot of fifth-year senior center back Jansen Miller, who managed Indiana’s first shot on frame from just outside the six-yard box.
It seemed fitting for Miller — in possibly the final game of his college career — to earn his second goal in two games as his effort headed to the corner, but the attempt didn’t generate the power to beat the Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year and junior Isaac Nehme.
The restarts issue did solve itself as time wore down. At the same time, Denver seemed to generate a new set of legs while Indiana, which had only subbed twice in the game, struggled to keep up, even if it was just general fatigue and not necessarily the altitude.
“I thought the altitude, although it could’ve been affecting them, I thought you couldn’t see it with the effort and the energy,” Yeagley said. “We did miss a couple passes that we normally shouldn’t have, but I think overall, the guys handled the altitude well.”
Ultimately, as the missed opportunities through restarts racked up, Indiana could not stage a comeback, bowing out in the Sweet 16.
“I think in a game where they’re sitting and they’re giving you some restarts, that’s maybe the difference today,” Yeagley said. “That is, we couldn’t find that restart goal.”
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s soccer season.
