“Defense wins championships” is a popular phrase many coaches preach. For Indiana men's soccer, hosting a shutout against the Southern Indiana Football Club should be a prime example of this phrase.
As the box score reflected. Indiana’s defense was dominant, allowing only two shots in the 90 minutes of play; however, Tuesday morning's exhibition was more of an overall dominance of a semi-professional team. Indiana executed their game plan effectively.
Indiana’s ability to control possession in SIFC’s half of the field aided its offense’s 23 shots and eight goals. This also played a major role in withholding counterattacks from SIFC and keeping them out of Indiana’s side of play.
Junior midfielder Jack Wagoner and redshirt sophomore midfielder Breckin Minzey maintained Indiana’s control, disrupting passes through the middle and sending the errant passes back up to the team’s attackers.
Sophomore midfielder Jacopo Fedrizzi, who transferred from the University of Evansville on Aug. 2, excelled in the midfield. On defense, like the other midfielders, Fedrizzi halted runs and redirected the ball back to his offense. However, it was on the offensive side where Fedrizzi truly made his mark. Pushing forward, both of his shots found the back of the net, showcasing his versatility and helping to secure the commanding 8-0 win.
In the 22nd minute, SIFC managed to break through Indiana's defense for a moment, creating a strong opportunity inside the 18-yard box. However, after quickly falling under pressure from oncoming Indiana defenders, forward Nathan Brown’s shot was rushed and easily saved by the redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Cooper Johnsen.
Indiana’s defensive pressure was evident Tuesday as any sign of an SIFC opportunity was instantly squashed by the quick and energized defensive line. Their relentless effort ensured constant pressure on SIFC’s attacks.
The standout in this defensive effort was freshman forward Nolan Kinsella.
Starting in the defensive line Tuesday, Kinsella was quiet in the box score, but to those in the stands it became clear he was a gamechanger in Tuesday's contest. The 6-foot-2, 160-pound Kinsella rose above all contesting the passes in the air and constantly disrupting offensive chances.
Flipping sides of the field, freshman defender Drew Gaydosh was a disruption as well. He spent most of his time playing far from Indiana’s net, rotating into the midfield and shutting down attacks before they could flourish into scoring opportunities for SIFC.
As difficult as it was to sneak anything past Indiana's wing defenders, the middle of the field was dominated throughout the game by the Hoosiers' midfielders, leaving the center defenders with little to worry about.
At the 62nd minute, Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley inserted substitutes who came in rested and energized.
Redshirt freshman defender Luke Reidell was one of these substitutes. He was a nuisance for the drained SIFC. Reidell followed closely to his man, intercepting passes and breaking up plays, ensuring that SIFC couldn't find any rhythm in its late game attacks.
The Hoosiers will wrap up the spring season with two final matches. First, at 7:30 p.m. April 11, they face the University of Notre Dame at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana. The season concludes at noon April 19 with an away game against the University of Kentucky at the Bell Complex in Lexington, Kentucky.
