Soccer Strong -- ‘Locked-in’ Hoosiers Building for More
9/1/2021 9:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana tops the college soccer world with this Joey Maher thought:
"We have a lot of room for improvement," the sophomore defender says. "We're finding ways to win. We just have to keep going."
He says this from the aftermath of Tuesday night's 1-0 victory over Butler at Bill Armstrong Stadium, and if it was far from flawless, it was certainly rich in tough-minded moments.
"Butler is a good opponent," coach Todd Yeagley says. "They pose a lot of individual threats. That was a challenge. We handled it well."
The top-ranked Hoosiers (2-0) are winning without dominance – this victory followed their 3-2 overtime win at Notre Dame last Friday, which followed a 5-4 exhibition win over Louisville.
"We get that from the culture," Maher says. "The coaches are always teaching about the last 5 minutes. What are you going to do to help the team?"
It's a question that brings this answer:
"Everyone is locked in," Maher says.
There are a lot of everyones to share the load. On Tuesday night, nine guys played at least 80 minutes, and five played all 90.
Then there were key off-the-bench minutes from sophomores Lawson Redmon, Lukas Hummel and Nate Ward.
"A lot of guys contributed," Yeagley says.
"Bringing in some new fresh faces brought us energy. Sometimes you need a couple of new bodies and ideas."
Or, as Maher puts it, "Guys coming off the bench are very hungry, very energetic,"
Full Hoosier strength will have to wait, perhaps with this weekend's home games against Creighton and Xavier. Veteran forwards Victor Bezerra and Ryan Wittenbrink were out on Tuesday, as was senior midfield Joe Schmidt, all with minor injuries.
But this wasn't about who was missing.
Standout defender Spencer Glass was back in the starting lineup, joining fellow defenders Nyk Sessock, Maher and Daniel Munie, along with goalkeeper Roman Celentano in as formidable a back line as there is in college soccer.
"The back line was very solid," Maher says. "I'm very fortunate to be playing next to those guys."
But it was Maher's offense that won it. During a late first-half flurry from a Glass free kick, Maher's header bounced off the top bar. The Hoosiers got another near-miss header from Brett Bebej before Maher followed with the first goal of his college career to deliver a lead IU never lost.
"It was a great ball by Spencer," Maher says. "We were going for a back-post ball. It was the perfect height. I was fortunate to get the hop. Glad to help the team."
Yeagley is just as glad.
"He's played so much older. You forget he's just a sophomore. Last year, he didn't get a full run of games (because of the pandemic). He's mature. His decisions are good. He did great."
Indiana's drive for a return-to-dominant offense has been sparked by freshmen Tommy Mihalic, Samuel Sarver and Patrick McDonald. Their instant-impact contributions in the Notre Dame victory was highlighted by a pair of Mihalic goals that earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Don't forget the game-winner from junior midfielder Ben Yeagley, a long-time reserve whose blast would have beaten any goalkeeper in America. It set off a celebratory dog-pile moment with his father, the head coach, that will resonate for years.
It's those kinds of unexpected contributions that help sustain IU's half-century run of dominance.
"It's that next-guy-up mentality," Maher says.
Another came Tuesday night from Redmon, a reserve defender. Butler came close to scoring the tying goal with 23 minutes left. Celentano slid to his knees to make a save, the ball bounced free and Redmon blasted the ball clear.
A review confirmed the no-goal call.
The game started, rain followed and the Hoosiers found early trouble.
They handled it, but only after ticking off Celentano.
IU needed a Celentano save three minutes into the game to avoid a 1-0 deficit. A minute later, his fingertip save kept the game scoreless and ignited the goalkeeper's temper.
The message – defend better, although it came in stronger terms.
It worked. The Hoosiers settled down (Butler didn't get another shot on goal for the rest of the game) and finished with a 7-3 shot advantage by halftime.
Oh, yes, that 1-0 lead.
IU just missed a second goal from Mihalic late in the second half.
"I would have loved to have seen another goal, or a couple more dangerous challenges," Yeagley says. "We're not quite where we need to be."
Figure the Hoosiers will get there, especially when they're at full strength.
"We had a lot of good moments," Yeagley says. "We'll learn a lot.
"We did get exposed on some things. These are the games you need. Being able to come out with a win is exactly what you need."
The fact it came in front of a crowd of 2,592 was huge given fans weren't allowed into Bill Armstrong Stadium last season because of the pandemic.
"That was incredible," Maher says. "It's my first game with a home crowd. Hoosier Army was fantastic. I can't wait for more home games."
He'll get two more with Creighton on Friday and Xavier on Monday.
As for Bezerra, Wittenbrink and Schmidt, Yeagley says, "There's a good chance that all three will play this weekend. How much and what game is hard to say.
"We're getting close. We don't want a 70 or 80 percent player out there. It's not good for us or for them."
@IndianaMSOC
For all the latest on Indiana University men's soccer, be sure to follow the team at @IndianaMSOC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
#GoIU
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana tops the college soccer world with this Joey Maher thought:
"We have a lot of room for improvement," the sophomore defender says. "We're finding ways to win. We just have to keep going."
He says this from the aftermath of Tuesday night's 1-0 victory over Butler at Bill Armstrong Stadium, and if it was far from flawless, it was certainly rich in tough-minded moments.
"Butler is a good opponent," coach Todd Yeagley says. "They pose a lot of individual threats. That was a challenge. We handled it well."
The top-ranked Hoosiers (2-0) are winning without dominance – this victory followed their 3-2 overtime win at Notre Dame last Friday, which followed a 5-4 exhibition win over Louisville.
"We get that from the culture," Maher says. "The coaches are always teaching about the last 5 minutes. What are you going to do to help the team?"
It's a question that brings this answer:
"Everyone is locked in," Maher says.
There are a lot of everyones to share the load. On Tuesday night, nine guys played at least 80 minutes, and five played all 90.
Then there were key off-the-bench minutes from sophomores Lawson Redmon, Lukas Hummel and Nate Ward.
"A lot of guys contributed," Yeagley says.
"Bringing in some new fresh faces brought us energy. Sometimes you need a couple of new bodies and ideas."
Or, as Maher puts it, "Guys coming off the bench are very hungry, very energetic,"
Full Hoosier strength will have to wait, perhaps with this weekend's home games against Creighton and Xavier. Veteran forwards Victor Bezerra and Ryan Wittenbrink were out on Tuesday, as was senior midfield Joe Schmidt, all with minor injuries.
But this wasn't about who was missing.
Standout defender Spencer Glass was back in the starting lineup, joining fellow defenders Nyk Sessock, Maher and Daniel Munie, along with goalkeeper Roman Celentano in as formidable a back line as there is in college soccer.
"The back line was very solid," Maher says. "I'm very fortunate to be playing next to those guys."
But it was Maher's offense that won it. During a late first-half flurry from a Glass free kick, Maher's header bounced off the top bar. The Hoosiers got another near-miss header from Brett Bebej before Maher followed with the first goal of his college career to deliver a lead IU never lost.
"It was a great ball by Spencer," Maher says. "We were going for a back-post ball. It was the perfect height. I was fortunate to get the hop. Glad to help the team."
Yeagley is just as glad.
"He's played so much older. You forget he's just a sophomore. Last year, he didn't get a full run of games (because of the pandemic). He's mature. His decisions are good. He did great."
Indiana's drive for a return-to-dominant offense has been sparked by freshmen Tommy Mihalic, Samuel Sarver and Patrick McDonald. Their instant-impact contributions in the Notre Dame victory was highlighted by a pair of Mihalic goals that earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Don't forget the game-winner from junior midfielder Ben Yeagley, a long-time reserve whose blast would have beaten any goalkeeper in America. It set off a celebratory dog-pile moment with his father, the head coach, that will resonate for years.
It's those kinds of unexpected contributions that help sustain IU's half-century run of dominance.
"It's that next-guy-up mentality," Maher says.
Another came Tuesday night from Redmon, a reserve defender. Butler came close to scoring the tying goal with 23 minutes left. Celentano slid to his knees to make a save, the ball bounced free and Redmon blasted the ball clear.
A review confirmed the no-goal call.
The game started, rain followed and the Hoosiers found early trouble.
They handled it, but only after ticking off Celentano.
IU needed a Celentano save three minutes into the game to avoid a 1-0 deficit. A minute later, his fingertip save kept the game scoreless and ignited the goalkeeper's temper.
The message – defend better, although it came in stronger terms.
It worked. The Hoosiers settled down (Butler didn't get another shot on goal for the rest of the game) and finished with a 7-3 shot advantage by halftime.
Oh, yes, that 1-0 lead.
IU just missed a second goal from Mihalic late in the second half.
"I would have loved to have seen another goal, or a couple more dangerous challenges," Yeagley says. "We're not quite where we need to be."
Figure the Hoosiers will get there, especially when they're at full strength.
"We had a lot of good moments," Yeagley says. "We'll learn a lot.
"We did get exposed on some things. These are the games you need. Being able to come out with a win is exactly what you need."
The fact it came in front of a crowd of 2,592 was huge given fans weren't allowed into Bill Armstrong Stadium last season because of the pandemic.
"That was incredible," Maher says. "It's my first game with a home crowd. Hoosier Army was fantastic. I can't wait for more home games."
He'll get two more with Creighton on Friday and Xavier on Monday.
As for Bezerra, Wittenbrink and Schmidt, Yeagley says, "There's a good chance that all three will play this weekend. How much and what game is hard to say.
"We're getting close. We don't want a 70 or 80 percent player out there. It's not good for us or for them."
@IndianaMSOC
For all the latest on Indiana University men's soccer, be sure to follow the team at @IndianaMSOC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
#GoIU
Players Mentioned
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Forward
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Goalkeeper
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Defender
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Defender
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Defender
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Midfielder
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Forward
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Defender
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Defender
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Forward
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Midfielder
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Defender
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Forward
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Midfielder
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