DiPrimio: ‘Hugo the Hero’ Making his Hoosier Mark
11/22/2023 1:46:00 PM | Men's Soccer
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON – Challenge Hugo Bacharach at your own risk.
Whether it's soccer, where his dominating midfield play has helped surging Indiana (14-4-4) to a Sunday Sweet 16 soccer showdown at No. 7 national seed Virginia (11-3-4), or, say, ping-pong, which this 6-4, 210-pound force of athletic nature insists he's the Hoosiers' best, he's here to rock your world.
Wake Forest knows all about that.
Bacharach scored two goals against a Demon Deacon defense that had previously allowed just 14 all season, including an acrobatic, are-you-kidding-me overtime game winner in last Sunday's NCAA tourney second-round match.
That earned IU College Soccer News Team of the Week honors with Bacharach's photo prominently displayed with this caption:
"Hugo the hero."
Bacharach's clutch play the last few weeks has coach Todd Yeagley perhaps rethinking the team's Mr. November nickname previously reserved for senior forward and postseason standout Maouloune Goumballe.
"I still think Maouloune is Mr. November," Yeagley says, "but Hugo is chasing him with two goals.
"We have a couple of Mr. Novembers. If we keep this going, we're going to need a Mr. December."
Bacharach is IU's tallest and heaviest player. He has the skills to dribble through or pass around people, and the strength to power by them.
Early season fatigue issues are gone. Bacharach played all 110 minutes against Wake Forest, and the Hoosiers needed every one of them.
"You could sense his resilience," Yeagley says.
Bacharach arrived at IU via Fairleigh Dickinson via Benicassim, Spain, via USL Championship known for his defense (he was the Northeast Conference defensive player of the year last season and the USL League Two defender of the year last summer), but don't limit him.
Yeagley isn't.
When the previously struggling Hoosiers needed a midseason spark, into midfield came Bacharach from his defender position.
The result – IU has won 11 of its last 12 matches, including Big Ten regular season and conference tournament titles.
"Ever since we inserted him in the midfield," Yeagley says, "he's changed the dynamic of our team."
Bacharach has four goals and 12 points. Only Sam Sarver (eight and 22) and Goumballe (five, 13) have more for the Hoosiers.
"He's so good going forward," Yeagley says. "He has really good ideas. He has soft feet. He's a good passer. This freed him up to do that."
Bacharach says he'd never played midfield before. Even now, he has the same defensive responsibilities, but with the green light to attack.
"I like the freedom and I'm always willing to help the team," he says.
Bacharach came to IU to win at the highest level (he'd been to just one NCAA tourney in three Fairleigh Dickinson seasons), to improve his game and to set himself up for a pro career.
"I knew to reach my top, I had to go to a big school."
When Bacharach entered the transfer portal, Hoosier coaches reached out. For him, it was a no-brainer. He considered IU to be the Real Madrid of college soccer. Real Madrid is Spain's top professional soccer club.
"I knew about all their success," Bacharach says. "As soon as I saw their message, I knew I wanted to come here."
Yeagley and his staff knew they wanted him to come. Their due diligence included reaching out to Fairleigh Dickinson coach Seth Roland.
"We asked the questions to Seth, who I have a lot of respect for," Yeagley says. "Seth said Hugo was one of the best, if not the best, defenders at center back he's ever had. He said he's one of the better kids he's ever had. He had good leadership."
Yeagley recruits not just for soccer skill, but for toughness and vision and chemistry. He wants not just good soccer players, but good program fits.
Bacharach checked all the boxes.
"I knew Hugo would be able to adjust and find a role knowing that he's coming into a good program," Yeagley says. "That's why he wanted to come here. He graduated and wanted another opportunity and wanted to play on a different team in a different part of the country.
"FDU is a very good program, but it's more regionalized. We have a bigger footprint."
That footprint will be tested by a Virginia team coming off a 2-1 overtime victory over FIU. Team captain Leo Afonso scored both goals. He has five goals and 12 points for the season.
Stephen Annor Gyamfi leads the team with 10 goals and 20 points. Mouhameth Thiam has five goals and 14 points.
The Cavaliers are unbeaten in their last 10 games, out-scoring opponents 18-6. They are undefeated in their last 11 home games at Klockner Stadium. Their last loss came 3-1 at Notre Dame in late September.
Virginia's seven national titles are just behind IU's eight. One of them came at the expense of Yeagley, whose playing career ended with a 1-0 1994 national championship game loss to the Cavaliers.
"They're a blueblood," Yeagley says. "I've never played there. I've never coached there.
"Playing them was my last game as a player. It didn't go as well as I'd have liked. I'll have a little extra for this one. I'll try to fuel our team a little bit."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON – Challenge Hugo Bacharach at your own risk.
Whether it's soccer, where his dominating midfield play has helped surging Indiana (14-4-4) to a Sunday Sweet 16 soccer showdown at No. 7 national seed Virginia (11-3-4), or, say, ping-pong, which this 6-4, 210-pound force of athletic nature insists he's the Hoosiers' best, he's here to rock your world.
Wake Forest knows all about that.
Bacharach scored two goals against a Demon Deacon defense that had previously allowed just 14 all season, including an acrobatic, are-you-kidding-me overtime game winner in last Sunday's NCAA tourney second-round match.
That earned IU College Soccer News Team of the Week honors with Bacharach's photo prominently displayed with this caption:
"Hugo the hero."
Bacharach's clutch play the last few weeks has coach Todd Yeagley perhaps rethinking the team's Mr. November nickname previously reserved for senior forward and postseason standout Maouloune Goumballe.
"I still think Maouloune is Mr. November," Yeagley says, "but Hugo is chasing him with two goals.
"We have a couple of Mr. Novembers. If we keep this going, we're going to need a Mr. December."
Bacharach is IU's tallest and heaviest player. He has the skills to dribble through or pass around people, and the strength to power by them.
Early season fatigue issues are gone. Bacharach played all 110 minutes against Wake Forest, and the Hoosiers needed every one of them.
"You could sense his resilience," Yeagley says.
Bacharach arrived at IU via Fairleigh Dickinson via Benicassim, Spain, via USL Championship known for his defense (he was the Northeast Conference defensive player of the year last season and the USL League Two defender of the year last summer), but don't limit him.
Yeagley isn't.
When the previously struggling Hoosiers needed a midseason spark, into midfield came Bacharach from his defender position.
The result – IU has won 11 of its last 12 matches, including Big Ten regular season and conference tournament titles.
"Ever since we inserted him in the midfield," Yeagley says, "he's changed the dynamic of our team."
Bacharach has four goals and 12 points. Only Sam Sarver (eight and 22) and Goumballe (five, 13) have more for the Hoosiers.
"He's so good going forward," Yeagley says. "He has really good ideas. He has soft feet. He's a good passer. This freed him up to do that."
Bacharach says he'd never played midfield before. Even now, he has the same defensive responsibilities, but with the green light to attack.
"I like the freedom and I'm always willing to help the team," he says.
Bacharach came to IU to win at the highest level (he'd been to just one NCAA tourney in three Fairleigh Dickinson seasons), to improve his game and to set himself up for a pro career.
"I knew to reach my top, I had to go to a big school."
When Bacharach entered the transfer portal, Hoosier coaches reached out. For him, it was a no-brainer. He considered IU to be the Real Madrid of college soccer. Real Madrid is Spain's top professional soccer club.
"I knew about all their success," Bacharach says. "As soon as I saw their message, I knew I wanted to come here."
Yeagley and his staff knew they wanted him to come. Their due diligence included reaching out to Fairleigh Dickinson coach Seth Roland.
"We asked the questions to Seth, who I have a lot of respect for," Yeagley says. "Seth said Hugo was one of the best, if not the best, defenders at center back he's ever had. He said he's one of the better kids he's ever had. He had good leadership."
Yeagley recruits not just for soccer skill, but for toughness and vision and chemistry. He wants not just good soccer players, but good program fits.
Bacharach checked all the boxes.
"I knew Hugo would be able to adjust and find a role knowing that he's coming into a good program," Yeagley says. "That's why he wanted to come here. He graduated and wanted another opportunity and wanted to play on a different team in a different part of the country.
"FDU is a very good program, but it's more regionalized. We have a bigger footprint."
That footprint will be tested by a Virginia team coming off a 2-1 overtime victory over FIU. Team captain Leo Afonso scored both goals. He has five goals and 12 points for the season.
Stephen Annor Gyamfi leads the team with 10 goals and 20 points. Mouhameth Thiam has five goals and 14 points.
The Cavaliers are unbeaten in their last 10 games, out-scoring opponents 18-6. They are undefeated in their last 11 home games at Klockner Stadium. Their last loss came 3-1 at Notre Dame in late September.
Virginia's seven national titles are just behind IU's eight. One of them came at the expense of Yeagley, whose playing career ended with a 1-0 1994 national championship game loss to the Cavaliers.
"They're a blueblood," Yeagley says. "I've never played there. I've never coached there.
"Playing them was my last game as a player. It didn't go as well as I'd have liked. I'll have a little extra for this one. I'll try to fuel our team a little bit."
Players Mentioned
Midfielder/Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
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