Indiana Soccer Blanks Seton Hall 1-0, Extends 150-Game Streak Without Back-To-Back Losses

Indiana followed up Friday's shutout loss to No. 22 Washington by beating Seton Hall Monday night, 1-0. As the Hoosiers outshot the Pirates 14-4, Sam Sarver's goal seemed more than just relief.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Prior to Monday’s Labor Day match with Seton Hall, No. 10 Indiana had survived 149 consecutive regular season matches without back-to-back losses. That streak spans 3,594 days and nearly 10 years ago, dating back to the 2013 season. It extended to a benchmark 150 matches with Indiana's 1-0 win Monday night.

To draw Monday would technically continue that streak, but that was the easy avenue. Surely, none of Indiana’s players would want to settle for the tie to one of last year’s NCAA Tournament teams. The Hoosiers were shutout 1-0 to No. 22 Washington on Friday at home, their first loss of the season, despite outshooting the Huskies 14-7 and forcing seven saves.

Indiana outshot the Pirates 5-1 by halftime Monday, though their chances seemed to double that. Three minutes in, 6-foot-4 Hugo Bacharach’s header had the right angle, but was booted out. Around the 17th minute, Collins Oduro’s volley went over the crossbar. In the 22nd, a tackle in the box to Brett Bebej went uncalled for advantage, and Oduro’s strike was saved.

Following halftime, in the 50th minute, Tommy Mihalic’s shot deflected off one of Seton Hall’s defenders and hit into the crossbar. Eight minutes later, Indiana’s abrupt three-on-three counterattack resulted in Seton Hall’s 6-foot-4 goalkeeper, Mats Roorda, saving Mihalic’s shot. 

Roorda had five saves, but was unable to block Sam Sarver’s first goal of the season in the 62nd minute, which held to give the Hoosiers their second win of the year, 1-0, Monday.

"We knew one was coming," Sarver said postmatch. "We have a very good attack. So, I think it's gonna be very hard for a team to completely shut us out … I was very confident in our backline, that we wouldn't give up a goal. So, just being patient, waiting for the right opportunities … As soon as the ball came to Maouloune [Goumaballe], I knew he saw me."

The goal came naturally, as Sarver said the two practiced it every day.

Goumballe, standing on the edge of the attacking third, quickly dished the ball to the swooping Sarver. The speedy junior charged toward the goal and tucked it inside the near post past Roorda. Sarver then stunningly balanced on the plastic sideboards which contain Indiana’s fan section, the Hoosier Army.

Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley joked he was glad he didn’t see the move, perhaps reckless, but he loves Sarver's passion. Yeagley recalled the time Sarver visited Indiana and asked where players celebrate the goals, to which he replied fans surround the entire far side of the field.

“I don’t know, I’m just a man of the people,” Sarver said of the celebration. “I obviously love when they come out. That helps us get going, makes it a good atmosphere to play in. Teams certainly don't want to play in front of rowdy fans, so it's just me showing my appreciation … They were phenomenal against Washington. I hate letting fans down when we lose.”

Sarver’s goal resulted from Indiana’s 10th shot of the match Monday. The Hoosiers outshot the Pirates 14-4 overall and 6-2 in shots on target. Yeagley revealed that through four matches, the attack does have to improve on maintaining shots on frame. The head coach, however, was also quick to agree with the idea that Sarver’s goal supplied sighs of relief.

“We had plenty of chances again tonight,” Yeagley said. “Not as many as well, actually not even as good of quality chances against Washington … Although we were confident, it is in the back your mind like ‘is this the way this is gonna finish?’ So yeah, it was a bit of a relief.”

Indiana had seven corner kicks to Seton Hall’s four, yet the Hoosiers have not scored any goals via corner in 24 tries through four matches this season. Yeagley knows the services have to be more accurate and his players are capable. Yeagley said Mihalic has been inconsistent, and freshman Alex Barger is new, though veteran Quinten Helmer provided good services in the limited minutes he played. 

Regardless of it needing improvement, Indiana will gladly accept this victory.

“The mood was that we had to get after them,” Goumaballe said of the mentality in the locker room at halftime, which was scoreless. “We knew this couldn't be another game that we let slip away from us. We were lucky to get the goal even though we should have gotten more.”

The Hoosiers improved to 2-1-1 on the season by ending their three-match home stand with one more shutout victory. Indiana will be back on the road against South Florida in Tampa this Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Currently, there is no television designation for Friday’s match.

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