No. 10 Indiana Soccer Falls 1-0 To No. 22 Washington, Largest Crowd Since 2018

Consensus top-25 teams Indiana and Washington met Friday night for the first time since Washington's postseason victory in 2021. The Hoosiers put up five shots on target in the second half, though they conceded the lone goal of the match in the 77th minute. The soon-to-be Big Ten Huskies have now won the past two meetings in the all-time series.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Mere minutes into the second half, Indiana's Tommy Mihalic unleashed his right-footed laser from about 22 yards out. The trajectory looked accurate. Maybe, it'd even hit the underside of the crossbar and plunge back down past the goal line.

Washington goalkeeper Sam Fowler, however, leaped and directed the ball to the top side of the bar, promptly withdrawing it back to the box. Indiana fans who piled into Bill Armstrong Stadium Friday to witness the top-25 matchup "awed" in disappointment. Thirty minutes later, No. 22 Washington scored the lone goal of the night to beat No. 10 Indiana 1-0.

"They were disappointed," Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said about his team's mindset after their first loss of the year. "There was a few guys that had some chances for us that were pretty irate. … "They knew they did enough to get the result. So, to not come away with a tie, I think we would've been like, 'Oh, still would've wanted one more.' So, the loss is tough."

A buzz surrounded the top-25 matchup, which drew an announced attendance of 3,408 fans, who packed into Bill Armstrong Stadium. Fireworks burst when Indiana took the field. Friday night was Indiana’s most attended regular-season match since Sept. 2, 2018, against Uconn (3,851).

Mihalic's opportunity was one of Indiana's six shots on goal Friday. That doesn't count the first-half rocketed shots by Collins Oduro and Karsen Henderlong four minutes apart, which slightly steered over the crossbar. And, when Indiana's shots were on target, Fowler saved each one. Washington's fifth-year senior goalie played outstandingly.

Indiana goalie JT Harms made three saves in the opening half, compared to Fowler's one. That's not to suggest Indiana didn't have quality chances either, though Oduro's and Henderlong's shots technically weren't on target. The Huskies, Indiana's first ranked opponent so far this season, had excellent field awareness amongst themselves in the first 45 minutes. Passes in build-up play were crisp and accurate.

To begin the second half, Washington opted for frequent deep passes to its outnumbered forwards, which were often snuffed out by Indiana's back line. Washington's absence of build-up play allowed Indiana to mostly control possession and put up more shots. The Hoosiers outshot the Huskies 10-4 in the second half, and Fowler needed to make five saves.

In the 60th minute, Fowler saved Mihalic's point-blank scissor-kick in the six-yard box. Mihalic didn't strike the ball that smoothly, but given the distance, it was an exceptional block. The junior put up four shots Friday, whilst Oduro had a match-high six. Oduro split Washington's backline in the 71st minute, and his high-powered shot was, again, saved.

Six minutes later, Washington caught Indiana freshman left-back Alex Barger playing perhaps too far above his line. The Huskies used two passes, the first of which got beyond Barger, and the second set up an unattended freshman Charlie Kosakoff in the box alone with Harms. Kosakoff slotted his first collegiate goal to the bottom right corner, breaking the scoreless tie.

"I thought it was more of a good play by them and not like, 'Wow, what happened?'" Yeagley said. "I didn't think there was a crazy breakdown, but I'll have to look at that. I didn't have a great angle because of the bench. I thought again, Barger has been playing really well for a freshman. … "Against a good team, you know, you're going to give up a couple of chances."

Washington has won the past two matches in the all-time series with Indiana. Before Friday, the two foes had most recently played in the 2021 NCAA Tournament Round of 16, which was an overtime 3-2 win for the Huskies. Friday marked only the second regular-season contest between Indiana and Washington among six all-time matches. Soon, these will be more common.

Washington will join the Big Ten Conference next year, and above all, Friday’s clash can be considered one substantial win for Big Ten soccer. Friday showcased two annual national title contenders, as Washington has made the Elite 8 or further three times in the past four seasons. Indiana has reached the College Cup in four of the past six seasons.

Regardless of the low-scoring night, it seemed both teams were poised to counterattack successfully on any occasion, such as the Huskies' 77th-minute go-ahead goal. Indiana couldn't convert, however, on multiple prior second-half chances on target. Washington’s move can be expected to bolster the talent of Big Ten soccer — and continue to deliver tense and enjoyable soccer for fans.

The Hoosiers declined to 1-1-1 after their first loss of the season. At the same time, the Huskies bounced back from their 2-0 shutout loss at home to San Diego on Aug. 27. Indiana will next play again at home versus Seton Hall at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, which concludes the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. The match will air on Big Ten Plus. 

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