Indiana Soccer Falls 2-1 To No. 22 Michigan State For First Time Since 2014

Indiana lost to No. 22 Michigan State Friday 2-1, dropping to 0-1-1 in the Big Ten standings. Both teams had 13 shots and tallied first-half goals, but the Spartans drew a penalty in the last 15 minutes that didn't leave Indiana much time to equalize again.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana soccer resumed conference play Friday night at No. 22 Michigan State, though it fell 2-1 to the Spartans for the first time since the 2014. That streak spanned eight wins — two via penalty-kicks — and one draw last season. 

With 13 minutes remaining in Friday night’s match, Indiana freshman Justin Shreffler, making his third career appearance, tripped Michigan State sophomore Jonathan Stout in the box. The penalty call stood after review, and the Spartans drilled the match-deciding goal.

Both sides totaled 13 shots, though the Hoosiers held the 6-4 advantage in shots on target. Regardless, Michigan State’s keeper Zac Kelly made five saves. The first was in the 11th minute, when Indiana’s Luka Bezerra played an excellent through-ball to Sam Sarver in the box. Kelly moved up and cut off Sarver’s angle, with the help of his center back.

The Spartans took an early 1-0 in the 15th minute. Indiana goalie JT Harms initially punched away Michigan State’s corner kick, but the ball pinballed to multiple players. When the play reset outside the 18, freshman Richie Ludwig received the ball, cut into the box, and diagonally struck his first-career goal past Harms.

In the 20th minute, Indiana’s Patrick McDonald floated another superb through-ball to Sarver on the counterattack, who once again got behind Michigan State’s backline. This time, Sarver had more room in the box. Sarver’s powerful half-volley ricocheted off Kelly’s hands and into the net for the equalizer. It was Sarver’s second goal in as many matches, and he has three total so far this season. 

Indiana’s Tommy Mihalic led the Hoosiers with five shots, and three were on target, but he failed to connect in 62 minutes of action. After two goals and assists in the three-scrimmage preseason, Mihalic has yet to do either through five starts and two appearances this season.

Two Hoosiers, redshirt freshman midfielder Breckin Minzey and redshirt senior defender Andrew Goldsworthy, made their season debuts Friday. It marked Goldsworthy’s first appearance since 2021, missing last season due to injury. 

Goldsworthy subbed in for starting defender Joey Maher, who received a yellow card earlier. Freshman Joel Demian made his first-career start instead of veteran Brett Bebej, who exited last match with an apparent injury.

The Hoosiers committed a season-high 15 fouls against the Spartans, and maintained their seven-match streak of double-digit shots. However, Indiana also conceded multiple goals for the first time this season. Missing Bebej arguably hindered the backline’s normal effectiveness. Indiana was ranked fourth nationally in goals against average prior to Friday, but that will soon likely drop.

With the first conference loss, the Hoosiers declined to 3-3-2 overall and 0-1-1 in the Big Ten standings. Indiana next plays Michigan at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday at Bill Armstrong Stadium, and the match will be air on Big Ten Network. Last year, Indiana and Michigan tied 2-2 in Ann Arbor. 

Related stories on Indiana Soccer:

• INDIANA BLANKS BUTLER 1-0 WITH SARVER'S GOAL: The Hoosiers hadn't scored in the past two weeks. But Indiana broke through with another goal via the Sam Sarver and Collins Oduro duo. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA ALTERS ATTACK, DRAWS TO WISCO: Indiana hosted Wisconsin in their Big Ten opener and tied 0-0. Yeagley changed the positions of starting players in the attack, hoping to find the best combination to score goals. CLICK HERE
• JT HARMS FEATURE: JT Harms dove into goalkeeping at 9 years old. He trained with far older players at academies, but his progress stalled at Duke. At Indiana, a position battle brought humility — and confidence. CLICK HERE