COLUMN: Indiana Soccer Will Surge Back In The Big Ten And Make The Postseason

Indiana's start to the season might have people questioning if the Hoosiers are too late to get back into Big Ten regular season title race and if they could miss the postseason. With an excellent backline and attack getting closer to some goals, they aren't and they won't.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Tuesday had a familiar narrative for the Indiana men's soccer team.

The Hoosiers have typically created superb chances, encountered an in-form opposing goalkeeper, and either lost by one goal, or settled for the draw. The Hoosiers out-shot Michigan 13-1 in the second 45 minutes Tuesday night, and two of their chances rattled the post and crossbar. But Wolverine goalkeeper Isaiah Goldon’s seven saves stunted Indiana’s attack in the 0-0 draw.

Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said post match that his team smothered the Wolverines after the break and, perhaps, played their best half of soccer up to this point in their mediocre 3-3-3 start. Tuesday was crucial for an Indiana squad that needs to gain ground in the Big Ten standings. The Hoosiers are still winless in conference play, and they rest at the lower part of the table with one point. One might question if Indiana can recover to compete for the league title and make it to the postseason.

In the end, Indiana still will do both.

The Hoosiers have contended for the NCAA Tournament in 36 consecutive seasons. They've also garnered one of the top-16 national seeds in the past nine years. Sure, it's easy to provide that unbelievable statistic and turn to sprint away without recollecting occasions where the program, perhaps, almost missed the postseason. But let's be realistic. At the midway juncture in this year's regular season, and with the 77th-ranked RPI, Indiana is far from renewing that streak to host and won’t. Per the RPI, the Hoosiers also don’t have many remaining opportunities to obtain quality wins.

Road matches at Penn State and Northwestern in October are the lone top-50 RPI contests for Indiana presently. Should the Hoosiers win both, that'll really help out and look great on the resume for the selection committee. Of course, winning each will be challenging away from Bloomington. The Hoosiers haven't won on the road yet this season. But their secret weapon is how good they've been in October historically. Across the last two seasons combined, they're 11-3-4 in that month. Indiana’s defense, by the numbers, is also the best in the Big Ten in goals-against average.

That’s just overshadowed by Indiana’s attack, which has failed to produce goals. Sure, the set pieces haven’t been destructive, but Tuesday night demonstrated that the Hoosiers are one lucky break and bounce away from seeing goals swing their way. Had one of the shots that hit the post and the crossbar been three inches inward, the storylines would be about how this is the beginning of Indiana’s desperately needed revival in conference play. But that doesn’t mean the team has suddenly lost the ability to break out in the attacking third. They’ve lost last season’s vital scorers and facilitators, and need more time to solve their on-field struggles.

Plus, Yeagley is still making changes up top, seemingly looking for the best combination of players.

It would be absurd to make giddy claims that the Hoosiers would turn out okay at the conclusion of the season if their backline and attack were pitiful this season. The backline is one of the nation's best right now, even by including the allowed penalty-kick goal committed by one of the team's rookie midfielders two matches ago. Veteran centerback Jansen Miller played well Tuesday at right-back in his first start in two matches and brings swagger to the team, Yeagley said. Veteran Brett Bebej usually starts in that spot, but has been injured and is listed as match-to-match.

Meanwhile, the attack is mere inches away from goals. Just last year, Indiana performed okay to begin the season, then clawed back for the chance to share the Big Ten regular season title with Maryland in the final match. Indiana’s lineup was stocked with MLS Draft picks, but players from last year’s regular and postseason runs and October victories are still here. One of those veterans is Bebej. The Hoosiers benefit from having the whole week to regroup and prepare for their road match at Kentucky next Tuesday, which allows more time for Bebej’s healthy return.

From there, it’s Penn State, Northwestern and foes in the last three places of the Big Ten standings.

Related stories on Indiana Soccer:  

• INDIANA ATHLETICS INDUCTS SIX NEW MEMBERS: Former Indiana men's soccer player Aleksey Korol was part of the six-member class of 2023 last Friday night to be inducted into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA LOSES TO MICHIGAN STATE: Indiana lost to Michigan State Friday, dropping to 0-1-1 in the Big Ten standings. Both teams had tallied first-half goals, but the Spartans' penalty in the last 15 minutes didn't leave Indiana much time to equalize again. CLICK HERE
• 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