Bacharach And Oduro Earn TDS Honors, Hoosiers Begin Season At Notre Dame Thursday

Following three scrimmage wins, Indiana men's soccer's quest for the 2023 national title starts now. The Hoosiers will play Notre Dame on Thursday in the season opener, returning talent such as JT Harms, while adding new faces in Hugo Bacharach and Collins Oduro. Kick-off was originally planned for 8 p.m., but was moved back 30 minutes.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana will begin the 2023 season Thursday night at Notre Dame, the same as it did in 2021. It was Ben Yeagley, son of head coach Todd Yeagley, who buried Indiana's 3-2 golden goal in an overtime victory two seasons ago. 

Ben has since left Bloomington, along with former Hoosier goalkeeper Roman Celentano and striker Victor Bezerra. However, freshman starters from that 2021 opener, such as Patrick McDonald, Sam Sarver and Tommy Mihalic, are all back. 

Indiana has continued to reload its talent for years, as the program hasn't missed the Sweet 16 since 2014. Last season, the Hoosiers added transfer goalkeeper JT Harms to replace Celentano, who played great down the stretch in the run to the national title. 

Additionally, Indiana brought in midfielder Jack Wagoner, who made the 2022 All-Big Ten Freshman Team and replaced Joe Schmidt's absence. After starring as two of Indiana's breakout newcomers last season, both are back in Bloomington for 2023. 

Indiana might have lost four starters to the MLS from last year's squad, but when you reach the College Cup four times in the past six seasons, you're always ready to reload. New additions are yet to prove themselves in the regular season, but 6-foot-4 Fairleigh Dickinson transfer and senior defender Hugo Bacharach, as well as freshman forward Collins Oduro, received preseason honors Wednesday by Top Drawer Soccer. 

"With our restarts, Hugo really gives us a different element with his size," Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said Tuesday, leading up to the Notre Dame match. "I'm really excited to see what he can help us with both on the defensive end (and) the attacking end. We were very good last year on restarts, in particular the second phase we were very dangerous. We could be more dangerous in the first phase with his presence." 

Bacharach, the USL League Two Defender of the Year this summer, landed on the TDS Preseason Second-Team Best XI, and was ranked No. 22 in the Preseason Top 100. Oduro is originally from Ghana, won the 2022 Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year and was named to Preseason Freshman Best XI. Other freshmen, such as Joel Demian and Alex Barger have confidently filled gaps on the back line in scrimmages.

"The guys immediately gravitated towards (Oduro)," Yeagley said. "His life experiences have been different, I think it's been good for our guys to see that. He's grateful for everything. He comes from a background where he worked really hard to get into opportunities and these doors have opened for him. Who would've thought that a young man from a small town in Ghana could make his way through the Right To Dream program to make it to a top institution on his to way to a degree? He will be a pro at one point, no doubt about it. I'm excited to be a part of that journey with him." 

Oduro can dart all over the field as one of two forwards. The freshman is part of the team's speedy four-headed attack that Yeagley thinks will give opposing teams headaches. Yeagley expects them to achieve the same balance that Ryan Wittenbrink and Herbert Endeley did – two of the team's top three goal-scorers last season. Wittenbrink has since retired from soccer, while Endeley is in the MLS FC Dallas organization. Wittenbrink's absence mainly leaves gaps in goal-scoring, and the Hoosiers will need to find their replacement taker of free and corner kicks this season.  

Yeagley said he is still figuring that part out. 

As temperatures have spiked in days leading up to the opener, the Hoosiers have trained in the morning to dodge the heat. Additionally, they have depth, if necessary, on every line for substitutions Thursday: defenders Jansen Miller, Demian and Barger, freshmen midfielders Logan Oliver and Justin Schreffler and forwards Luka Bezerra and Karsen Henderlong. Thursday's opener was initially set to start at 8 p.m., but was pushed back 30 minutes. The change resulted from the delay of the Notre Dame women's match, which was supposed to start at 5 p.m. It will now start 30 minutes later due to forecasted 96-degree weather at the initial kick-off time in South Bend. 

Notre Dame men's soccer went 8-7-2 overall last season, and 3-4-1 in the ACC, which fielded eight teams into the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame wasn't one of them, losing 3-1 in the first round of the ACC Tournament to Clemson. Nine starters from that match are listed on this year's roster, including All-ACC Third Team forward Daniel Russo and junior goalkeeper Bryan Dowd, who started all 17 matches in 2022. 

The season opener for both teams will be aired on ACC Network Extra via ESPN.

• INDIANA PICKED 2ND IN PRESEASON BIG TEN POLL: The Big Ten men's soccer preseason poll was released Monday, and No. 2 Indiana was slotted second. In the same release, three players from each team in the conference were chosen for the players-to-watch list. From Indiana: Patrick McDonald, Sam Sarver, and Collins Oduro. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA HOLDS OUT 1-0 VICTORY TO END PRESEASON: Indiana won all three preseason scrimmages, outscoring opponents 5-1. Tommy Mihalic's goal was the decider Friday night versus Louisville, and Indiana held on with trust in plenty of freshmen substitutions. Next up is the season opener at Notre Dame next Thursday. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA-LOUISVILLE EXHIBITION SERIES HISTORY: Indiana soccer has started the preseason 2-0. The team's final exhibition is Friday night against Louisville at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The two teams last met in the regular season in 2016, an Indiana victory, but have since played only exhibitions. The saga continues. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA DEFEATS BOWLING GREEN: Indiana’s preseason continued Tuesday against Bowling Green. The Hoosiers lost 1-0 to the same foe in last year’s preseason, but they took down the Falcons 3-1 behind Tommy Mihalic’s one-goal and two-assist performance and Collins Oduro scoring his first collegiate goal. Assisting the duo from the central midfield was Patrick McDonald. CLICK HERE
• BTN SOCCER SCHEDULE: The Big Ten Network men's soccer television schedule was announced Monday evening. Indiana will play five matches on BTN, with room for more since three TV slots are for postseason matches and one is open. The Hoosiers' first match on BTN will be a currently top-10 matchup at home against Washington one week into the regular season. CLICK HERE