Hoosiers Now

Indiana Soccer Advances In NCAA Tournament With Golden Goal

Jansen Miller’s header lifts Indiana past Akron 2-1 at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Hoosiers next play at Denver on Saturday.

Todd Golden

Jansen Miller (5) celebrates with Tommy Mihalic (10) and Josh Maher (4) after his golden goal sent Indiana to a 2-1 victory over Akron at Bill Armstrong Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. Indiana advanced to the NCAA men's soccer Sweet 16.
Jansen Miller (5) celebrates with Tommy Mihalic (10) and Josh Maher (4) after his golden goal sent Indiana to a 2-1 victory over Akron at Bill Armstrong Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. Indiana advanced to the NCAA men's soccer Sweet 16. / Indiana athletics
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s men’s soccer team has started slow and finished strong all season. Why should its NCAA Tournament opener against Akron be any different?

The Hoosiers spotted the Zips an early lead, tied the match in the second half, and then a Jansen Miller header in the final minute of the first overtime period lifted Indiana to a 2-1 victory over Akron with a game-ending golden goal.

The No. 14-seeded Hoosiers moved on to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers will play at No. 3-seeded Denver at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. Denver advanced with a 3-0 victory over Gardner-Webb.

Indiana (11-4-5) out-shot Akron 14-6, including a 4-3 edge in shots on goal. The Zips doubled up the Hoosiers in corners with an 8-4 edge.

Indiana soccer celebration.
Jansen Miller is surrounded by jubilant teammates after his golden goal sent Indiana's men's soccer team to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on Sunday. / Indiana athletics

Miller scored on his only shot of the game. Collins Oduro sent a curling cross into the 18-yard box from the left side of the box. Miller, who was marked, managed to get higher than the Akron defender. He headed across the face of the goal and into the bottom left corner.

Akron (12-5-4) struck first in the 31st minute from one of its eight corners. Victor Gaulmin’s in-swinging corner kick found the head of Dylan Clapier who stuck it into the top of the goal to stake the Zips to a 1-0 lead.

Up until that point in the match, Indiana had only taken one shot. Akron would keep Indiana from taking a shot for the rest of the first half.

Indiana presented more of an offensive threat in the second half. Shots by Sam Sarver, Tommy Mihalic, Josh Maher (a header off the crossbar in the 62nd minute), Jack Wagoner and Justin Weiss put the Zips under pressure. Akron’s only chance to double its lead came from a Gaulmin low shot.

Indiana equalized in the 70th minute. After an Akron goal kick, Patrick McDonald sent a long ball down the middle of the field over the top of Akron’s back line. Weiss, coming up the right side, beat the Akron defenders to the ball. Weiss got to the long ball and chipped Akron keeper Brett Kaminski, who had come off of his line to clear the ball.

Two shots by Sarver in regulation after the Weiss goal were off the mark and another by Alex Barger in the 87th minute was blocked.

Oduro, Weiss and Mihalic had shots in overtime and Akron’s Malik Henry had a shot blocked before Miller headed home the winner.

If Indiana defeats Denver next Saturday, the Hoosiers would play the winner of Virginia-Massachusetts for the right to go to the College Cup in Cary, N.C.

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Todd Golden
TODD GOLDEN

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