Hoosiers Now

Three Minutes Of Madness Lead To Draw In Indiana-Notre Dame Men’s Soccer Clash

Hoosiers took the lead in short order, but gave it up in equally rapid fashion.

Todd Golden

Tommy Mihalic, shown here in a file shot, scored the second goal for Indiana in the Hoosiers' 2-2 draw against Notre Dame on Thursday.
Tommy Mihalic, shown here in a file shot, scored the second goal for Indiana in the Hoosiers' 2-2 draw against Notre Dame on Thursday. / Indiana athletics
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Generally, patience is a virtue when watching soccer. Goals may or may not come. When they do? They’re usually spaced out.

That’s how No. 12 Indiana’s men’s soccer match with No. 8 Notre Dame was playing out at Bill Armstrong Stadium on a hot Thursday night as Indiana tried to wipe out a one-goal deficit in the second half.

But in the 68th minute? The match went bonkers in a way soccer rarely does.

Three goals were scored in three minutes. Indiana went from a one-goal deficit to a one-goal lead at the drop of a hat – only to concede the lead in equally short order.

The match would end in a 2-2 draw, after three minutes of madness that saw the two men’s soccer powerhouses draw for the third straight time.

“Night and day from the first one,” said Indiana men’s soccer coach Todd Yeagley, referring to Indiana’s 2-0 loss at Saint Louis on Aug. 23.

“I say we’ll win a lot of games on that performance. That’s very pleasing. Obviously we felt like, in a way, we got stung a bit feeling that the win was there, but a tie will certainly be fine,” Yeagley added.

Indiana (0-1-1) had an 18-6 edge in shots, including 10-4 in shots on goal and a 9-4 edge in corner kicks, but the Fighting Irish (0-0-2) made the most of their chances, including the equalizer from a disputed free kick.

The madness began through an Indiana freshman as the Hoosiers tried to draw even with the Fighting Irish. After a period of sustained Indiana pressure, freshman forward Michael Nesci received a ball from outside the 18-yard box on the right side from Jansen Miller. Nesci turned his body and sent a hard shot low and past Notre Dame goalkeeper Blake Kelly to tie the match.

Just 35 seconds later, Indiana was on the scoresheet again. A mix-up among Notre Dame defenders on a ball played just outside their penalty area saw the loose ball drop to a waiting Tommy Mihalic. With Kelly out of position, Mihalic blasted it by him to put the Hoosiers up 2-1.

“The chance fell to me and I just took advantage of it. When you keep your head like that, things fall your way,” Mihalic said.

Bill Armstrong Stadium was in a state of rapture, but it didn’t last.

Barely a minute later, Notre Dame was awarded a free kick on its right side within range of the penalty area. Notre Dame midfielder KK Baffour took it and perfectly placed his kick right onto the noggin of Kyle Genenbacher, who headed it over Indiana fullback Quinton Elliot and past Indiana goalkeeper J.T. Harms to tie the match 2-2.

It was a free kick that probably shouldn’t have been given due to an apparent inadvertent whistle, but Yeagley wasn’t too irritated about it after the match.

“We still don’t quite know (what caused the free kick). The guys said they heard a whistle on the field. That’s why Pat (McDonald) caught it and then he was called for a handball. It’s part of the game,” Yeagley explained.

The trio of goals were scored 2 minutes, 13 seconds apart. After that, the match lost whatever complexion it had as both teams chased the winner.

Indiana took four shots and Notre Dame three in the final 20 minutes. Mihalic nearly had the winner in the 88th minute when Sam Sarver found him open on a short-range shot in the box, but Notre Dame’s Josh Ramsey made a sliding deflection to maintain the draw.

It was a late night at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The match start was delayed by 30 minutes due to lightning delays in the women’s soccer match that was played before the men’s match.

Indiana had a 6-2 edge in first-half shots, but a great save by Kelly (who had eight overall), and a moment of brilliance from Notre Dame forward Jack Flanagan just before halftime put the Hoosiers behind.

Almost all of Indiana’s best opportunities came via Sarver, who manned the right wing. One came in the 16th minute when Sarver delivered a perfect cross to the left side of the 18-yard box.

Both Mihalic and Collins Oduro were lined up for a free header. Mihalic struck it well from about eight yards and it was headed to the top left corner, but Kelly made a fully-extended, one-handed save to keep the match scoreless.

It wasn’t just crosses and passes that made Sarver so dynamic. With Elliot (and Alex Barger on the other side) going forward from their fullback positions, Sarver often tracked back to defend Notre Dame counter-attacks or track loose balls. His work rate was impressive.

“He feeds off the crowd. He loves the crowd … that gets him going,” Yeagley said. “He had a very good game. He could have had a couple of assists and he caused havoc.”

Notre Dame’s goal came from a seemingly non-threatening ball played by Notre Dame’s Bryce Boneau into Indiana’s half in the 43rd minute.

Flanagan tracked it down and took on Indiana center back Miller one-on-one. Miller left space to prevent Flanagan from moving to the center, but Flanagan unleashed a blistering, right-footed blast from the 18-yard line. Harms had no chance as Notre Dame took a 1-0 lead.

Indiana almost got an immediate response. Clay Murador sent in a low shot from the left side that found its way through the bodies in the penalty area, but it caromed off the right post just before the first half ended.

Indiana next hosts Yale at 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Related stories on Indiana men's soccer

  • HOOSIERS FALL IN OPENER: Indiana men's soccer opens the season with a 2-0 loss at Saint Louis. CLICK HERE.
  • HOOSIERS UNANIMOUS BIG TEN FAVORITES: Indiana is the team to beat in the Big Ten men's soccer race. CLICK HERE.
  • SEASON PREVIEW: A look at how the Hoosiers shake out for the 2024 season. CLICK HERE.
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Todd Golden
TODD GOLDEN

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