Game Recap and Takeaways:
The now #5 ranked Indiana Hoosiers men’s soccer program took their talents to Happy Valley to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions for their 2nd game in Big Ten play. It was the Hoosiers’ first Big Ten game away from Bill Armstrong Stadium, while it was Penn State’s Big Ten home opener. The Hoosiers came off a heartbreaking home loss against the Michigan Wolverines in their last game, so they were no doubt looking to right the ship and get a win against Penn State.
They did just that, beating the Nittany Lions by a score of 4-1. Penn State opened the scoring early on in a first half that was filled with sprints, counter attacks, and back and forth soccer. Imagine a ‘slow build’ tactic in soccer and do the exact opposite of that. The first half had intensely direct play, constant long balls, and frequent ‘odd man rushes’ (to give a nod to my hockey friends). The Hoosiers quickly responded to Penn State’s opening goal and didn’t stop there, as the come back kid Hoosiers did it again.
Friday’s game against Penn State represents the 4th time this season that Indiana has come back from a deficit, and the 3rd time they’ve come all the way back and won the game. This Hoosiers team continues to be immensely difficult to play against, and they proved it again on Friday night.
Penn State tried to dictate play – and in fairness, succeeded in doing so in the first half – but the Hoosiers broke them down. The 2nd half of this game was entirely tipped in favor of the Hoosiers. After tying on shots 6 to 6 in the first half, the Hoosiers outshot the Nittany Lions 18 to 10 in the second half. Truly, a masterclass from Coach Yeagley in making the necessary halftime adjustments to dissect Penn State’s lines.
Josh Maher opened the Hoosiers’ scoring in the first half to tie the game after a beautiful assist from Palmer Ault on a corner kick as the first half ended 1-1. Then, the Palmer Ault show truly arrived. Ault scored a hat trick in the second half alone, bringing his goal total to seven on the season and leading the Hoosiers to a well earned victory.
Hoosiers Player of the Match:
I intentionally didn’t speak much of Ault in the opening section as I wanted to devote extra time here. Palmer Ault is, without a moment of doubt, the Hoosiers Player of the Match. He factored into all four of the Hoosiers goals, tallying an assist on the first goal and then scoring three of his own. He was a man on a mission on Friday and continued his strong season in the Crimson and Cream, proving time and time again that he is one of the best players in the entire country.
Friday’s game also shows Palmer Ault’s grit and determination. If you remember, in the Hoosiers’ most recent game against the Michigan Wolverines, Indiana had a chance to be the come back kids yet again. They rallied and clawed back to a 3-2 deficit and before you know it Palmer Ault is at the penalty spot with a chance to make it 3-3 and tie the game with few seconds left on the clock. Palmer Ault did not convert on the penalty kick.
The Michigan goalkeeper made a phenomenal save, to be fair, but it’s easy for a player to get down on themselves after missing a penalty like that. It’s also easy to imagine a player having a poor next game following that experience. But not for Palmer Ault. Ault took this adversity in stride and rallied behind it, putting together his best game of the season thus far. If that doesn’t show you the type of player Palmer Ault is – the type of killer instinct mamba mentality-like mindset he has, I am not sure what else will. If Ault continues to play like this, the Hoosiers’ ceiling is a National Title.
Other IU Soccer Reads:
–IU Men’s Soccer Season Preview