Game Recap and Takeaways:
The 12th ranked Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Soccer team fell to the Washington Huskies late Friday night by a score of 3-0 in their 11th game of the season. The Hoosiers faced a dominating performance from the Huskies as they were outshot 26 to 14 in total and 13 to 3 by shots on target. The Hoosiers had their same contributors as previous games, but something was off.
It’s not often you see a Coach Yeagley Hoosiers team perform like this. The Huskies are having a great year – they currently sit at the top of the Big Ten Standings with a record of 7-3-2 overall and a Big Ten record of 4-1-0 – but it still feels like something went very wrong for the Hoosiers in this game.
The Hoosiers are having a non-traditional season thus far, considering Indiana’s history over the past several years. Usually, Indiana starts off slow with less than stellar performances and a few question marks. Then, come mid-season something shifts and the Hoosiers are back into being one of the best teams in the country. Inevitably, this usually leads to a Big Ten Championship, College Cup appearances, and stars on the crest of the kit.
This year, it feels as if everything has taken a complete 180. The Hoosiers got off to a blazing hot start – their best start since 1997 – but since then have had 2 wins (@ Penn State and vs. UCLA) and 3 losses (vs. Michigan, @ Michigan State, and @ Washington) as Big Ten play is in full force.
The Hoosiers came into this season with National Championship potential and, honestly, proved those predictions right with their hot start against truly elite teams across the country. However, their recent run of form brings questions for the first time this season. I believe those questions will be answered successfully though, as the Hoosiers simply have too much talent and, of course, have the best coach in the country in Todd Yeagley.
The Hoosiers face their next test on Friday, October 10 at 7:30 PM ET against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
Hoosiers Player of the Match:
It’s tough to pick a player of the match in a 3-0 loss, and maybe even more controversial to pick the losing goalkeeper, but that’s exactly what I’m doing. Holden Brown conceded 3 goals, but he also had TEN saves on the day. I repeat, ten saves. And, all 3 goals were not on Brown. In many instances, there wasn’t much he could do – no keeper in the country is saving those goals. If it wasn’t for Brown, this game could have been much worse.
Other IU Soccer Reads:
–IU Men’s Soccer Season Preview