Game Recap and Takeaways:
The 13th ranked Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Soccer Program traveled to Evanston, Illinois to take on the Northwestern Wildcats last Friday evening. It was not a fruitful trip, as the Hoosiers fell by a score of 2-0. It was quite a disappointing and shocking result for the Hoosiers as Northwestern is currently second to last in the Big Ten standings with an overall record of 7-5-3 and a conference record of 2-4-2.
The Hoosiers needed this game, too, to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament, and now – shockingly – are at risk of missing the tournament. Per iuhoosiers.com, the clinching scenario for the Hoosiers is as follows:
“As Maryland, Washington and Michigan have all clinched places in the four-team Big Ten Tournament, Indiana turns its focus to a crucial regular season finale next Friday (Nov. 7) night, hosting Rutgers on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. With a victory and a UCLA draw or loss at Washington, Indiana can clinch that final conference tournament berth.“
For a team that was once ranked as the #1 team in the entire country, it has been a disappointing performance in conference play for the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers now have a conference record of 4-5-0 and are not in control of their own destiny. Not many would have expected this at the beginning (or even the middle) of the regular season, as the Hoosiers showed every sign in the world that they were national championship contenders.
Now, however, the roller coaster has taken a dip. The Hoosiers will need to fight their way out of it in order to meet the expectations that were in place earlier this season. Fortunately, the Hoosiers have the talent and coaching staff to do just that. Onto Rutgers, who come to Bill Armstrong Stadium on Friday, November 7th at 8:00 PM ET on Big Ten+.
Other IU Soccer Reads:
–IU Men’s Soccer Season Preview