Indiana Soccer Pulls out a tie Against the Cardinals

Indiana men’s soccer (3-0-1) was fortunate to steal a 1-1 tie when they went on the road to face Louisville (3-0-1). They only had two shots on goal and probably had around 30 percent of the possession in the game.

Louisville started the game off quickly, getting a strong setup deep in Indiana’s third of the field, but it all fizzled out as Indiana’s backline stood tall. Indiana’s backline has been consistently dominant throughout this season so far.

The first controversy of the game arose in the 12′ when Noah Kinsella got a yellow card for a trip, which set up a Louisville free kick. Louisville wasn’t able to do anything with with this opportunity, thanks to Indiana’s backline once again.

In the 23′, Louisville got the first corner kick of the game, and both teams made double substitutions. Louisville wasn’t able to do anything with it, but continued to apply pressure on Indiana. Indiana was just surviving, but not finding any attack of their own.

In the 30′, Louisville had back-to-back shots, but they didn’t result in any goals. Indiana continued to struggle with possession, but they wouldn’t surrender a goal.

Most of the half would continue to be zeroed, but in the 45′ minute, Collins Oduro got a shot for the Hoosiers, as the offense saw some life. The attack fizzled as the half ended, tied up at nil-nil.

Half two would see more action, almost immediately. Louisville dominated the first ten minutes, recording 4 shots, one of which was on goal and saved by Michael Mroz. Louisville then finally broke through with Andrés Escudero Martín’s goal in the 55′ minute.

The Hoosiers wouldn’t stand still after this, though. After trailing for the first time in the season, Easton Bogard puts a ball in the back of the net for the Hoosiers’ only goal of the game, putting it at a 1-1 tie in the 66′ minute.

The game mostly fizzled out from here on, as nobody would generate any legitimate attacks. Louisville continued to have more looks and more possessions, but couldn’t generate any shots on net with it. Indiana would continue to struggle getting anything going in the Louisville third. In the end, the game ended on a 1-1 tie.

Takeaways

Indiana soccer was fortunate to walk away from this game with a tie. Louisville is an ACC opponent, and with Indiana on the road for the first time, it was bound to be a difficult match, but Indiana didn’t play to their best capabilities.

In the Butler game, the issue was that Indiana wasn’t turning shots into goals. In this game, the problem was that Indiana couldn’t possess the ball to create any attacking third opportunities. It felt like Indiana was on their back foot the entire game.

Indiana’s defense kept this game in hand, and they deserve their flowers. The backline of Alex Barger, Josh Maher, Nick Mchenry and Nolan Kinsella has been dominant. Defense wins championships, and Indiana soccer certainly has a good defense.

The issue in this game was their lack of shots and shots on goal. Louisville is a solid squad, but going from 33 shots to six is a steep drop. For Indiana to live up to their potential, they need to increase these numbers more consistently.

Indiana soccer is at it again this Friday against Cal Poly. The Hoosiers return home with still an unbeaten but not flawless record.