All chances, no finish: Indiana settles for scoreless draw with Northwestern

Indiana had the chances. They had the corners. They even had a shot that needed a review to determine whether it crossed the goal line.

What they didn’t have was a goal.

The Hoosiers finished with a 13-11 advantage in shots and 14 corners to Northwestern’s five but couldn’t find the finish in a 0-0 draw Friday night. Indiana put four shots on goal, all in the second half, with Wildcats goalkeeper Dominic Pereira stopping each one.

The biggest question came early in the second half. Oliver Moller-Jensen connected on a volley off a corner, forcing Pereira to reach back toward his goal and push the ball away. Officials reviewed whether it crossed the line, but the no-goal decision stood.

That was just about how the night went for Indiana. The Hoosiers got into dangerous spots, created opportunities and kept putting pressure on Northwestern, but the final touch never came.

Easton Bogard helped get the attack going in the first half, playing a ball over the top to Charlie Heuer for Indiana’s first shot in the 18th minute. Heuer reached it near the end line, but his attempt was blocked.

Indiana put together another promising stretch around the 30 minute mark. Nolan Kinsella sent a dangerous through ball into space without anyone there to finish it. Moller-Jensen then helped create a look for Collins Oduro, whose shot was blocked.

Westin Carnevale followed with one of Indiana’s better hustle plays, stealing possession from behind and feeding Bogard, who found Moller-Jensen. But Moller-Jensen couldn’t connect cleanly on the volley, sending it high. His spinning volley later in the half had plenty behind it, but that went over the goal as well.

Northwestern had its own warning shot. Peter Riesz wasn’t shy about shooting from distance, catching the crossbar with a deep attempt in the 24th minute. He continued trying his luck from well outside the box throughout the night.

Indiana entered halftime with six shots to Northwestern’s five, but neither team had put one on frame.

That changed after the break. Beyond Moller-Jensen’s reviewed attempt, Alex Matthews tested Pereira from distance in the 55th minute. Nick McHenry followed with a free kick in the 62nd that forced another save near the bottom-left corner.

Stephane Njike also gave Northwestern problems with his runs. A potential penalty involving Njike went to review in the 78th minute, but Indiana didn’t receive a spot kick.

The Hoosiers still had another big chance waiting. Kinsella met a corner with a powerful header in the 85th minute, but it hit the crossbar, keeping Indiana off the board.

At the other end, Michal Mroz handled balls in the air and made his only save on Ethan Nakolo’s shot in the 84th minute. Indiana limited Northwestern to one shot on goal across the full 90 minutes.

The defensive effort gave the Hoosiers every chance to win. But between Pereira’s saves, the crossbar and opportunities sent high or blocked, Indiana never found the goal it needed.