No. 4 Indiana spent much of Friday night’s second half protecting a one-goal lead at No. 22 UCLA. Michal Mroz kept the Bruins from tying it, and Oliver Moller-Jensen made sure the Hoosiers left with a win.
Moller-Jensen finished with two goals and an assist in Indiana’s 3-1 victory, scoring from just inside midfield in the 72nd minute to give IU some room after a long stretch of UCLA pressure.
The Hoosiers had built a 2-0 lead in the first half, but UCLA pulled one back before the break and continued to create chances in the second. Mroz’s one-on-one save against Oliver Roche in the 63rd minute kept Indiana in front before Moller-Jensen extended the lead.
Indiana got on the board in the 17th minute through Charlie Heuer. Moller-Jensen worked down the right side and delivered a pass into the box, where Heuer arrived to finish left-footed into the bottom left corner. The Hoosier fans who made the trip were easy to hear as Indiana took the early lead.
Moller-Jensen created Indiana’s second goal, too. Nolan Kinsella’s shot from outside the box forced a save from UCLA goalkeeper Tristan Shaw, and Moller-Jensen went after the rebound with a defender on his hip. He was taken down inside the box, earning a penalty that stood after video review.
Moller-Jensen hesitated on his approach, then put the penalty in the bottom-right corner as Shaw dove the other way.
UCLA answered in the 34th minute. Philip Naef found Adrian Aguilar at the top of the box, and Aguilar took a touch, turned and fired past Mroz to cut Indiana’s lead to 2-1.
The Bruins were the better side over the final stretch of the half. Naef caused problems moving through IU’s defense, and Indiana struggled to keep the ball long enough to get out of its own end. Mroz saved Ander Marticorena’s shot in the 41st minute, helping the Hoosiers reach halftime with the lead.
That pressure continued after the break. UCLA turned a pair of stolen balls into attacking opportunities early in the half, and Indiana needed blocked shots and stops from Mroz to stay ahead.
The biggest came when Roche got through for a one-on-one chance at 62:33. Mroz denied him, keeping it 2-1. He finished with three saves, along with several punch-outs that helped Indiana deal with balls into the box.
Moller-Jensen returned in the 67th minute and needed less than five minutes to score again.
Following a quick restart after two UCLA substitutions, he turned upfield and ran away from the Bruins’ defense. With Shaw well off his line, Moller-Jensen shot from just inside midfield and sent the ball over him for his second goal of the night.
UCLA still had opportunities late but couldn’t find the final touch. Josh Maher helped stop a dangerous cross in the 81st minute, and Mroz continued to come off his line to clear service.
It wasn’t a comfortable second half for Indiana, but Mroz gave the Hoosiers time to find another goal. Moller-Jensen delivered it, finishing a night in which he was involved in all three IU scores.
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