Lipscomb goalie Luke Wilson never stood a chance.
As IU sophomore forward Thomas Warr barreled down the right flank through the penalty box, Wilson took a couple steps back and fell to his knees in a last ditch effort to block the ball.
But he would watch the ball sail right over his head, hitting the back of the net as Warr darted towards the sideline hopping in the air to celebrate his first goal of the spring.
That play summed up IU’s entire day Sunday. The through ball from redshirt junior Jordan Kleyn and the finish from Warr got the offense started for IU as they rolled to a 3-0 win over Lipscomb.
HALFTIME: Indiana 1, Lipscomb 0
Sophomore Thomas Warr burries the lone goal of the first half in the 10th minute, giving the Hoosiers an early lead over the Bison. #iums pic.twitter.com/La0nlcdKZq
— The Hoosier Network (@TheHoosierNet) April 7, 2019
“Good performance against a good team,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “I thought our guys really on both sides of the ball showed some good attacking moments from the back line through and I thought chances created were dangerous.”
That 10th minute goal was the start of an incredible day for Warr. He would go on to score two more goals in the 62nd and 78th minutes respectively to secure the hat trick.
The third goal, a header from the left side of the penalty box to the back right corner of the net, showed the power and technicality that the sophomore forward can bring this lineup.
“I’ve been working really hard in practice and I’m confident in training,” Warr said. “But it’s a whole 'nother thing to see it happen in a game. I was ecstatic for one but I haven’t scored three like that in a while.”
FINAL: Indiana 3, Lipscomb 0
Thomas Warr scores twice in the second half for the first hat trick of 2019 in IU's spring victory over Lipscomb. #iums pic.twitter.com/PZiH5P7FKZ
— The Hoosier Network (@TheHoosierNet) April 7, 2019
Warr had seven points on two goals and three assists during his freshman campaign. However, last year, with a veteran team, he went scoreless in 10 appearances.
IU has been balanced in scoring this spring. Warr became the fifth different Hoosier to score.
Redshirt sophomore forward Ian Black leads with seven, Warr has three, freshman forward Ryan Wittenbrink has two, redshirt freshman Joe Schmidt has two and senior defender Simon Waever has one.
But what has helped carry IU has been the passing and defense that their program is known for. Wittenbrink, Kleyn and Schmidt all played three different kinds of passes to Warr who netted home all three scores.
Hat trick hero, @tw9rr. ⚽️⚽️⚽️ #iums pic.twitter.com/kAY5p21UzG
— Josh Eastern (@JoshEastern) April 7, 2019
“We have a lot of guys that were really working hard on making some better decisions and becoming cleaner in our passing,” Yeagley said. “I thought we showed that today. We showed times when were anxious and played a little to quick. But there were times when we were composed and were able to play out of some situations when we have numbers.”
Sunday’s victory capped off the lone spring game at home this season for IU. And Warr helped cap it off with an exclamation point.
“Thomas has had a nice spring and it’s nice to see him get rewarded,” Yeagley said. “He’s played well and again today he was fantastic even outside of his goals. Because he created some runs and opened some things up. Ultimately you have to have your strikers, your tens and your wide guys get production and he did all that today.”
