After a slow start to the season, Indiana has found its footing having not lost since Sept. 22 against Michigan State. Similar to the Ohio State match on Sunday, the Hoosiers pulled out another gutsy win scoring the game-winning goal in the final 10 minutes of the game. A beautiful ball from Karsen Henderlong found the feet of Sam Sarver who powered one home with his left foot to give Indiana the lead and the 2-1 win.
Here are my takeaways:
Set pieces are finally clicking
Before these past two matches against Ohio State and Maryland, the Hoosiers had zero set piece goals despite having many opportunities. Now, make it two straight matches for Indiana with a set piece goal.
A penalty kick goal by Joey Maher and a goal from Karsen Henderlong after a throw-in propelled Indiana to a 2-1 victory over the Buckeyes. A similar storyline re-appeared in the Maryland match.
On a throw-in from Patrick McDonald near the front post, Jansen Miller flicked it on inside the box via his head and freshman Alex Barger headed it home to give him his first goal as a Hoosier and Indiana an early lead in the second half.
In the midst of Indiana finding its ability to score, its set piece opportunities have also found a spark and have provided a crucial cushion for such an explosive offense. The Hoosiers will look to keep the momentum from set pieces going throughout the rest of Big Ten play.
The resilience of this team is special
After gaining the lead in the first 10 minutes of the second half, Maryland managed to find the equalizer in the 69th minute on a lethal counterattack led by Luke Van Heukelum which led to a cross into the box that found the feet of who else but Stefan Copetti.
A friendly reminder: Copetti scored the game-tying goal against the Hoosiers in Bloomington last season in the 87th minute to give Maryland the Big Ten regular-season title.
In a match where it felt like Maryland could’ve scored multiple goals, the Terrapins were held to only one. With the momentum on the Terrapins’ side for a majority of the second half, the Hoosiers were able to find the game winner and put the turtles to sleep.
By no means was it Indiana’s best match of the season but its ability to scrap out a tough win on the road against a decent Maryland side who is fighting to stay alive in the Big Ten tournament race shows how resilient this Indiana team is.
Hoosiers are red hot in October
It seems that Indiana is getting hot at the right time having not lost a game in October. It’s never easy to win in the Big Ten, especially on the road against good opponents. Going on the road and getting a draw against Kentucky, a win at Penn State and another win at Maryland isn’t easy.
In the Hoosiers’ four-game win streak they have managed to score two goals in each match. In the race for a Big Ten regular-season title, Indiana has found its offense which is led by Sam Sarver who has been lethal on the attack for the cream and crimson.
Sarver now has six goals and four assists on the season which leads the team. The Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week a few weeks ago has acquired a point in the Hoosiers’ past four matches.
Indiana now sits in second place in the Big Ten standings with 11 points behind Michigan State with 13 points. Indiana has three more matches left and two more Big Ten regular-season matches remaining.
Indiana will look to continue its hot streak in Evanston, Illinois against Northwestern on Tuesday. Kickoff is at 8 p.m.
