INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Two steps forward, one step back.
After two really strong performances against Notre Dame and Yale, Indiana hit the road Wednesday night for the second time this season. The trip wasn’t as arduous as the last, as the Hoosiers only had to travel an hour north to meet in-state foe Butler.
A tale of two halves saw Indiana dominate the first 45 minutes and Butler control the second. Both teams were rewarded with a goal when commanding play as the match finished 1-1, leaving the Hoosiers winless in their two matches away from Bill Armstrong Stadium in this young 2024 season.
“It feels like it slipped. I don’t really like ties,” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said. “If we were fortunate to be in a game, sure, I’ll take it. But we weren’t.”
Butler has traditionally given Indiana trouble at the Sellick Bowl, but it didn’t appear that would be the case within the first quarter hour, as a ball played inside to senior Tommy Mihalic was passed outside to fellow senior Patrick McDonald, who fired a rocket with his strong left foot to give the Hoosiers a quick lead.
The goal was semi-reminiscent of his goals against Syracuse two years ago and his last year against Notre Dame, both in the NCAA Tournament.
Less than a quarter hour later, the Hoosiers had a golden opportunity to double their advantage and seemingly take control of the match. In an odd sequence, Indiana had a 4-on-2 after the referee opted to not blow his whistle following a challenge and Sam Sarver laid a ball off to Collins Oduro, whose shot was blocked and went behind for a corner.
The referee, veteran Cesar Ibarra, who was busy with reviews and disciplines all night long, went to the monitor and a few minutes later ruled there was a handball inside the box, giving Indiana a penalty.
Up stepped Mihalic, in-form with three goals in as many matches and seemingly a shoe-in to score, attempted a Panenka and went a little too high, nearly knocking it through the football uprights. While it would have been worth three points on the gridiron, it could have sealed the equivalent of three points in fútbol, a win.
It was a night to forget for Mihalic, who only played 47 minutes and “didn’t play very well,” according to Yeagley, who pulled his senior striker in the 83rd minute in favor of his son, Grant.
The shots after the first half were 6-4 in favor of IU but the visitors had the lion’s share of possession and deserved more for their blistering start, a signal that the team had used the momentum following the win over Yale on Sunday.
The Bulldogs came out with a roar in the second half, completely changing the tone of the match. The increased pressure and physicality caught Indiana off guard, and it felt that the equalizer was coming, even though the saves JT Harms had to make were relatively easy.
While the second half shots were 13-4, Yeagley felt the team had better chances in the second 45 minutes, but were too “hesitant” to shoot, passing the ball or taking too many touches instead of firing on goal. Oduro and Sarver were great on the wings and had plenty of chances, but couldn’t connect on passes and their shots were either blocked or nonexistent before the ball was cleared. Graduate transfer Justin Weiss did not play again due to injury, leaving a key offensive piece on the bench, but not completely damning IU’s chances of scoring a second goal.
Butler took advantage of Indiana’s missed opportunities and got its goal just past the hour mark, when Alex Barger was wrestled to the ground by Ryan Hannosh, who was in on goal and glided the ball past Harms in the 65th minute.
Both teams kept pushing for a winner in the final 20 minutes but were unable to find the back of the net, but it wasn’t for a lack of entertainment. A total of 27 shots and 25 fouls highlighted the tussle between the two teams, leading to seven yellow cards.
Indiana moves to 1-1-2 on the young season having failed to win its first two away matches, and also drops to 1-for-3 in spotkick attempts in four matches. The Hoosiers return to Bill Armstrong Stadium on Monday for another non-conference match against the Dayton Flyers. Kickoff is at 8 p.m.
