September in Bloomington — Indiana usually has some beautiful weather, and Monday night was no different. Clear skies and high 60’s set the scene at Bill Armstrong Stadium as two conference champions set to face off on Monday night.
The Indiana Hoosiers hosted the Dayton Flyers as the Hoosiers looked to get back in the win column after their 1-1 draw at Butler last Wednesday.
Dayton simply came to play and with a strong first half, was able to pave the way for a 2-0 upset win on the road as the Hoosiers fell to 1-2-2 on the season.
A few things stood out from this match and from the slow start the Hoosiers found themselves in.
It’s not time to panic yet
There were certainly reasons to have eyebrows raised with the start Indiana has gotten itself out to. A 1-2-2 start to the year with both losses being multiple score games are fuel to that.
However, if there is one thing that Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley and Indiana men’s soccer know how to do, it’s to turn it on at the right time.
“We’re flipping the page…Big Ten season is a whole new season,” Indiana defender Jansen Miller said. “We’ve got everything in front of us…nobody’s won a Big Ten Tournament game and nobody has seeded themselves.”
Indiana is not a stranger to slowish starts considering just last season through five matches the Hoosiers were 2-2-1 after a 1-0 loss at USF in the fifth match. This team would go on to win 14 of its last 15 en route to an Elite Eight appearance.
“I don’t have any big-picture concerns…Five more games, if we don’t get a result, then that’s a different story,” Yeagley said.
Even with the record Indiana has itself at, there is a positive feeling about the majority of the performances up to this point. Overall, the message was about playing a complete match.
“Other than that (2-0 loss at Saint Louis) we performed pretty well and have been pretty balanced,” Yeagley said. “I don’t have any big concerns.”
Even in tonight’s match, Yeagley added how the second half was a lot cleaner than the first and how it could have been a completely different match had the ball bounced their ways a few times.
With the Hoosiers opening up Big Ten play this Friday when they head out to Piscataway to take on Rutgers, the page can start to turn on this young season for Indiana.
Dayton’s offense is legit
Twenty-three — yes, 23 — shots per game is what Dayton was averaging coming into this one which was good for best in the nation.
On Monday, the Flyers may have only registered 10 shots, but the quality of the looks were there and the attackers will pose danger to any backline.
“They’ve got great attackers,” Miller said. “They have a weird formation that we don’t really see much.”
In the first half Dayton was having plenty of chances and giving the Indiana backline lots of trouble. Martin Bakken of Dayton made Indiana pay, scoring both goals of the match. The first of which came in the 18th minute where he was quite patient in the box to open the scoring.
“That’s a good team…they’re super dynamic,” Yeagley said.
The dynamic offense of the Flyers has now scored 14 goals through their first five matches of the season. This is a Dayton team that is coming off a great run in the A-10 Tournament where the six-seeded Flyers ran the gauntlet to secure an NCAA Tournament berth.
Now defensively for the Hoosiers it did not seem as if there was a major concern throughout the team despite giving up the two goals. The mentality was onto the next and not look too deep into this one.
Faith in the youth
A good chunk of the buzz surrounding this Hoosier squad heading into the start of the year was about the returning core they had in the starting lineup. Through some of the struggles early on however, it has been some of the unfamiliar faces that have provided a spark.
Freshman Michael Nesci, who scored his first career goal against Notre Dame, has really begun to come into his home for the Cream and Crimson.
“He’s a good passer, clever, good in the air…overall a lot of good qualities,” Yeagley said about Nesci’s early play.
Fellow freshman Easton Bogard made his Indiana debut against the Flyers contributing the final 22 minutes of play that was at the time a 1-0 scoreline.
“He’s going to be a handful, I’m excited about him,” Yeagley said.
Sophomore Clay Murador has seen an expanded role on this team as he’s appeared in every match this season. He tallied 34 minutes Monday and he created a handful of chances in the attacking third.
“Well, you all notice his speed,” Yeagley said.
Murador holds the 400-meter dash record at his alma mater, Aledo (Texas) High School.
“His runs are a little more clever, his timing and communication is getting better…when he breaks through, it’s going to be really fun to be a part of that,” Yeagley said.
Yeagley has been able to replenish and reload his roster year after year and it seems the next generation of Hoosiers are nearing their moments.
Final thoughts
Indiana is at a point where it needs to get some momentum back on its side and the Hoosiers have a great opportunity with a road Big Ten match against Rutgers.
There is not a point in the regular season that one could or should count out Yeagley and this program as time after time they have been able to make noise when it matters.
However, there is a reason to be cautious when looking at this Indiana team that looks to pick up its second win of the season this Friday.
