It’s a match that Indiana has historically dominated since their first ever meeting in 1973. The Hoosiers boast a record of 48-6-4 all-time against the Buckeyes while being 8-1-1 in their past 10 games played.
In what was almost last year's Big Ten Championship game, Friday night’s match will showcase a team looking to get back in the win column to move in the right direction and a team that looks to extend their fiery start.
Breaking down the Buckeyes
Led by Brian Maisonneuve, the Ohio State Buckeyes are off to an excellent start to their 2024 campaign. Currently ranked fourth in the country with a record of 7-0-1, OSU holds the nation’s longest win streak at seven games.
During the win streak, Ohio State hasn’t been just beating its opponents, it’s been dominating its opponents. Led by an experienced backline, the Buckeyes have been stout defensively, allowing just four goals through eight games with five shutouts.
While defensively OSU has been very good, the revamped offensive attack has made its mark. Last year, Ohio State scored 23 goals the entirety of the season, through eight games this year, they have 22 goals.
The Buckeyes have outshot their opponents 155-64 while also having an advantage in corner kicks, 68-22. This balanced attack has allowed for four different players for OSU to score at least three goals.
Freshman forward David Ajagbe and junior midfielder Luciano Pecheto have led the way for the Buckeyes with four goals apiece, respectively.
Just like Indiana, Big Ten play began last week for Ohio State as it faced Penn State and Rutgers, winning both games handily by the scores of 5-0 and 3-0.
Brotherly love
Who doesn’t love a good sibling rivalry? For the first time in their collegiate careers Nathan and Joel Demian will go head-to-head on the pitch Friday night. The brothers from Canada as well as the sons of David and Ruth Demian have bragging rights on the line. The brothers did a FaceTime call for the Big Ten Soccer X (formerly Twitter) account.
“I would love for you guys to do well but you unfortunately joined my conference,” Nathan said on the call.
“Don’t worry I’ll call you after we win,” Joel responded.
Nathan, the oldest between the two, is a redshirt junior defender at Ohio State. Prior to missing all of the 2023 season due to injury, Demian was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Freshmen list (No. 36) his freshman year. During his sophomore season, he played in 18 games and scored his first collegiate and the game winning goal against Michigan State. This season, he has returned to action for the Buckeyes.
On the other hand, Joel is a sophomore defender for Indiana. He made his freshman debut against South Florida and played in seven games in 2023, with starts against Michigan State and Trine.
At the end of the day when it comes to bragging rights, Joel might have the upper hand as the Hoosiers won the Big Ten regular season and Big Ten Tournament championship last season. With lots of family going to be in attendance on Friday, both brothers know this game is a big one.
Bouncing back
It's a tale old as time: never count out a Todd Yeagley-led squad. It was just last season Indiana started 3-3-4 and went on to win the Big Ten Championship and advance to the Elite Eight.
Currently sitting at a record of 2-3-3 and 1-1 in Big Ten play, Indiana is coming off a 1-0 loss against Maryland a week ago. On Friday night, the Hoosiers will face their toughest opponent yet in Ohio State. If you’re an Indiana fan, recent history is on your side. IU has played 172 consecutive matches without back-to-back regular season losses, which dates back to Nov. 1, 2013.
The Hoosiers have eight Big Ten games remaining on the schedule with back-to-back matches against ranked opponents. The next four games will show who this team really is with matches against Ohio State, Wisconsin, Washington and Kentucky. Indiana will look to get back in the win column Friday. Kickoff against the Buckeyes is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. on Big Ten Plus.
