When Indiana freshman Charlie Heuer came onto the field in the 60th minute on Friday night against Penn State, head coach Todd Yeagley conveyed him a straightforward message:
“This is your moment. Go make the most of it. Go make a play for us.”
Just seven minutes after being subbed on, Heuer scored his first career goal for the Hoosiers. A scramble in the box after a throw-in, led to Heuer blasting a shot off of his right foot into the back of the net. He followed his coaches orders, making the most of the moment– until the referee decided to go to VAR to check for offside. After a tense few minutes passed, the referee deemed it a good goal.
“It was the longest wait of my life,” Heuer said.
It felt like forever for Charlie during the VAR review, but it only took 8 minutes for him to complete the brace. Another blast off the right foot secured a brace for the freshman, leading to crucial points in 2-0 win vs. Penn State.
“Felt like a dream; I didn’t know what was going on,” Heuer said.
“It was fun to see the team celebrate with him” Yeagley said. It was only a span of 15 minutes from when coach told Charlie to make a play, to him scoring his second goal of the night.
The first half lacked offensive production from both sides with multiple scoring chances for either team, yet it was 0-0 at the half. Defensively both teams held their own, Penn State with a couple huge blocked shots and Indiana allowing only four shots, two off target and two blocked.
“First half gave us a lot of good chances that we may not finish on, second half we come out firing,” Patrick McDonald said.
Indiana had four corner kicks in the first half but couldn’t hit the back of the net. However, in the second half they came out firing, just like McDonald said.
“Gives us a lot of confidence,” McDonald said reflecting on the energy from the Kentucky game and yesterday’s game.
Indiana ended their homestand with a much needed three points in a 2-0 win against Penn State. With five matches left in the regular season, Indiana looks to maintain this momentum. The Hoosiers travel to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines next Tuesday.
