After a gritty 2-2 draw against No. 4 Ohio State last Friday, Indiana men’s soccer continued its road stretch taking on the eighth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers came into this game with a 6-1-1 record averaging 2.5 goals per game, while only allowing 0.8. Indiana’s first two goals were immediately followed by a Badger equalizer, but the attack from the Hoosiers was too much for the Wisconsin backline and Indiana earned a 3-2 victory.
Here are my three takeaways:
The Indiana attack found its groove
In the majority of Indiana’s matches to this point, the Hoosiers weren’t able to capitalize on their opportunities. On Tuesday night Indiana was efficient with their chances, with four shots on goal and three of them going in. Over the past two games, the Indiana offense has found its rhythm, scoring a combined five goals against two of the best defensive teams in the Big Ten.
Tuesday night marked the first time this season, Indiana scored three or more goals in a game. The last time the Hoosiers did this was during the 2023 postseason run against Wake Forest.
The Hoosiers have now scored 12 goals on the season, after two goals from Collins Oduro and one from Tommy Mihalic. It was only a matter of time that Mihalic would score another, as his goal marked his sixth of the season. Now, Indiana has five different goal scorers on the year.
Collins Oduro came up huge
After scoring five goals with two assists a year ago, it was only a matter of time before Oduro made his mark during the 2024 season. The sophomore from Bibiani, Ghana came ready to play against Wisconsin, bagging a brace. His two goals marked the second time a Hoosier has done it this season, after Mihalic did so against Yale.
Oduro opened the scoring in the 12th minute off a beautifully put together counterattack started by JT Harms. The ball ended up at the feet of Sam Sarver who played a ball across the top of the box reaching the foot of Oduro who curled one into the left corner.
The fun didn’t stop there for last year's Big Ten All-Freshman. After an equalizer from Wisconsin in the 64th minute, Oduro put the team on his back scoring the game winning goal from the left edge of the box. His winner came just nine seconds after the Badgers tied the match. What a momentum building game this could be for No.11.
October success
Yeah, yeah, it's only the first day of October, but never count out Todd Yeagley and his teams. If you remember last season, Indiana turned its season around in October winning twelve of its last 14 matches starting Oct. 7. In recent history, the Hoosiers have found success in October with a record of 17-3-6 over the past three seasons. After starting out 2-3-4 and 1-1-1 in conference play, this win, along with the draw against Ohio State, could prove huge for this squad. The Hoosiers have the depth and leadership to go on a run and Tuesday night’s win could bring momentum down the stretch.
After picking up its second Big Ten win of the season, Indiana moves to 2-1-1 in the Big Ten and 3-3-4 overall. The Hoosiers will return to Bill Armstrong Stadium to begin a three-game homestand, beginning with Washington on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
