The new Big Ten sparked some changes to the Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament, as a neutral site hosts the quarterfinals and semifinals. Prior to the switch, the higher seeded teams would host games throughout the tournament, a change that was made as a result to having California teams making cross country travel.
SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois is the host for the first two rounds of the tournament, where two-seeded Indiana will be taking on seven-seeded Michigan in the quarterfinals.
How the Hoosiers got here
The Hoosiers have played 10 consecutive games without a loss and are riding a seven-game win streak, scoring multiple goals in all 10 matches as well. Indiana is looking like one of the hottest teams in the country again come the postseason.
Todd Yeagley’s crew has 39 goals on the season which ranks eighth in the country. Indiana has put 32 goals away in the past 10 games. That alone would put them tied for 13th most goals in the country.
This came from a brace happening seven times during that span — two of which occurred in the 6-1 win over Northwestern as Tommy Mihalic and Justin Weiss both put two goals away.
There are 25 players in the BIg Ten who have 10 or more points on the season. The Hoosiers have five players do so along with two players in the top five. Mihalic (second) has 25 points on the year from his 10 goals and five assists while Sam Sarver (fourth) has 18 points from his five goals and eight assists.
Weiss (12), Charlie Heuer (10) and Collins Oduro (10) are the fellow Hoosiers who join the list as the trio has combined for 13 goals on the year. Weiss leads the charge of this group with six goals on the season, all coming in the last four matches he played in. Weiss did not see action in the Hoosiers’ 4-1 over Trine.
A dynamic attacking core has been terrorizing Big Ten defenses and will look to continue to do so on Thursday. Indiana played Michigan on Oct. 15 where they dismantled the Wolverines in a 5-0 win in Ann Arbor.
The Hoosiers had a commanding 4-0 lead at halftime as Weiss bagged two goals, Breckin Minzey scored his first career IU goal, while Quinton Elliot added the fourth late in the first half. Freshman Michael Nesci would provide the fifth and final goal in the second half of play.
Looking at the Wolverines
Michigan had an interesting 2024 regular season, as they only had three losses on the year, but the six draws, five of which coming in conference play, were a big reason why they claimed the last spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Wolverines found themselves ranked as high as 16 in the country after the week four poll as they started the season 5-0-2 during that span.
In fact, Michigan would be undefeated through the first nine games of the year going 5-0-4 with three consecutive draws against Big Ten opponents on the back stretch. Washington, UCLA, and Rutgers were the opponents the Wolverines faced.
The Wolverines would have their first loss of the season come at the feet of the now No. 1 team in the nation, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Through the first nine games, the Wolverines had three shutouts and only allowed eight goals on the year, three of which came in the 3-3 draw to UCLA.
The Buckeyes came to play in Ann Arbor, Michigan scoring six goals on the evening en route to winning 6-3.
In this game the scoreline was 2-1 in the 60th minute after Michigan’s Oliver Martin brought it within one. Ohio State would go on to four goals between the 70th and 80th minute to rip the heart out of the Wolverines and take a 6-1 lead. Michigan would add two late goals in the 83rd and 88th minute however, it was too little too late.
The Wolverines went 2-2-2 after the Ohio State game with one of the wins coming in a non conference test against Notre Dame. This stretch included the 5-0 loss to Indiana, a 1-0 loss to Northwestern, and a 0-0 draw to Michigan State. The offense was struggling for the Wolverines.
Michigan was able to end the season with some much-needed points taking down Maryland in a 2-0 win and drawing Wisconsin 1-1, giving them the one-point advantage over Rutgers and Northwestern who narrowly missed the cut for the Big Ten Tournament.
There is a trio of Wolverines on the attacking eye that the Hoosiers will have to keep their eye out for as the three combine for 13 of the 22 total goals and 16 of the 29 total assists on the season.
Bryce Blevins and Beto Soto find themselves ranked fifth and sixth in the Big Ten for total points as Blevins' five goals and six assists (16 points) and Soto’s three goals and nine assists (15 points) have generated the bulk of the Wolverines offense.
Forward Jason Bucknor has contributed five goals and one assist on the season to round out where the majority of the Michigan offense comes from.
Final thoughts
This is the second straight season that the Hoosiers and Wolverines will be meeting in the postseason after 2023’s electric 4-3 semifinals that Indiana was able to come away with at home.
Overall, this will be the 35th meeting all time between the two squads as Indiana holds a commanding 25-4-5 lead in the series. This will also be the ninth time the two schools have met in the postseason.
Indiana is undefeated in the postseason against Michigan with a 7-0 record in the Big Ten Tournament, and a 1-0 record in the NCAA Tournament against the Wolverines.
History aside, these two teams played each other close as the 5-0 Indiana win this regular season was the first time in eight different meetings that this matchup was decided by more than a single goal.
SeatGeek Stadium is the next stop for the Indiana Hoosiers as they look to keep their red-hot offense alive. The winner of the Indiana and Michigan game will be taking on the winner of Maryland and UCLA on Sunday.
