Indiana’s 3-1 over Denver on Monday night wasn’t just another win for the Hoosiers. This victory made history as the 850th win for the program. Indiana men’s soccer now holds the NCAA record for most program wins in the least amount of seasons (54).
“It’s a fantastic feeling. Obviously, it’s a big statement to this program and what the Yeagley family has been doing since day one,” Indiana co-captain Alex Barger said, referencing former head coach Jerry Yeagley and current head coach Todd Yeagley. “Just to be a part of this is a real honor.”
Indiana became the seventh Division l men’s soccer program to reach 850 victories but the fastest in NCAA history to reach that number. By percentage, IU is the winningest program in DI men’s soccer history with a .771 mark (850-209-124).
The momentum from Friday night's win against Cal Poly carried onto Monday night’s match against Denver. However, the excitement wasn’t the only thing built to last. With each matchup, the brotherhood and bond visibly gets stronger on and off the field.
Denver was out for Indiana’s blood from the beginning. The Hoosiers (5-0-1) were mentally and physically tested by the Pioneers in a way fans hadn’t yet seen this season. In the first period of the game, Denver committed eight fouls against Indiana. The Pioneers played scrappy until the final whistle blew, and could be seen throwing elbows and shoves throughout the match.
“Denver is very physical,” Todd Yeagley said. “They pride themselves in being the team that wants to be the physical initiator, and I thought we kept our composure. I thought there were no real lulls in the match, which I think that maybe it is the first of the season where it’s like, ‘I didn't think we lost a 10-minute period.’”
This was a match where if one looked away even for a second, they might miss a monumental moment, from first-year Michael Adu-Gyamfi earning his first goal of his college career to Oliver Moller-Jensen landing his eighth via a half-bicycle kick. Once the scoring drought was broken by Indiana’s Westin Carnevale in the 29th minute, Indiana was all gas with no brakes.
Though the Hoosiers endured some foul trouble, they never lost their poise. Even after being stripped of a goal due to an offside call in the 43rd minute. Denver came out of the second period ready to battle back for more, scoring their one and only goal in the 70th minute but struggling to keep up with IU’s offense.
Denver’s goal ended IU’s season-long streak of not conceding a goal from open play, capping it at 519 minutes.
Indiana walked away from the match with 13 fouls in comparison to Denver’s 12 fouls. Indiana had 27 shot attempts with 15 on target, while Denver only had nine shot attempts with four on goal.
The Hoosiers have wrapped up non-conference play and hit the road this Friday to face a conference matchup against the Michigan Wolverines. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
