Indiana soccer was back at it on Friday night, as the Hoosiers defeated Penn State Nittany Lions in a rematch of the 2023 Big Ten championship match.
This one may have not had the excitement of the Kentucky match from Tuesday, but like the game against the Wildcats, IU came away with the win, this one though finishing 2-0 in favor of the Hoosiers.
Similarly to the UK matchup, the Hoosiers didn't have the greatest of first halves, but came back after the break and was firing on all cylinders, creating chances left and right, while converting on two of them to come away with the win.
Coach Todd Yeagley said postgame that “to get these results is great,” mentioning how stacking these wins late in the season is crucial for the success of the team, which made the win against PSU just that much more important.
It was Charlie Heuer who was the difference for IU, as the freshman netted a brace for his fist two goals of his young career. This was the second straight game for a freshman to have the game winning goal, while also being the second straight substitute to do so, showing just how much freshman subs can contribute of the bench.
Heuer said postgame that “you know, when you got your opportunity, you got to make the most of it” letting everyone know that when he was subbed on, he intended to make an impact.
Heuer's first goal came in the 68th minute after a set piece situation, the ball bouncing around, but finding Heuer's right foot and he fired it into the net. His second score came in the 76th minute, though this one was even more impressive, as the Freshman made a magnificent move on the defender in space and fired a strike into the bottom of the net for the unassisted goal.
This was the fourth straight brace from an IU player, with Collins Oduro, Quinton Elliott and Tommy Mihalic having the previous three, but Charlie Heuer doing it as a freshman makes it that much more impressive.
Heuer said that having four different guys net braces “just kind of shows how much talent we have as a team, and it could be anyone's day, any game,” illustrating just how impressive this Hoosier attacking line is.
While Heuer's two goals were sensational, the defense may have even been more impressive, as the IU back line have now kept a clean sheet for three straight halves, while also not allowing a single shot on goal from Penn State the entire game.
Yeagley said “we didn't give them much. I mean, that was a good defensive effort” and he is exactly right, as with zero shot on goal, Penn State really didn’t get any real chances throughout the game.
There was one chance early in the game, although the shot was off target and hit the post, saving the Hoosiers from getting down early once again. This was an opportunity IU would not squander as, after the near goal from Penn State, the defense played almost perfectly, with the Nittany Lions not having any real chances in the last hour of play.
This was very promising to see, as it was the first shutout since the Yale match in September, something that Yeagley and company hopes becomes a common occurrence down the stretch.
While this wasn't a rivalry match like Kentucky, this game may have been even more consequential for the rest of Indiana's season, as getting three points in a Big Ten match, especially one against a solid opponent, is always vitally important.
Penn State really is a good team, and for IU's defense to lock down the back line and the offense to create so many chances in the second half, it shows that the Hoosiers are really taking form.
Yeagley, summing up how important this one was, said “that's what's really nice in October, is to find good results. Players finding form, gettinh a couple goals, you know, getting a clean sheet. It was nice tonight.”
This finished a critical home stand for IU, the Hoosiers going 2-0-1 in the three games against Washington, Kentucky and Penn State, This moves IU to 5-3-5 with its next match coming on Tuesday at Michigan.
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