3 Takeaways From IU's 2-2 Draw Against Washington in Men's Soccer

Match Featured Lots Of Offense And Chances From Both Sides.

Armstrong Stadium In Bloomington Where The Match Took Place

Speed Vs. Speed Wrecks Havoc For Both Defenses

Bloomington-The speed of IU’s Samuel Sarver and Washington’s Charlie Kosakoff among others, gave both defenses fits all night long. While IU had the upper hand in shots 21-12, the speed of the two stars on each side left many great opportunities all- around.

It started with Sarver intercepting a pass very early on at midfield with no one between him and the goalie but the shot went wide. While this was Sarver’s best opportunity all night, he had several other chances on breaks which has happened so many times in his Hoosier career.

Meanwhile, Kosakoff showed his winning goal last year in Bloomington for the Huskies was no fluke. This time he equalized shortly after an Indiana score on one of his many breakaways and again late on a tap in.

This was a match that could have easily seen 5-10 goals combined with the amount of good chances each side had as the defenses were slow to react from the kickoff. However, the final scored ended up being 2-2 in a match that could have passed for a FIFA video game with the amount of point-blank chances each side had.

IU coach Todd Yeagley said he was glad to get so many looks on his end given the opponent doesn’t typically allow that.

“That’s the most chances I’ve seen Washington give up all year,” Yeagley said. “They are usually pretty tight in the back. I thought we did a great job of breaking their initial press. The game did get athletic and we’re OK with that.”

In the end, it was Kosakoff who got the upper hand and managed to pull out a point for UW while Sarver missed finishing his chances. As a result, the Hoosiers walked away with one point instead of three because of it.

Elliott Breaks Out

Louisville transfer Quinton Elliott has been quiet headed into tonight’s match despite a lot of hype coming in. As a defensive back on the wing, he is filling the shoes of the graduated Brett Bebej.

Elliott is a completely different player than Bebej with more offensive potential and the ability to come forward and score goals during an attack. This potential however did not come to fruition in the first 10 matches of 2024.

However, on Friday Elliott finally showed why the program was so excited about him coming to Bloomington this fall. He buried his first two chances of the season in this match on a nifty score from the side and at the top of the box off a cleared ball. He also had several nice defensive clearances on a night when the backline had a rough evening.

Elliott said he was excited about his breakout match and getting involved in the offense.

“I feel like I have gotten more comfortable in the attack the last few games,” Elliott said. “Now I feel like I can twirl more over the top.”

A Big October Will Get The Hoosiers Everything They Want This Time But The Defense Has To Improve For Potential To Be Maximized

The last four seasons now have gotten off to uncharacteristically slow starts for a program that knows little but winning almost all the time. The last three autumns have seen Indiana come on once October hits to play postseason soccer each time. With a relatively strong Big Ten in 2021 and 2022, the Hoosiers’ big finish earned them a top-16 seed and hosting spot. However, despite winning the league in 2023, the conference was uncharacteristically weak and as a result, IU was left to travel during the NCAA Tournament as the Big Ten’s only bid.

In past years it has been the inability to bury goals early that cost the squad good results in September. While this offense has not been perfect in 2024, the goals are coming at a decent clip. However, a remade defense is also giving up more scores than in the past which is why the team is just 3-3-5.

However, like in 2021 and 2022, the Big Ten will get multiple bids and a strong month for the Hoosiers should get them good seeding come November. However, wins will need to start coming soon. The advantage right now is each win and tie on the road is worth a big jump in the RPI, while ties at home keep the metrics steady.

Before the previous two games, the team’s RPI sat in the 130’s. However (numbers are from the time of publishing and can fluctuate slightly), the draw at no. 4 Ohio State and victory at no. 10 Wisconsin jumped the squad up just under 100 spots. Even tonight’s tie with no. 39 Washington only dropped that number back into the low 40s for the Cream and Crimson. With no. 21 Kentucky, no. 40 Penn State, no. 29 Michigan, no. 33 UCLA and no. 38 Northwestern still on the docket, no shortage of opportunities exist to get that number into the top 16 and host again.

However, for that to happen, wins will be needed down the stretch, and improvement from the backline. With 15 goals given up and just two shutouts, opponents are scoring at a far higher rate than in the past.

However, Yeagley said the team is playing well and he expects the scores to match the effort very soon.

“I think the performances have been really good,” he said. “A little unfortunate (we have not gotten better results)."

The next match is in Bloomington on Tuesday against the Wildcats at 7 pm on BTN. Three points in this would be extremely helpful for Indiana as they lack a signature non-conference win at the moment.

Also on an unrelated side note, Indiana volleyball got their first win in conference play over struggling Michigan State down the street at Wilkinson Hall 3-1. These Hoosiers are now 8-5 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten,

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Postgame press conferences can be seen below: