Three Takeaways From IU Soccer's Season-Ending Loss To St. Louis In NCAA Tournament
IU's 2025 Season, In Many Ways, Is A Reverse Of Recent Seasons And Mirrors 2014, Which Was The Last Time The Season Ended This Early
Armstrong Stadium, Where The Soccer Match Took Place On Sunday
Soccer’s 2025 Season Starts With A Bang And Ends With A Whimper
Bloomington-Led by the humble Palmer Ault’s 16 goals, the 2025 Indiana soccer team had its most legitimate scoring threat since Eriq Zavaleta (18 goals) led the squad to its eighth and to date last national title in 2012.
As a result, the Hoosiers had a very high NCAA seed and an easier path to the College Cup than in any year recently. Much like in 2014, the team ran through the non-conference with multiple elite wins early, including against the same St. Louis squad that ended their season today.
This quick start was completely the opposite of recent seasons, when results came more slowly early and then a fast finish led to a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. As some struggles came on the road in conference play down the stretch, early-season results held up for two guaranteed home games and would have been all the way through to the College Cup with the loss by no. 3 Princeton today.
Instead, many of the same issues that have plagued the squad down the stretch did IU in. After a quick start, the Billikens keyed in on Ault and ground the IU attack to a halt, as has happened more and more lately. Also, a lack of elite goalkeeping and momentary defensive lapses have led to conceded goals, as happened in the 16th minute, and it was SLU’s only legitimate chance all afternoon.
IU coach Todd Yeagley said this regarding the conceded score.
“The goalie played the long ball and we didn’t win the first one,” Yeagley said. “Great finish, and he just struck it really well. Could we have dealt with the moment better? Sure? Yeah, we could have dealt with the moment better. We’ve had a couple of those this year, and you learn for the future for those that were involved.”
St. Louis possesses both an elite goalie and defense, and easily made their only score hold up. As a result, this fall mirrored 2014 in every way, results-wise, and succumbed to a lack of a second scoring option behind Will Bruin and a struggling back line, as happened in 2010.
2012 also played out similarly to 2010 in personnel, but this time, Indiana used their main goal horse in Zavaleta to get hot and win their most recent national title. However, for the best chance to be a serious title threat, as the team from 2017-2020 was, it requires top-flight goalkeeping and defense, and multiple scoring options, as happened these seasons.
What Team Needs To Do To Take A Serious Shot At The Title In 2026
To get back to the results seen in 2017-2020, a couple of areas need shoring up. While Indiana will always be a title contender, to give itself the best shot, a few improvements are needed.
First off, the goalie is the most important position in soccer. Behind the elite keeper play of now pros Trey Muse and then Roman Celentano, the Hoosiers always had the best player between the pipes.
JT Harms gave the squad a solid option until 2024, but lacked the size to truly wow. However, his awareness made up for most of that.
For this season, the goalkeeper position was never settled, and the Hoosiers alternated between two bigger bodies in Holden Brown and Judewellin Michelle. However, both struggled with bailing out the defense, which did them no favors, and were not always in the right spot.
Michelle, as a freshman, has all the tools and could follow the career trajectory of Luis Soffner, who went from a liability in 2010 to a big reason they hoisted their ninth star in 2012. Brown, meanwhile, is a finished product who is reasonably reliable.
However, Indiana needs a higher level of play from this position to give itself a shot to hoist their ninth title. Also, improved defense play on the wings and more scoring options are a must to truly put themselves in the driver’s seat for maximum success.
Yeagley said he is still evaluating any personnel changes.
“I think we will have to assess what we have,” Yeagley said. “There will be roster changes with the team. We have huge departures like last year, and every team takes on a little bit different makeup. The roster management is ongoing as early as tomorrow. You have to be ready to move and quickly rebuild again.”
In A Rarity, This Soccer Team Was More Of The Disappointment Of IU’s Fall Sports Than The Typical Bright Light
Generally, the pitch is where Indiana makes its hay in the fall. Instead, it has lagged behind several other IU athletic squads in 2025. Usually, the conclusion of the soccer season sees the Hoosiers’ only legit chance at a title shot end. Instead, it is the first of several chances to raise a trophy that did not happen.
To start, 2025 will be the first time since 2010 that Hoosier volleyball will end at least a couple of weeks after men’s soccer. After several years of competitiveness and improvement from their spot as a typical cellar dweller, everything has clicked this year. Indiana remains ranked in the top-20 here and is trying to make sure soccer is not the only team to host NCAA Tournament games at home.
After 15 long years, this volleyball squad will be playing into December and in the postseason. The only question is whether it is in Bloomington or on the road as they chase their first-ever championship.
And then, of course, football has emerged from the cellar as a national title threat. The only reason they will not likely be playing postseason games in Memorial Stadium is that they are almost certain to earn a bye and skip straight to a neutral site in the round of eight in the playoffs.
Also, men’s and women’s basketball are off to strong starts and appear either headed towards yet another March Madness (women) or ending a bit of a drought (men). With modern offenses and strong guard play, these squads should make for a fun winter (and I will be providing women’s basketball coverage throughout the season) viewing.
Also, the recent success of the pro teams in Indiana this season, with the Pacers and Colts, Indiana soccer has become one of many rather than a bright light surrounded by struggles.
In many ways, given their historical success and falling short recently, the pitch has faded into the background in Bloomington. As a result, Hoosier Soccer needs a deep College Cup run soon to emerge from the shadows, as this has been taken for granted for many years.
Finally, some lower-profile sports at IU, such as Field Hockey, had their best fall in many years. Also, men’s swimming has a legit shot at its first national championship since 1974 and has come closer and closer each spring.
Generally, the end of men’s soccer sees the only chance at a national championship go by the wayside. However, in 2025-2026, it is only the first to fail, with several others having a shot at hardware also.
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