No. 4 Indiana men’s soccer holds stiff on defense in 0-0 draw with Northwestern

Fans inside Bill Armstrong Stadium have been accustomed to success for No. 4 Indiana men’s soccer this season. Coming into Friday’s showdown with Northwestern, the Hoosiers were a perfect 10-0-0 at home.

As co-leaders in the Big Ten standings with No. 6 Michigan State at 16 points, the Hoosiers needed a strong result to take control of the conference heading into the final two regular season games.

However, the Hoosier faithful didn’t see Indiana take command throughout the 90 minutes Friday night. Indiana finished the contest with 13 shots and 14 corners — which tied its season-high against Hanover College — but the Cream and Crimson couldn’t find a goal.

The zero-goal offensive performance was saved by a strong defensive effort, leading to a 0-0 final score in Bloomington.

“I thought we defended well, and they didn't have much,” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said postgame. “Those two strikers are good, and they have a good rotation of players. They're deep. It's a good Northwestern team.”

The Wildcats were paced by sophomore forward Aaron O’Reilly and senior midfielder Peter Riesz, who moved from his usual central midfielder role into a right winger position Friday. Riesz entered the game leading Northwestern with four goals, with O’Reilly following behind with two.

However, Indiana’s defense was able to hold down the pair of attackers throughout most of the game.

O’Reilly — who was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last year — only took one shot throughout the contest. His 19th-minute attempt was blocked by Indiana junior defender Nick McHenry, forcing the ball to slowly roll into junior goalkeeper Michal Mroz’s hands.

On the other wing, Riesz finished the game with a team-high four shots, but none were on target. The Budapest, Hungary, native rocketed a shot at Mroz’s goal, past the outstretched goalkeeper’s fingertips in the 24th minute. Mroz received help from the right post of the net, deflecting Riesz’ attempt away, as Indiana’s netminder produced his seventh clean sheet of the season.

“Teams will always throw a wrinkle at us,” Indiana senior defender Alex Barger said postgame. “We're prepared, we're flexible, we can adapt on the fly ... I think we do a good job to adapting.”

Indiana had to adapt to Northwestern head coach Russell Payne’s five-midfielder system. The Wildcats controlled play at times — including five shots in 26 minutes of the first half — but their only shot on goal came in the 84th minute.

Northwestern junior forward Ethan Nakolo cut back onto his left foot, but from outside Indiana’s 18-yard box, his attempt didn’t have enough power behind it to faze Mroz. The goalkeeper easily dropped to his knees to save the attempt and keep possession with the Cream and Crimson.

“I think first of all, credit to Mroz,” Barger said. “He's been an absolute stud back there. He makes some big saves for us.”

Throughout the season, Indiana has been able to flourish on the attacking end with a strong defensive performance, with only a few occurrences of the squad playing from behind. Friday night provided a different story, as the Hoosiers’ defensive ability bolstered a lackluster offensive performance.

With numerous chances within Northwestern’s 18-yard box, the Hoosiers seemed destined to break through multiple times. However, Indiana couldn’t find the back of the net on any of its 14 shots, as only four were on target.

Senior forward Oliver Moller-Jensen seemed to break through in the 50th minute after a corner from junior forward Stephane Njike found Indiana’s leading scorer at the back post. Moller-Jensen then put forth a shot, but it was denied by Northwestern redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Dominic Pereira.

Later in the match, redshirt sophomore defender Nolan Kinsella knocked a header at the net in the 85th minute, but his attempt ricocheted off the crossbar.

“Did the result go the way we absolutely planned it to? No,” Barger said. “But I think we're content with the performance.”

Indiana’s Big Ten title aspirations were helped by Michigan State and No. 7 Washington producing a 1-1 draw, while Rutgers and Michigan played a 3-3 draw of their own Friday night.

The Hoosiers now hold a 5-1-2 record in the Big Ten, with two games remaining in the regular season. The Spartans have also produced the same 17-point resume in conference matches, setting up a consequential game between the two squads on Nov. 4 in Bloomington — the final day of the Big Ten regular season.

However, Indiana must first travel to No. 19 UCLA on Oct. 30. The Los Angeles bound Hoosiers still have a lot to play for in these final two matches.

“These guys know every point's critical, and this felt a little bit closer to like a knockout game tonight with the cageiness of it,” Yeagley said. “I think we got a lot out of this game when it's not a knockout game.”

The experience gained can help with Rutgers, on 16 points, and Washington, on 14 points, still having a chance to overcome Indiana in the Big Ten table. The Hoosiers couldn’t put away any chance of Wisconsin — which sits seventh in the table — from catching up.

However, Indiana looks to clinch postseason competition against the Bruins in a week’s time. The Cream and Crimson still can’t let off the gas, as the first-place team gains home-field advantage in every game played in the six-team conference tournament.

“We're pumped to go out west and face UCLA,” Barger said. “We've got the confidence. We've got the prep. We know what we're going to get with UCLA again ... it's competitive confidence.”