BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For the second season in a row, the Indiana men’s soccer team is finishing with a flourish.
After the Hoosiers started the season with a 2-3-3 record, Indiana has won six matches in a row since. On Tuesday, Indiana walloped Northwestern 6-1 at Bill Armstrong Stadium in the Hoosiers’ final Big Ten match of the season. Indiana clinched at least a share of the Big Ten championship.
No. 16 Indiana (9-3-5, 7-1-2) has 23 points. Ohio State is three points behind and could catch Indiana if the Buckeyes beat Maryland on Sunday.
Indiana won its second Big Ten title in a row and its 19th overall.
Graduate student Justin Weiss, a Northwestern transfer, and senior Tommy Mihalic scored two goals each. Fellow senior Samuel Sarver added a goal and joined Mihalic as two of four Hoosiers to record an assist in the win.
Sarver scored in the 17th minute for the Hoosiers. Mihalic, who has 10 goals overall, scored two more goals before halftime. He converted a penalty kick after Sarver was brought down in the penalty area.
Weiss scored his pair of goals in the second half. Northwestern’s Brandon Clagette scored the only goal for the Wildcats.
For Indiana, the second half season renaissance is nothing new. In 2023, the Hoosiers started their season 3-3-4 before they won 12 of their 14 matches – a run that didn’t end until the Hoosiers lost at Notre Dame on penalty kicks are a 1-1 draw.
The Hoosiers will close their regular season on Friday as Trine visits Bill Armstrong Stadium in a nonconference match. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET.
The 2024 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament will begin on Nov. 7. The tournament’s three opening round matches and semifinals, slated for Sunday, Nov. 10, will be played at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill.
The championship match will take place on Sunday, Nov. 17 on the home field of the highest remaining seed.
The top seven teams in the league’s final standings will qualify for the tournament, with the top seed earning a bye into the semifinal round.
© 2024 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Gambling content intended for 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.