By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
The Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Soccer team started the 2026 season with an exhibition match Monday Night against the Bowling Green Falcons on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. Being an exhibition match the teams opted for four 30-minute periods instead of the traditional two 45-minute periods. Indiana scored three goals in the first period and cruised over the Falcons 6-1. Junior Stephane Njike opened the scoring for the Hoosiers with 17:03 left in the first period as the Transfer from Maryland along with Florida Atlantic Transfer Oliver Moller-Jensen who scored with 10:30 left in the opening period was part of the top ranked transfer class in the nation according to Top Drawer Soccer.
Indiana dominated from the start putting up 10 shots in the first 30 minutes to just 1 for Bowling Green. Indiana Goalkeeper Michal Mroz who transferred from Evansville made 1 save while Bowling Green Senior Goalkeeper Enzo Gil made 2 saves. The Hoosiers added a third goal in the first period when Easton Bogard scored with 37 seconds left and the Hoosiers had 1 corner kick. In the Second Period Easton Bogard scored his second goal of the night with 22:33 left in the period to put the Hoosiers up 4-0 and then added his third goal of the night with 15:55 left. The Hoosiers outshot Bowling Green 6-1 in the second period as Bowling Green had 2 corner kicks. Gil Made 2 saves in the period for Bowling Green and Mroz made one save for the Hoosiers.
Both Teams made a change between the pipes to begin the third period as Bowling Green went with Senior Jason Ball and Indiana went with Freshman Ryan Hunsucker from Westfield, Indiana and stands 6-4. Indiana continued its assault on the offensive end with 10 shots in the third period and 6 corner kicks, but the Hoosiers did not score. Ball made 5 saves in the third period for the Falcons and Hunsucker did not make a save for the Hoosiers. Bowling Green switched goalkeepers for the final 30 minutes as Senior Will Schutte enter the game and Hunsucker remained in net for the Hoosiers and he made 1 save in the fourth period. Marshall DeGraff replaced Schutte in goal for the final 15 and half minutes of the match. Indiana scored with 1:20 left in the match with the goal from Bowling Green Transfer Bennett Painter with 1:20 left in the match. Bowling Green got on the scoreboard with 4:33 left in the match when J Mossholder scored past Ryan Hunsucker to break up the Hoosiers Clean Sheet.
Indiana outshot the Falcons 30-4 and had an 8-4 advantage on corner kicks. The Falcons made 9 saves in goal while Indiana made 3. The Hoosiers and The Falcons have played 20 times from 1981-2021 as the Hoosiers lead the all-time series 16-3-1 including a 9-2 record in Bloomington. Indiana has won the last four in the series, and the last time Bowling Green beat the Hoosiers came on October 13, 1996, with a 2-1 victory in Bloomington.
Indiana Head Coach Todd Yeagley begins his 17th season in charge of his alma mater with a record of 216-74-58 and a Big Ten Record of 73-28-23 and the Hoosiers have been to the NCAA Tournament every year and won it all in 2012. The Hoosiers finished the 2025 season with a 12-6-1 record and 5-5 record in the Big Ten and lost at home to Saint Louis 1-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Indiana men’s soccer roster features several new faces, as 13 of the 30 players join the program either from the transfer portal or as first-year students. Head coach Todd Yeagley and his staff brought in the top-ranked transfer class according to Top Drawer Soccer, featuring eight proven producers with NCAA Tournament experience. They join a solid foundation of 17 returners, including Alex Barger, Charlie Heuer, Josh Maher and Collins Oduro – each having at least two seasons of experience with the program. Barger and Maher will serve as captains for this team.
The Hoosiers have 10 Forwards, 7 Midfielders, 9 Defenders and 4 Goalkeepers that make up this year’s team. That is looking to build on the tradition and the legacy that is the Indiana University Hoosiers Men’s Soccer Program. Michael Adu-Gyamfi, Luka Bezerra, Easton Bogard, Oliver Moller-Jensen, Clay Murador, Stephane Njike, Collins Oduro, Dempsey Resich, Owen Sloan and Bennett Painter are the Forwards. EJ Dreher, Jacopo Fedrizzi, Charlie Heuer, Justin Shreffler, Alex Matthews, Grant Paskus and Wes Carnevale are the Midfielders. Alex Barger, Drew Gaydosh, Nolan Kinsella, Josh Maher, Breckin Minzey, Luke Reidell, Nick McHenry, Sam Hess and Vincent Uglow are the Defenders. Cooper Johnsen, AJ Piela, Michal Mroz, Ryan Hunsucker are the Goalkeepers.
Two Hoosiers featured in Top Drawer Soccer’s Postseason Top 100 list after the dust settled on the 2025 season, IU’s leading goalscorer Palmer Ault placing No. 11 ahead of Collins Oduro at No. 84. Following Indiana’s raid of the transfer portal this offseason, now three members of this 2026 Indiana squad placed in that list highlighting the top players in college soccer. Njike ranked just behind Ault at No. 15 after a first-team All-Big Ten, first-team All-North Region season at Maryland where he recorded seven goal and seven assists in 2025. Mroz was one of a small number of goalkeepers to make the list, taking the No. 84 spot. Logging all 1,800 minutes for Evansville last season, Mroz kept six clean sheets and a 0.95 goals against average before transferring to IU ahead of the spring semester.
Indiana pulled in several attacking options as it looks to follow up an attack that scored 46 goals last season. While Ault (16 goals in 2025) and Colton Swan (3 goals) moved on to professional opportunities, Yeagley’s staff welcomed Bennett Painter (21 career goals), Njike (13 goals) and Oliver Moller-Jensen (8 goals) while returning Oduro (12 goals) and Jacopo Fedrizzi (8 goals). First-year players Michael Adu-Gyamfi and Dempsey Resich have yet to open their collegiate accounts but could have the chance to quickly strengthen IU’s attacking dynamic. Charlie Heuer and Wes Carnevale have each proven they can produce from their midfield positions, combining for 14 goals and 11 assists in their careers.
Modern MLS SuperDraft rules allow athletes selected to return to school prior to making the jump to professional soccer. Four members of the 2026 IU men’s soccer team have taken advantage of the new regulations – two returners and two newcomers. Collins Oduro begins his second season since earning a selection in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft with the 57th overall pick by Orlando City in the Second Round. Alex Barger and transfers Stephane Njike and Michal Mroz all heard their names called in the 2026 draft. Barger was selected with 60th overall pick by Inter Miami in the second round. Njike was selected in the third round with the 61st overall pick by DC United and Mroz was selected 83rd overall by Minnesota United.
The Hoosiers will host Loyola (Chicago) on Saturday Night at 7:30 PM in their second and final exhibition game before opening the Regular Season at Home with In-State Rivals Notre Dame on August 20, at 8 PM. Loyola (Chicago) is coached by former Indiana Hoosier Kevin Robson who was as an assistant coach from 2013-25 for Todd Yeagley. Robson played at Indiana from 2003-06 and won Back-to-Back National Championships in 2003 and 2004 and was Student Coach in 2007.
Bowling Green has already played an exhibition game last Friday at Home against Detroit Mercy and will play their and final exhibition game on Friday afternoon at 2 PM when they travel to Purdue Fort Wayne. The Falcons open the regular season on Thursday August 20 at home against Wright State. Bowling Green finished the 2025 season with a 5-8-4 record and Missouri Valley Conference Record of 1-4-2. Head Coach Eric Nichols beings his 18th year in charge with an overall record of 136-127-48 and a conference record of 41-45-20. Nichols took the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2020 which was played in the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and 2021 Fall Season.