By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
When The Indiana Hoosiers and the Evansville Purple Aces Men’s Soccer Teams met on September 17, 2024, at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. Michal Mroz was the starting goalkeeper for Evansville, and the Hoosiers had won 13 consecutive home matches against the Purple Aces when Evansville stunned the Hoosiers with a 1-1 draw as Jacopo Fedrizzi scored the equalizer for the Purple Aces. Mroz and Fedrizzi are now playing for the Indiana Hoosiers and Sunday Night Mroz started his second career game for the Hoosiers and picked up his first shutout as #22 Indiana shut out Evansville 3-0.
Mroz gave up 1 goal and made 3 saves in the Season Opener against Notre Dame and against his former team he made two saves. Mroz has started all 43 matches he has played in giving up 53 goals, making 148 saves and 12 career shutouts with an overall record of 20-12-11 between the pipes. Fedrizzi did not play against his former team has played in 18 matches for the Hoosiers with 12 starts scoring 3 goals and 4 assists.
The #22 Hoosiers are 2-0 on the season and will continue their three-game homestand on Thursday Night at 8 PM when they welcome the Butler Bulldogs to Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers are 34-4-4 all-time against Evansville and have not lost to the Purple Aces since November 25, 1990, when Evansville beat Indiana 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament in Evansville. The Hoosiers are 23-0-3 since that last defeat and Evansville’s only win against the Hoosiers in Bloomington came on October 27, 1985, when the Purple Aces won 3-0.
Indiana is 847-209-123 all time since 1973 when Varsity Soccer debut on Campus. The Hoosiers are 383-67-54 all-time at Bill Armstrong Stadium and 97-11-17 with 67 shutouts in 125 matches since 2016. Head Coach Todd Yeagley is 218-76-58 in his 17th season in charge of the Hoosiers with an overall record of 225-85-60 in 18 seasons overall. The Hoosiers have scored 2,787 goals all time in their 53-year program history.
The Hoosiers have outscored their opponents 6-1 in the first two matches and the crowds have been great as Indiana saw 7,078 fans file into Bill Armstrong Stadium for the season opener which was the third largest crowd in Program History. Sunday Night saw 3,430 fans attend which means in two home matches so far Indiana has welcomed 10,058 fans and looks eclipse 30,000 fans for the fourth consecutive season.
The Hoosiers got on the board in the 34th minute when Nolan Kinsella had a shot saved from a counterattack, but the ball fell straight to the feet of Charlie Heuer, who worked a left-footed finish into the far corner of goal for his first goal of the season and Kinsella’s second assist of the season to put the Hoosiers up 1-0. The Hoosiers outshot the Purple Aces 8-1 and 2-1 in shots on goal. Michal Mroz made one first half save and Evansville goalkeeper Hugo Amo mad e 1 first half save. Evansville committed six first half fouls and the Hoosiers committed three. Indiana three corner kicks and Evansville did not have any as both teams were called for offsides once.
In the second half Josh Maher passed from the midfield circle between two Evansville players, guiding Oliver Moller-Jensen into space. Moller-Jensen dribbled into the yards of green in front of him and timed a pass with Easton Bogard’s diagonal run into the box. Bogard spun and fired a left-footed shot through the keepers near post in the 65th minute to give the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead. Its Bogard’s second goal of the season and if you want to add the four goals he scored in two preseason games, he has found the back of the net six times in four matches. For Josh Maher it his first assist of the season and second for Oliver Moller-Jensen.
The Hoosiers would add the third goal in the 85th minute as Grant Paskus’ nifty footwork in the box gave him space to play a pass to Moller-Jensen, who ripped a laser again through the keepers near post to give the Hoosiers a 3-0 lead and seal the win. Moller-Jensen has totaled eight points in his first two matches as a Hoosier, recording three goals and two assists. Sunday’s match marked his 50th-career appearance in collegiate soccer. Paskus made his first appearance for the Cream and Crimson after he transferred from Northern Illinois in the offseason and gets his first career assist as a Hoosier.
Indiana outshot Evansville 14-6 and 5-2 in shots on goal. Michael Mroz and Hugo Amo had 2 saves each between the pipes for their respective teams. The Game was physical as Evansville committed 13 fouls and Indiana Committed 6 fouls as the referee presented seven yellow cards with four to the Purple Aces and three to the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers had an 8-2 advantage on corner kicks, and both teams were called for offsides once in the match.
Evansville falls to 0-2 on the season after a 3-2 season opening loss at Bellarmine and will take on Northwestern in its next match on Friday. The Hoosiers are looking good and played without Forwards Collins Ourdo and Stephane Njike who remain out with injuries. That has not slowed down the Hoosiers who have seen three players find the back of the net so far and with many weapons to choose from the Hoosiers are looking in fine form in 2 matches with 16 more to play in the regular season.