'A Great Test For Us': Indiana Holds Out 1-0 Victory Over Louisville To End Preseason
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It worked the second time, and at breakneck pace, too.
With Indiana defender Joel Demian's perfect and accurate clear up the field, outside wingers Sam Sarver and Tommy Mihalic, as well as forwards Collins Oduro and Maouloune Goumballe hurled themselves at Louisville's backline in their four-player detachment. There were so many, perhaps too many, options for who might score.
But Mihalic took it himself and snuck the ball right by the keeper, just like he did in last Tuesday's win at Grand Park Sports Complex. On Friday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium versus Louisville, Mihalic's goal early into the second half solidified Indiana's 1-0 victory to sweep its three-scrimmage preseason.
Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said post-exhibition that the team's defensive press was excellent, and that when they win the ball, the forwards can act quickly. Mihalic, too, understands the timeliness of counterattacks. He and Sarver last season were usually the two forwards up top in the team's 4-4-2 formation. If Mihalic and Sarver remain as the side midfielders, the team's attack will be four forwards in disguise.
"Anytime you get those opportunities with number advantages, is where we gotta go," Mihalic said Friday. "I got the ball in a good spot and made the most out of it. Hopefully, that's where a lot of goals come from, those three-versus-twos, four-versus-threes, just counterattacks where we have numbers. We obviously have the quality up the field and through the midfield to get that job done, and we did that."
In the first half, however, Indiana's spontaneous three-versus-two advantage at midfield fizzled out just as quickly as it began, as the first pass was intercepted. Still, the Hoosiers were all over the final third in the first 45 minutes, outshooting the Cardinals 8-1.
The contrast sounds stark by the numbers, but Louisville caught Indiana's backline napping once, though the Hoosiers patched that threat. There were two other occasions in the first 20 minutes where Indiana defenders Hugo Bacharach and Alex Barger cleared one-versus-one situations.
As Yeagley alluded to before playing Louisville, Friday's scrimmage was perhaps the best preseason tune-up for Indiana gearing up for the regular season because of the physicality and intensity. Aside from the uneasy moments early in the scrimmage, Louisville fouled often and roughly. The Cardinals committed seven fouls 15 minutes in, the last of which resulted in their first yellow card, briefly slowing down the frequency of fouls. But both sides combined for 32 fouls Friday night.
"Every year we play Louisville in the preseason, it really feels like a regular season game," Mihalic said. "I think it's a great test for us, for returners, for newcomers, to really see how how preseason games are before we really get into it. Obviously, we had a good crowd, so it really replicated a regular season game. They're a physical team, they're a good team and we stood up with that and I think we performed well."
As bizarre as it may sound, Yeagley admitted Friday that winning by three goals compared to just one wouldn't have been as beneficial for the team at this early stage. There is logic behind that. Because there isn't overtime in regular season matches anymore, and there wasn't overtime Friday night, either, the Hoosiers may find themselves often trying to grind out these types of one-goal victories in the Big Ten.
Had Louisville tied the score late to draw, Indiana would've felt like the loser of the tie. But there's perhaps double the upside for instead holding onto the tight win. Plus, Yeagley substituted freshmen in the second half at will. He put Alex Kara in goal, Demian at left back and Barger at right back at the same time, experimenting if Barger could play the role in case someone on the back line, like starter Brett Bebej, suffers an injury. Freshmen midfielders Logan Oliver and Clay Murador also got second-half minutes.
The Hoosiers not only have great depth, but younger players are receiving playing time in significant roles and were introduced to physical play on Friday, which wasn't the case in the first two preseason games. Despite the rotation of freshmen with veterans, the team never looked shaken, and in fact, has impressed by looking continually comfortable in the first two weeks. Results will start counting this upcoming Thursday.
Following Indiana's 1-0 win over Louisville to sweep and conclude the preseason, the Hoosiers will travel to South Bend, Ind, to play Notre Dame in the season opener Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. The match will be aired on ACC Network Extra through ESPN.
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