As the clock hits zero at Yurcak Field in Rutgers, New Jersey, the Indiana Hoosiers could do nothing but head to the locker room in a fashion that this team hasn’t seen yet this season.
In the first game of a two-game road stretch for Indiana, the team fell back to earth, losing their first game of the season 0-1 to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. It was an offensive struggle for the Hoosiers, putting just one shot on goal, which Rutgers took advantage of in the 72nd minute of the game.
Indiana was coming into the battle 11-0-2 with ten days of rest but did not come out of the gate hot. Early shots from Hoosiers Stephane Njike and Nick McHenry got the ball moving in the first ten minutes, but that would be half of the shots Indiana would put up in the half.
The Rutgers back line held a forceful Indiana attack to just four shots in the first half, but while they were able to keep the Hoosiers out of the box, McHenry and the Indiana defense kept the Rutgers frontcourt to just five shots in the first half. Goalkeeper Michael Mroz was forced into multiple situations to make saves in the first 45 minutes but kept things out of the net as Indiana went into the halftime locker room without momentum on the road.
The second half brought further frustrations for Indiana. One minute in, Njike was called for a foul, and just six minutes later, Easton Bogard and Alex Matthews were called for fouls of their own.
The offensive struggles continued for the Hoosiers as well, and after just four shots in the first half, the second half saw just five, with only one testing Rutgers goalie Rafael Ponce De Leon. Njike was called for another foul in the 53rd minute, this one being a yellow card, and four more fouls, including a Bogard yellow card, were called within the next 8 minutes. The Hoosiers' defense kept Rutgers out of the box for the most part, but with no offensive possession, the Scarlet Knights took advantage.
In the 72nd minute, Francesco Di Ponzio broke through, getting his own rebound and finishing with his right foot to the far post past Mroz, securing the game-winning goal. Indiana would have two more chances to score before time expired, but neither was placed on target, and the Hoosiers dropped their first game of the season.
The team will look to regroup, and with just four more games left in the regular season, Indiana will look to get back on track in Columbus, Ohio to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on October 20th.
