Bloomington, Ind. – Indiana Men’s Soccer starts off the 2019 season 2-0 after two come from behind wins against Pittsburgh and UCLA in the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic.
No. 2 Indiana went through these two matches to secure two solid victories after a weekend of highly physical play. Friday night, the Hoosiers and Panthers picked up 33 fouls and 4 yellow cards in the opening night at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
The Hoosiers did not have an answer for Pittsburgh junior Edward Kizza who scored two goals in the first half to go up 2-0 on the Hoosiers. The 2-0 lead did not last long as the Hoosiers answered with a goal from freshman Josh Penn at 49′ and Ian Black at 56′. It was Herbert Endeley’s fast-break goal in 2OT that put the Hoosiers over the Panthers to end the night.
Sunday, the Hoosiers were supposed to face the Bruins; however, due to inclement weather, the match was postponed to Monday.
In a match-up of two of Division-I’s most storied programs, having a combined 12 national titles between the two schools (8 Indiana, 4 UCLA). This is the seventh time the two teams have met since their 4OT thriller in the 1999 College Cup semifinals, and their first time meeting since 2013 where the Hoosiers lost 1-0. UCLA defeated Northwestern 1-0 in OT on Friday.
After a scoreless first half, the Hoosiers were the first to let up a goal in the 56th minute, but quickly equalized from a goal at 58′ by Victor Bezerra. Indiana secured the victory at 104′ by defender Jack Maher’s first goal of the season.
