DiPrimio: ‘Right at Home’ – Ault Makes Big First Impression
8/24/2025 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Of course, it was Palmer Ault. It had to be Palmer Ault – the first Indiana Hoosier this season to score in a match that counted, the one who ignited a dramatic soccer rally against Clemson.
THIS is why Ault is a Hoosier after transferring from Butler, to score goals, big goals, difference-making goals; to boost an offense that graduated three stars, to help deliver a long-awaited ninth national championship.
"Minutes don't matter to me," the 5-10 senior forward says. "It's building the team. It's all about the next win."
Eleventh-ranked IU has always thrived in out-shooting opponents (it out-shot No. 9 Clemson 12-8 during Thursday night's 2-2 tie at Armstrong Stadium), but at times, it has struggled to outscore them. Ault, freshman Colton Swan and Evansville transfer Jacopo Fedrizzi are among the new Hoosiers set to change that.
"Clemson is really good," head coach Todd Yeagley says, "but I thought we were the more dangerous team. We were creating chances. Clemson has some special players, but I liked what we were creating."
Few create better than Ault, who scored 21 goals and recorded 54 total points in three seasons at Butler before moving south. He has big plans for the season, personally and team-wise; he has the ability and confidence to make it happen.
"I'm setting my sights high," he says. "I'm aiming for player of the year. That isn't as much an individual accolade as a team goal. It comes with team success. It's about the team that wins. That's all that matters."
Ault's team-first approach was honed during his All-America prep career that includes leading Noblesville High School to a 62-11-5 four-year record, including the 2021 Class 3A state title while setting school records for points (173) and goals (67).
That's become even more of an emphasis now that he's on a national title contender.
"It doesn't matter if I have no goals and Colton has them all," Ault says. "At the end of day, it's about getting wins."
Ault and Swan, who totaled 67 goals and 26 assists at the club level, are already developing a potent scoring connection.
"Colton is a special player," Ault says. "He had professional experience playing for the (Colorado Rapids Academy) and getting in with their first-team training and scoring loads of goals with them. From a talent perspective, you can't ask much more to come in and hit the ground running. It's been a great connection with him.
"We have the same goals – leading this team to a national championship, having pro aspirations. You love to have guys come in and know how to play team ball and know what it takes to win."
Yeagley praises Palmer's intelligence, position flexibility and combination play along with Swan, Michael Nesci, Easton Bogard and others.
"Combinations will be a strength of this team," Yeagley says. "We'll have some clever roles and Palmer really achieves that. He's so multi-faceted. He can beat you on the dribble. He can quickly combine with you.
"(Against Clemson), I felt he was right on the edge of getting two to three more scoring chances."
Ault played against IU for three years at Butler. He used the spring semester to acclimate.
"I'm thankful for my time at Butler. All those guys were great to me. At this stage in my career it's been a great change, to come into this environment and this culture with these guys. I feel right at home. It's been a fantastic experience.
"With the success Indiana has had, I hope to contribute to that and hopefully go beyond."
The Clemson tie was an intriguing start.
At a rocking Bill Armstrong Stadium – the crowd of 6,395 ranks third in the stadium's soccer history behind crowds of 7,720 against UCLA in 2013 and 7,423 against UCLA in 2007 – No. 9 Indiana found, not victory, but resiliency. It dug deep to wipe out a 2-0 hole in the final 26 minutes against a powerhouse team while withstanding injuries that knocked defender Josh Maher and midfielder Charlie Heuer out of the game.
Yes, the Hoosiers were aided by a Clemson red card that left it a player short down the stretch, but they still attacked and executed and rose to the challenge, and if you saw the way Fedrizzi scored on a right-foot volley off a Nolan Kinsella assist for the match-tying goal, you understand that this group might be on to something special.
"It's good for us we were able to score two goals after being down two," Fedrizzi says. "It showed great character. It shows we're a strong team, a team that always believes. That's the main point we take."
Adds Yeagley: "The response (from being 2-0 down) was excellent. The red card helped. You feel like you want more at the end.
"It's a funny locker room after a game like that. The players are feeling good, but it's still not quite there. Something is missing. That's a good thing.
"If you had asked any of them, with 25 minutes left in the second half down 2-0, would you take a tie, they'd say sign me up, knowing it's Clemson. You get momentum from this."
IU seeks to continue that momentum Sunday night at Armstrong Stadium against San Francisco (1-0), which has won five national titles, the last in 1980.
Also coming up are home matches against Green Bay, Oregon State and Saint Louis, and a trip to Notre Dame, before Big Ten play begins with a Sept. 13 home game against Michigan.
Yeagley hopes the big home crowds continue.
"The students were awesome. They were entertained. They saw a great comeback. There was great energy in the stadium all night. They'll come back. They'll enjoy this team. This was a good showcase for college soccer."
