DiPrimio: Still Hungry – Best Is Still Ahead for Top-Ranked Hoosiers
9/11/2025 2:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana has been here before, a No. 1 national soccer ranking, an unbeaten start amid a challenging early schedule, and promising prospects for a national championship.
The Hoosiers (5-0-1) have reached No. 1 with a resume that includes beating then No. 14 Oregon State and No. 15 Saint Louis, tying No. 9 Clemson and winning at highly regarded Notre Dame. They have won five straight matches entering Saturday night's Big Ten opener against Michigan (3-0-2) at Armstrong Stadium.
For this, IU coach Todd Yeagley offers perspective.
"We're in a good spot," he says via Zoom media availability, "but we tend to get better as the season goes on. The ranking is nice; it's flattering; it means we're doing well. It's a process. We're hungry and getting hungrier."
A No. 1 ranking is among the reasons why players come to IU; it's the standard Yeagley and his staff aspire to every year, and if it hasn't happened lately, it's not an anomaly.
The Hoosiers were last ranked No. 1 at the start of the 2021 season. They also were ranked No. in in the preseason polls of 2005, 2004 and 2002, and in polls multiple times before that.
It's part of the mystique of a program that has won eight national titles and been runner-up nine times, including three runner-up finishes in the last eight seasons.
Yeagley says the pressure that comes with a top ranking is a "privilege." He says, regardless of the rankings, "We are the circled game" against every team they play.
"Our guys know that. We always play with that mindset that we'll get the other team's best. We have to understand that.
"When you come to IU, you have that pressure. We have to be composed as a staff."
Yeagley says a No. 1 ranking in mid-September "doesn't matter" and that the Hoosiers are far from peak form.
"We're not at our 'A' game consistently."
But they have shown flashes with shutdown defense (they've only allowed five goals all season and none in the last three games and 358 minutes behind goalkeeper Holden Brown) and timely offense (see forward Collins Oduro's consecutive game winners against Saint Louis and Nore Dame).
And yet Yeagley, like all top coaches, wants more.
"We can give up less quality (scoring) chances," he says. "We can be better at limiting mistakes. We're not giving teams a lot of shots, but we can play better defensively as a unit."
The last IU team to better this season's start was the 1997 squad that won its first 23 matches before losing to UCLA 1-0 in three overtimes in the national championship match.
As before, Yeagley offers perspective.
"We schedule difficult, so any time we are undefeated five to six games into the season, you'll see (a high ranking) because of the difficulty of schedule.
"We tend to take a hit early in the season, but this year we were able to get through it. We bent but didn't break. We have a good team. We're deep.
"We're still not 100 percent healthy, but I like our options. I like our tactical flexibility. Guys are able to rotate more than in the past.
"There are a lot of new opportunities for guys. That's exciting. It puts a sense of urgency in everyone."
Urgency comes from a mix of returning veterans such as Oduro, Josh Maher, Jack Wagoner, Alex Barger, Clay Murador, Justin Shreffler and Seth Stewart; talented transfers such as Palmer Ault, Cristiano Bruletti, Victor Akoum, Ben Do and Jacopo Fedrizzi; and up-and-coming young players such as Colton Swan, Michael Nesci, Easton Bogard, Charlie Heuer, Nolan Kinsella and Breckin Minzey.
"The young players have done a nice job," Yeagley says. "A couple of redshirt players are in their first (significant) experience, and a couple of new players like Colton are new to college.
"You can see players like Nolan are more comfortable and ready to help. Look at Bogard and Nesci and Josh and Charlie. We have a lot of sophomores who have played important minutes and are now asked to do more. That's a positive because they're ready to do more.
"Our transfers have been effectively fitting in with whatever's asked of them, starting or coming off the bench. They've all been positive contributors."
Hosting Michigan will start IU's quest for its 20th Big Ten regular season title, and third straight. Yeagley says the Wolverines have "great weapons" led by midfielders Shuma Sasaki, a transfer from NAIA's University of the Cumberlands who has a team-leading five points, and Quin Rogers, who has four points. Michigan has two shutouts and has allowed four total goals.
"(Saskai) has been a big help to them," Yeagley adds. "Others have picked up their games. They return most of their back line. They are steady and good and have played good teams. It will be a tough challenge."
IU has had a six-day break since its 1-0 win at Notre Dame. Yeagley says coaches used the time to focus on the Hoosiers before dialing in on Michigan the last two days to achieve that complete 'A'-game performance.
"I'll be harder on them as far as what we have to get done," Yeagley says.
