Indiana University Athletics
10/29/2026 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Stephane Njike is a man of his word. Indiana's third-year forward isn't a Hoosier because he wants to light up the soccer scoring stat sheet. He sees the bigger picture.
"For me, the goal is not to score goals," he says. "I want to win and have fun."
Njike has had plenty of both since transferring from Maryland after last season. The No. 4 Hoosiers share the Big Ten lead with No. 8 Michigan State and No. 7 Washington. All three teams are 5-1-2 in conference play with two games remaining.
Indiana (12-1-3 overall) plays at No. 17 UCLA (8-2-5) on Friday and hosts Michigan State (10-2-3) next Wednesday to close out the regular season.
Njike, meanwhile, ranks fourth on IU in scoring with two goals and 10 points. Yes, that's a drop from the seven goals and 21 points he totaled last season at Maryland, and the six goals and 17 points he totaled as a freshman at LIU, but it's less about his offensive numbers and more about the Hoosiers' surrounding talent.
Also, Njike's six assists rank fourth in the Big Ten.
Forward Oliver Moller-Jensen leads the team with 10 goals and 24 points. Both are second in the conference behind Washington's Zach Ramsey. Forward Easton Bogard has six goals and 14 points. Forward Collins Oduro has four goals and 11 points.
"I love it," Njike says about being surrounded by good players.
Coach Todd Yeagley praises Njike's passing and ability to be "dangerous" throughout a game, but it's the defensive improvement that stands out the most.
"The thing I'm most proud of," Yeagley says, "is how far he's come with his team defending and his accountability defensively. He makes some phenomenal runs defensively.
"He's known for his attacking, but he knows that he needs to become the most complete player he can be, and he's doing really well at that."
Midfielder Charlie Heuer is a believer.
"Stephane can really control the offense on his own," he says. "He's great. I try to find him early because I know he's a special player and one of the best players in the country, but he's also a selfless player and one of my good friends."
IU is in position to win its first regular season Big Ten title since 2024 (and 20th overall) behind the conference's best defense. Goalkeeper Michal Mroz, a transfer from Evansville, has allowed just eight goals all season, the best in the conference, as is his goals against average of 0.53 (Wisconsin's Judewellin Michel is next at 1.01) and his save percentage of .846. Not surprisingly, Mroz's seven shutouts also lead the Big Ten.
"He's got all the athletic tools," Yeagley says. "His decisions on when to speed up the game and when to slow it down are good. He has great tempo. Every week I see improvement in him. The guys in front of him have a lot of confidence that he can make a play when he needs to."
Mroz might need to be at his best given the Hoosiers have scored just one goal in its last three matches. Still, they control their own destiny.
"We're just going to take one game at a time" Njike says, "and focus on the next opponent."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Stephane Njike is a man of his word. Indiana's third-year forward isn't a Hoosier because he wants to light up the soccer scoring stat sheet. He sees the bigger picture.
"For me, the goal is not to score goals," he says. "I want to win and have fun."
Njike has had plenty of both since transferring from Maryland after last season. The No. 4 Hoosiers share the Big Ten lead with No. 8 Michigan State and No. 7 Washington. All three teams are 5-1-2 in conference play with two games remaining.
Indiana (12-1-3 overall) plays at No. 17 UCLA (8-2-5) on Friday and hosts Michigan State (10-2-3) next Wednesday to close out the regular season.
Njike, meanwhile, ranks fourth on IU in scoring with two goals and 10 points. Yes, that's a drop from the seven goals and 21 points he totaled last season at Maryland, and the six goals and 17 points he totaled as a freshman at LIU, but it's less about his offensive numbers and more about the Hoosiers' surrounding talent.
Also, Njike's six assists rank fourth in the Big Ten.
Forward Oliver Moller-Jensen leads the team with 10 goals and 24 points. Both are second in the conference behind Washington's Zach Ramsey. Forward Easton Bogard has six goals and 14 points. Forward Collins Oduro has four goals and 11 points.
"I love it," Njike says about being surrounded by good players.
Coach Todd Yeagley praises Njike's passing and ability to be "dangerous" throughout a game, but it's the defensive improvement that stands out the most.
"The thing I'm most proud of," Yeagley says, "is how far he's come with his team defending and his accountability defensively. He makes some phenomenal runs defensively.
"He's known for his attacking, but he knows that he needs to become the most complete player he can be, and he's doing really well at that."
Midfielder Charlie Heuer is a believer.
"Stephane can really control the offense on his own," he says. "He's great. I try to find him early because I know he's a special player and one of the best players in the country, but he's also a selfless player and one of my good friends."
IU is in position to win its first regular season Big Ten title since 2024 (and 20th overall) behind the conference's best defense. Goalkeeper Michal Mroz, a transfer from Evansville, has allowed just eight goals all season, the best in the conference, as is his goals against average of 0.53 (Wisconsin's Judewellin Michel is next at 1.01) and his save percentage of .846. Not surprisingly, Mroz's seven shutouts also lead the Big Ten.
"He's got all the athletic tools," Yeagley says. "His decisions on when to speed up the game and when to slow it down are good. He has great tempo. Every week I see improvement in him. The guys in front of him have a lot of confidence that he can make a play when he needs to."
Mroz might need to be at his best given the Hoosiers have scored just one goal in its last three matches. Still, they control their own destiny.
"We're just going to take one game at a time" Njike says, "and focus on the next opponent."
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's SoccerFriday, October 30
Friday, October 30
Thursday, October 29
Thursday, October 29