Notre Dame men’s soccer was bested 1-0 by Indiana on Sunday evening in their annual Hoosier State showdown. Both teams entered the match unbeaten, but it was the 4th-ranked Hoosiers who escaped Alumni Stadium with their perfect record intact, thanks to a 35th-minute finish by junior forward Collins Oduro.
Eighth-year head coach Chad Riley’s Notre Dame side sat at 1-0-2 heading into play, despite a mixed bag of results throughout the first few weeks of the campaign. The Irish collected an impressive 1-1 draw in Ann Arbor against Michigan to open the season, before finishing 0-0 at home against IU Indy the following weekend. Last time out, Notre Dame picked up their first win of the season with a 1-0 home victory over No. 14 Oregon State nine days ago.
Led by 15th-year bench boss Todd Yeagley, the storied Hoosiers have been dominant to start 2025 as they search for the program’s ninth national championship. Indiana started the year with a grueling 2-2 draw with No. 9 Clemson, before collecting four straight victories over San Francisco, Green Bay, No. 14 Oregon State and No. 15 Saint Louis.
Sunday marked the 50th all-time meeting between the Hoosiers and the Irish, with Indiana leading the all-time series 33-11-5. The previous two regular season meetings have ended the same way they started, including a physical 2-2 draw in Bloomington last August. Notre Dame topped Indiana 5-4 on penalties in snowy South Bend en route to the College Cup in December 2023, but have not beaten the Hoosiers in the regular season since the 2016 slate.
There wasn’t much action on either side of the pitch for the first half hour, but Indiana displayed technical prowess to control possession. The 35th-minute strike was Indiana's first real opportunity of the match, and it was spearheaded by a stretch of individual brilliance by senior forward Palmer Ault. The Butler transfer creatively diced his way through the right side of Notre Dame’s defense, before serving a cross through the center of the box. The service fell to the feet of Oduru, who did well to slot his shot from 12 yards out through the collapsing Notre Dame backline.
Speaking postgame, Riley said, “I think the first half is always going to be a little cagey. We just had one moment where we had a miscommunication in the back and they capitalized on it.”
Indiana outshot Notre Dame 7-3 over the first 45 minutes, but the Irish did most of the attacking after the intermission. Shots finished 14-13 in favor of the Hoosiers, but the Irish had numerous chances to equalize over the second half. The first opportunity came in the 48th minute, when senior midfielder KK Baffour sent one of his five shots just wide of the right post.
Junior midfielder Nico Bartlett entered around the 65th-minute mark, and he immediately made an impact pressuring the Indiana back third. The best Irish chance materialized by the hustle and skill of the Bloomingdale, Illinois native, who saved a through-ball at the touchline, before knifing through two defenders and being brought down around the six-yard box. Play was stopped in the 71st-minute after the challenge, but VAR decided no penalty was to be awarded.
Riley complimented Bartlett, saying, “He’s been training well, and he’s got a lot of ability. He comes in and causes different problems for the opposition. He was really active and did a nice job of pressuring the defense to create some dangerous moments.”
Notre Dame’s final chance came off a Mitch Ferguson free kick in the 82nd minute. The senior defender’s set piece sailed just wide of the post and the outstretched arms of graduate goalkeeper Holden Brown.
Speaking on his side’s inability to break through in the run of play, Riley added, “I thought we were excellent in the second half. I think we were a little unfortunate not to get the game back level, but I’m really proud of the group as a whole and the guys who came in and gave us life.”
Brown finished with two saves, while Notre Dame sophomore netminder Blake Kelly finished with four stops. The Hoosiers escaped South Bend with a 1-0 victory to move to 5-0-1 on the season, while handing the Irish their first defeat. The all-time tally now moves to 34-11-5 in favor of the Crimson and Cream.
Indiana, who will likely move up in this week’s polls following No. 1 Stanford’s defeat at Louisville, will be off until opening Big Ten play next Saturday. The Hoosiers will return to Bloomington to welcome 3-0-2 Michigan to Bill Armstrong Stadium for an 8 p.m. first touch.
The Irish will have a short week as they also open up conference play this coming weekend. The first ACC test of the season comes this Friday on the road at Pittsburgh. The Panthers were ranked No. 10 entering this week but have dropped consecutive road contests to recent national championship–winning programs. The Georgetown Hoyas used a 75th-minute winner to top Pitt 1-0 two Fridays ago, before No. 3 Clemson won a back-and-forth 3-2 affair in the Lowcountry last Friday.
Commenting on the tough early-season slate for his side, Riley concluded, “I think that’s just what it always is now. I think we both know it's going to be a good game. They’ve got to play us too.”
The Panthers are led by graduate midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana, who has found the back of the net three times in four contests this year. The Spaniard made 19 starts a year ago coming to the U.S. after having played professionally for both CE Europa and FC Barcelona. Pitt will have to deal with a tough Butler squad at home on Monday before turning their attention to the Irish.
Friday’s tilt from Ambrose Urbanic Field is set for a 7 p.m. first touch, with streaming available on ACC Network Extra.
