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There’s winning, and then there’s domination. The difference between the two almost always comes down to control. A team could win at the last second in an absolute shootout where the ultimate outcome is up in the air until the last second. A team can also go out on the field and outrun, outphysical and overall outplay their opponent from the opening kickoff.
What was witnessed on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor was the latter. Indiana (6-3-5 overall, 4-1-2 Big Ten) dominated the Michigan men’s soccer team (6-2-4, 1-2-3) in a 5-0 blowout.
In the third minute, sophomore midfielder Joao Paulo Ramos got off the first shot of the night, but the Hoosier counterattack was swift and debilitating. Out of Indiana’s five total goals of the evening, four came during the first half. The first of this frenzied barrage found the back of the net just before the five minute mark, off a corner that dinked in off a rebound by Hoosier midfielder Justin Weiss. Bringing about only the second time this year where the Wolverines had to play from behind, that early goal was not something they were equipped to handle.
“I can’t say it’s a trend because it’s only the second time it’s happened,” Michigan coach Chaka Daley said about the deficit. “It’s something that we just addressed (in the huddle after the game).”
After drawing first blood early, Indiana kept the speed and physicality of play at an intensity the Wolverines couldn’t keep up with. A second ball soon sailed right past Michigan’s keeper in the 15th after Hoosier midfielder Breckin Minzey beat out every defender with his legs and fired from ten yards out. Weiss then put up his second goal of the night, as well as the season, in the 30th minute. A strike by Hoosier defender Quinton Elliot capped off the early 4-0 lead right before halftime.
Throughout the first half, Indiana made use of another weapon besides its quick feet: its acute aggression. A plethora of clean slide tackles flipped possession in favor of the Hoosiers time and time again and wore down the Michigan counter even more.
“(Indiana) is an energized group, direct in nature,” Daley said. “They make you pay for your mistakes and we made a mistake. It was difficult sailing after that.”
The Wolverines came out of the locker room after halftime with an energy that suggested they left their mistakes in the first half, briefly matching the pace of Indiana’s attack and putting pressure on the Hoosier back line. They put up four shots in the first 20 minutes of the half, however they all landed off target.
The starters had mostly been pulled by that point in the match and the rest of the night was chalked up to game experience for the younger members on the roster, giving the starters some rest after chasing the men in red all night.
Michigan tried until the final buzzer to close the gap at all while the Hoosiers continued to try to capitalize on their beatdown. They eventually did, notching one final score in the 73rd minute, showcasing their relentless ferocity that long before sealed the Wolverines’ fate.
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