The Purple Aces earned their first point in Bloomington in over 20 years
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Redshirt freshman midfielder Jacopo Fedrizzi (Guilia, Italy) scored his first goal of the season to help the University of Evansville men’s soccer team to its first draw of the year.
It only took six shots, but the Purple Aces earned a point against the Indiana Hoosiers on Tuesday night in a 1-1 tie. After falling behind in the first half of the match, UE had 10 minutes of strong offensive pressure that weakened the Hoosiers for Evansville’s first goal at Bill Armstrong Stadium since 2019. The draw was also the Aces first in Bloomington in almost 30 years with the last coming in October of 1995.
“It was a tough game,” said Head Coach Robbe Tarver of the match. “I thought in the first half they pinned us in really well. Any time you give up 20 shots, you have to face a lot, but I thought we were limiting their really good looks. Even though we were deeper in the field, we were able to defend and limit their chances to outside shots.
“And in the second half, we stepped a little bit higher. And I think that let us grow into the game a little bit more. It caused some turnovers to attack in transition and get some set pieces. Which I thought we were dangerous on. All in all, anytime you come to IU and get a result, you’re going to be happy. So, we’re thrilled with that, thrilled with the response of the guys and how hard we worked. It’s definitely a springboard because it shows what happens when you work your tail off and bring those intangibles into a game,”.
It was another slow first half for UE with only one shot in the first 45 minutes of action. Senior forward Nacho Diaz Barragan (Almeria, Spain) connected with the ball in the seventh minute, but it sailed wide to the left. For the rest of the half Evansville played on the defensive end of the ball, blocking three shots with three saves from freshman goalkeeper Michal Mroz (Elk Grove, Ill. / Elk Grove HS). Indiana found its way through the Aces’ defense in the 31st minute as forward Samuel Sarver scored.
UE headed into the final 45 minutes of the match facing a one-goal deficit. The Hoosiers kept the pressure on as the game got chippy in the second half with both teams being assessed a yellow card in the first 10 minutes. Diaz Barragan again connected early in the half with a shot in the 55th minute.
But it was Fedrizzi who found the back of the net in the 73rd minute. The midfielder was able to curl the ball around his defender to find the left side of the net for the score. Evansville kept the offensive attack going with a corner kick and a shot from freshman defender Martin Wurschmidt (Fram, Norway) in the following minutes. The Aces also forced two saves from Indiana goalkeeper JT Harms in the final nine minutes of the match.
But neither team found the back of the net for a last-minute game-winner. For the second time in three seasons, UE and the Hoosiers tied in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of action. Evansville returns to conference play over the weekend, heading to no. 9 Western Michigan for the first time in program history. Kick-off on Sunday, September 22nd is set for 2 p.m. CT from Kalamazoo.
