#IUMS @ Butler

[ccgeneral 38,084]

We take on the Bulldogs tonight @ 7 pm. Looks like we have a free stream. Go Hoosiers!

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Preview

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• The Butler Bulldogs come in to Tuesday night's match-up with the Hoosiers with an overall record of 3-3 on the season.
• On Friday night, the Bulldogs fell to the No. 3 Georgetown Hoyas at the Butler Bowl, 3-0.
• Prior to the season, Butler was picked to finish sixth in the Big East in a preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches.
• Brandon Guhl leads the Bulldogs with three goals on the season.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• In series history between Indiana and Butler dating back to 1991, the Hoosiers hold a record of 23-4-4.
• IU is unbeaten in the last five matches against the Bulldogs, posting a record of 2-0-3.
• The Hoosiers are 11-1-2 against Butler in Indianapolis, with the team's last win coming on Oct. 10, 2011 (1-0).

[Aaron 4,265]

I have not seen Butler yet this year but I watch a ton of them and know their style well. It is completely the opposite of Wiscy and sitting back. They love to use speedy forwards to send balls over the top of the defense. Its very similar to IU with Endeley but they do it a lot more often. They have never had a good defense which is why the Hoosiers often score on them (except 2017) but get scored on as well and it could be similar tonight. It depends how much Butler has improved from last year (when IU won big) and I have not watched them yet. In the last few matches at the Butler Bowl IU won in 2011, lost in 2013 (blowing a late two goal lead) and tied in 2015 and 2017.

This is also their game of the year for Butler and treat IU as their Super Bowl. I have a major issue with how IU and Butler fans go at each other and this bleeds to soccer as well. Butler always says IU is their biggest rival when they should be focused on the Big East rivals like Xavier and not worry about IU and have developed a good thing in their athletics. IU fans on other hand act like losing to Butler is a big deal and you have lost to some small time program in  a huge upset when in reality it is losing to an equal team. It's no different then Xavier vs Ohio St, Marquette vs Wiscy or Creighton vs Nebraska. IU and Butler are fellow Big 6 schools now and should be looked at that way by both sides. As someone who likes both teams (IU grad, former Butler employee) its hard for me to watch the silliness of BOTH sides fans.

Be prepared for a packed crowd and a split crowd with nearly half IU fans. One other thing is they use the football field for soccer which I hate and is turf which IU does not play on often and also has football lines on it which is a bit confusing. I'll be there living in Indy and will try to send updates from my phone. 

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Endeley in for Black.

[ccgeneral 38,084]

 

[LIHoosier 25,901]

Penalty!

Saved, easy height for the keeper and wasn't near the post either.

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Bezerra's PK blocked.

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Butler strikes first..

1-nil, 24'

[Aaron 4,265]

Huge mistake by the IU D trying to pass back to Caulfield with a Butler guy running down on him who takes the back pass and scores. 1-0 Butler on their first shot. Typical so far this year. Dominate a game but make one huge mistake and fall down early. Need to grow up.

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Butler leads 1-nil @ half.

Shots: IU 6-1

SOG: IU 4-1

[Aaron 4,265]

Rinse and repeat the ND game. Dominate the first half but make a huge defensive mistake and let the other team score. Dominating and not scoring happens but the defensive mistakes are a first since 2013 due to our youth. A big issue is teams love to attack the right against us and Kleyn does not hold up well. There is a reason he started as a freshman then lost his job to new higher recruits. Kleyn as a senior was the one with the inexcusable back tap mistake. He's the best we have got right now but the right side is where teams hurt us this year with Maher still dominating the left. 

This would of been a better match for later in the year when IU gels a bit. I give Butler credit as they have always been one of the few non-elite teams against IU to play their style and not park the bus and its worked at times. Tonight not so much and only the IU mistake and the missed PK by Bezerra are the reason IU does not lead 1-0.

I fully expect IU to equalize in the second half against this leaky Butler D and be in OT again much like ND but trailing right now because of a defensive mistake on a Butler ball sent over the top like they love to do.

[Aaron 4,265]

Butler scores again on a long ball over the top. IU getting a hard lesson in youth and not captializing tonight. Butler two goals. two shots.

[Aaron 4,265]

A Butler error on a corner gives IU a goal. It's 2-1. Seven minutes to equalize. Not a clean game by either team.

[Aaron 4,265]

Iu falls 2-1. Thoughts later

[WayneFleekHoosier 47,969]

Bad loss. Will need to rebound from this lackluster result.


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[Aaron 4,265]

This is a hard one for me. I am an IU grad and bleed Cream and Crimson but my first job out of school was with Butler in the athletic department and my office was right next to Coach Snape (Butler's coach) and I got to know him pretty well. To talk to him afterward and see how much this meant for his program and the smile on his face made me feel so good. As hard as it was to see IU lose, I can more then handle this given Butler signed my paychecks for two years and my personal relationship with their coach. If you noticed I didn't use 'we' or 'us' in my preview given my connection to both sides. In basketball which is a program I had no connection to at Butler I always more want IU (although I am not mad if Butler wins) but when its baseball or men's or women's soccer its hard for me since I have worked closely with those programs in the past.

With that said lets talk about the game. IU dominated again but continues to not finish opportunities and is susceptible to slipping up on D. I talked with Coach Snape after (I obviously didn't talk to Yeagley since I don't know him;)) and I give him credit for playing IU all out and not sitting back and parking the bus and it makes for a far more interesting game when these two teams play. Elite teams play IU straight up, but teams a hair below (besides Butler and Michigan) generally park the bus on IU (like Wisconsin Friday) and I don't enjoy watching it. Even if we lose to Butler or Michigan (and especially Butler obviously) I can handle it better knowing they played IU straight up and went all out for the win playing great quality soccer. 

Hopefully IU's young team learned a lesson tonight. I am not that worried about Sacramento St. Friday but I do worry about road games against Penn State and Northwestern after that who are much improved teams and will park the bus on you and we need to respond. Tonight is important if IU learns from it and cleans up their defensive mistakes. Butler's first goal came because Kleyn cleared a ball wrong (this was after IU missed a PK) off Butler's signature long ball that their stud forward Brandon Guhl put in and it changed the whole game. It's happening every game where we are dominating but making one fatal mistake and teams are contently pressuring IU's right with Jordan Kleyn right now. Maher on the Left has done as well as Gutman did but we really miss Buckmaster on the right and Kleyn was out on an island with Guhl way to often tonight.      

Let's learn and move on.