In the 2016 season Indiana tied for second in the regular season with Wisconsin. Indiana then lost to Wisconsin in semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on penalties. Indiana was selected for an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament, losing in the third round to Virginia Tech.
Preseason roster changes
Departures
Name
Number
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Notes
Colin Webb
1
GK
6-1
190
Sr.
San Diego
Graduated
Billy McConnell
2
DF
5-10
154
Sr.
Richboro, PA
Graduated
Tanner Thompson
10
MF
5-7
150
Sr.
Loomis, CA
2017 MLS SuperDraft
Christian Lomeli
30
GK
5-9
135
Sr.
Crown Point, IN
Graduated
2017 team recruits
Ten true freshmen joined the Hoosiers ahead of the 2017 campaign. Of the 10, three of the recruits were in-state recruits and six were from the midwest region. Indiana announced their initial recruiting class on February 1, 2017. In March, recruiting class was considered the fifth-best recruiting class by CollegeSoccerNews.com. Seattle Sounders FC Academy, and Sounders U-19 goalkeeper, Trey Muse, made a late commitment to Indiana on May 4, 2017.
Review
The Hoosiers finished the regular season with an undefeated record, being on the only program in the nation to achieve such an accomplishment. During the regular season, the Hoosiers finished 13-0-4 and 5-0-3 in conference play. They finished second in the Big Ten behind Michigan, and were seeded second in the 2017 Big Ten Conference Men's Soccer Tournament. There, the Hoosiers defeated Penn State and Ohio without giving up any goals. In the championship game, the Hoosiers faced Wisconsin, the same program that eliminated them from last year's Big Ten Tournament. After a scoreless draw, the Badgers got the better of the Hoosiers in a penalty shoot-out, giving the Badgers the Big Ten title. Despite failing to win the Big Ten title, Indiana earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament, where they were given the number two-overall seed. This afforded the Hoosiers a first-round bye, where they hosted the winner of the Old Dominion vs. NC State match in the second round. Old Dominion won the match 2-0, meaning the Hoosiers hosted the Monarchs in Bloomington on November 19, in the second round. Goals from Lillard, Toye and Panchot were enough for Indiana, as they cruised to a 3-0 win over Old Dominion. In the third round, or "sweet sixteen" of the tournament, Indiana hosted the 20th-ranked, New Hampshire. Thomas opened the scoring for the Hoosiers in the 10th minute, while Moore scored the game-winning goal in the 65th minute, giving Indiana a 2-0 lead over New Hampshire. The Wildcat's Jacob Gould would notch one back in the 76th minute, creating a nervy final quarter hour for the Hoosiers. Despite this, Indiana would hold on to win the match, and advance to their 25th NCAA quarterfinal and their first since their national championship run in 2012. In the quarterfinals, Indiana was pitted against their conference foes, the seventh-seed, Michigan State. The match, played at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington was sold out, with a capacity crowd of 5,450 on hand. In the match, the Spartans would score a stunning 2nd-minute goal to put the Hoosiers in an early hole. Michigan State left winger, Ken Krolicki served a cross to Ryan Sierakowski who headed it in the bottom left corner. It was Ryan Sierakowski's ninth goal of the season. The Spartans would hold on to the lead through the first half and through a third of the second half of play. In the 60th minute, Indiana's Swartz headed an inswinging corner kick to tie the match, 1-1. The score would remain gridlocked through the remainder of regulation and the two overtime periods. In penalty kicks, Indiana prevailed over Michigan State, 3-2, giving the Hoosiers their 19th College Cup appearance. In the national semifinals, Indiana took on a familiar college soccer powerhouse, North Carolina. The cagey match featured a lone goal from Gutman, who scored off a loose ball in the penalty box off a deflected corner kick. The 50th-minute goal from Gutman was the lone goal of the match and enough to send Indiana to its 15th NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Game.
