#8 Butler Upends #25 Indiana, 4-1
BLOOMINGTON, IND. -- Sophomore Tyler Pollock scored a pair of
goals and two other teammates found the back of the net to lead #8
Butler to a 4-1 victory over #25 Indiana in a non-league match-up
of nationally-ranked teams at Bill Armstrong Stadium on Wednesday
(Oct. 27). The victory kept the 14-0-1 Bulldogs as one of
three unbeaten teams in the nation.
Pollock, who had just one goal on the season coming into the
match, scored Butler’s final two goals against the Hoosiers,
who were 6-1 against nationally-ranked teams. His first goal
from 15 yards out after taking a pass from freshman Adekunle
Oluyedun gave the Bulldogs a commanding 3-0 lead at halftime.
He then launched a shot from 20 yards out at 76:14 for the final
margin.
Butler wasted little time jumping on the Hoosiers (8-5-2), who
were coming off a 3-0 win at No. 10 Michigan State. Freshman
Austin Oldham gathered the ball off a bad pass from goalkeeper Luis
Soffner and then fired to the back of the net just over 14 minutes
into the contest. It was his fourth goal of the season.
Senior Jacob Capito then made it 2-0 at 42:45
with a shot from 30 yards out to the top left corner of the
net. It was Capito’s third goal of the season.
Indiana, which had beaten the Bulldogs, 1-0, in last year’s
NCAA Tournament match at Armstrong Stadium, ended Butler’s
shutout bid at 53:54 on the 13th goal of the season by Will
Bruin. Sophomore Joe Tolen picked up an assist on the
Hoosiers’ lone goal. Bruin scored the game-winner
against the Bulldogs in last year’s NCAA Tournament
meeting.
Butler finished with a 13-11 advantage in shot in the match,
including a 9-4 edge in shots on goal. Pollock led the Butler
attack with three shots, all on goal, while senior Ben Sippola
added a pair of shots on goal.
Senior goalkeeper Fabian Knopfler, who leads the Horizon League in
goals against average, finished with three saves.
The Bulldogs will play their final regular season road match on
Saturday, Oct. 30, at Detroit. The Titans are currently tied
for second place in the league standings behind Butler. The
Bulldogs can clinch the league title with a win or tie in the 2
p.m. (ET) contest.
