Following the weekend action, Indiana sits atop the Big Ten Men’s Soccer standings with 13 points and a bit more breathing room thanks to a top-10 victory on Friday night. Washington is three points back in second place, followed by Michigan State and Rutgers tied for third with nine points. UCLA’s Saturday night upset vaulted the Bruins into fourth place.   

Njike, Hoosiers Win Showdown with Terps 

Former Terrapin Stephane Njike scored a goal and assisted on another as No. 2 Indiana defeated No. 6 Maryland 3-1 in Bloomington on Friday night. 

After an own goal provided the Hoosiers with an early 1-0 lead, Njike sent in a cross from the left wing that was headed on to Charlie Heuer, who buried the shot. That 2-0 margin lasted until the 63rd minute when Njike beat former teammate Laurin Mack with a right-footed shot to make it 3-0. Rodrigo Neri got the Terps on the board in the 71st minute, but Indiana would not bend further.  

63' | STEPHANE. NJIKE. ?? #IUMS https://t.co/F7iVuwquUV

— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) October 3, 2026

The Hoosiers remain undefeated at home this season (8-0-0) and now enjoy a three-point lead in the Big Ten standings. They’ll welcome Kentucky to town Tuesday night on Big Ten Network. More from Bloomington.  

Bruins Take Down Spartans in L.A.   

Goals from three different Bruins and its first clean sheet of the season earned UCLA a 3-0 upset of No. 8 Michigan State on Saturday night.    

Three minutes into the second half, Diego Castano broke the ice when he received the ball in the box on the finishing end of this pretty passing play.  The Bruins clung to that 1-0 lead until the final five minutes of the contest. With the Spartans pushing aggressively for the equalizer, UCLA was able to take advantage of holes on the backend and seal the victory with goals from Jaime Amaro and Oliver Roche. 

The Bruins’ second consecutive Big Ten win moves them towards the top of the conference table, while Michigan State — shut out for just the second time this season — moves four points back of first place after suffering its first loss in Big Ten play. The Bruins’ recap.   

Here’s what else happened in the Big Ten over the weekend:   

• Friday’s top-20 battle between No. 15 Washington and No. 19 Wisconsin ended in a scoreless draw. Badger goalie Judewellin Michel made five saves to keep the conference’s best offense off the scoresheet. 

• Rutgers tallied three goals in the opening nine minutes on its way to a 4-0 victory over Northwestern.  

• Martin Wurschmidt scored twice in the final three minutes to lift Ohio State to a 2-1 comeback win against Penn State. 

• Michigan fell 2-1 to Portland on Sunday.  

East Coast Clash on Tuesday Night 

Maryland travels to Piscataway to face Rutgers on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network), with the objective of bouncing back from its loss to Indiana. Despite its No. 6 ranking in the country, the Terrapins are just 1-2-1 in conference play so far. A victory in New Jersey would propel them up the Big Ten table. Rutgers, aside from a loss to Washington, has won three Big Ten matches – two of them against ranked teams. A victory in Tuesday’s contest would put the Scarlet Knights in second place, one point back of first.  

This matchup could come down to the play of the goalkeepers, who have been busy this season. Reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year Laurin Mack (Maryland) leads all conference keepers with 37 saves in 2026 and Rutgers’ Rafael Ponce de Leon is second with 32 of his own. 

  

Check out the upcoming schedule and standings. 

  

Photo courtesy of iuhoosiers.com