HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Maximilian Borisovskly (Sr., Berlin, Germany) made his lone goal of the contest count by putting away a chance with 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter for the deciding blow as Big Ten Division Champion/No. 9-ranked Indiana University proved one score better than Florida Division Champion/No. 10 Florida International University, 6-5, in the opening round of the 2026 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship at the Huntsville Aquatics Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Indiana – which is making the program’s first appearance at the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship since placing 11th in 2013 during the team’s inaugural berth – can finish no lower than Eighth Place in the final 16-team championship field due to its defeat of FIU. The Hoosiers will seek to lock-up a guaranteed Top Four finish in the field on Saturday, November 7, as Indiana clashes with Southwest Division Champion/No. 2 San Diego State University at 11:20 a.m. Central in the National Collegiate Club Championship quarterfinals.
Florida International – which is back at Nationals for the first time since taking Second Place at the University of Florida in 2009 – will square off with New York Division Champion Cornell University at 8:40 p.m. this evening in a consolation contest. The Golden Panthers – which have finished Second (2009), Fifth (2006), Sixth (2007) and Seventh (2005) at Nationals in four prior trips – are guaranteed to finish outside the Top Eight for the first time as the team can now place no higher than Ninth in the 2026 field.
Trailing 5-3 with 4:42 left in the fourth quarter, Indiana took command of the game as James Struhs (Jr., San Diego, Calif.) (2:44) and Meyer Chemerinski (So., Los Angeles, Calif.) (2:07, man-up) fired in shots to balance the scoreboard at five-all and raise the potential of overtime for the first time at the 2026 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
However, Borisovskly put any doubts of the contest’s outcome to rest with 24 seconds left by swishing the game-winner. Player of the Game/goalkeeper Aidan Reedy (Jr., Elmhurst, Ill.) – who stopped eight shots in the contest – and the Hoosiers made the one-goal lead stand-up down the stretch to put Indiana into the quarterfinals.
The game was nip-tuck throughout as James Lowery (Fr., Hermosa Beach, Calif.) staked the Hoosiers to a 1-0 margin with 3:37 left in the first quarter. However, the Golden Panthers struck back as Lester Machado (Hialeah, Fla.) and Yovany Marquez (Hialeah, Fla.) notched man-up (3:09) and natural (20 seconds) strikes, respectively, to put FIU ahead 2-1 at the conclusion of the contest’s inaugural seven minutes.
The pace of the contest slowed in the second quarter as an equalizing tally by Chemerinski with 2:27 remaining in the first half was the lone blow to permit the squads to enter halftime deadlocked at two-all.
Florida International regained the lead with 5:27 on the third quarter clock via a volley by Machado, but the Hoosiers answered right back courtesy a cannon shot by Struhs at 4:21 to put the teams back into equilibrium at three-all.
The Golden Panthers appeared to begin pulling away to victory in the waning moments of the third quarter and first half of the fourth quarter as Guillermo Reboredo (Caracas, Venezuela) converted a man-up chance with 48 seconds remaining in the third quarter prior to Juan Lopez (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) denting the twine with an even-strength marker at 4:42 to stake FIU to a game-high two-goal lead at 5-3.
From there, Indiana took command to rally back and advance closer to a National Championship game berth.
For Florida International, Marquez, Reboredo and Lopez racked up single goals to accompany a pair by Macado. Goalkeeper Connor Altendao (Miami, Fla.) made eight saves.
Struhs and Chemerinski both tallied pairs for Indiana in the win with Lowery and Borisovskly contributing single goals.
Indiana University’s James Struhs (#5)
Florida International University’s Yassin Taymor (#7)
Indiana University’s Aidan Reedy (#1)
