Following two wins at the Mike Berticelli Tournament last weekend, including an overtime victory against San Diego, the Hoosiers will return home for the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic.
IU will take on San Francisco on Friday and South Florida on Sunday in what will be its first two home games of the season. After traveling to northern Indiana for the first few games, the Hoosiers will have their home fans behind them for the first time this season.
“This is the best week,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “There’s nothing like our classic. We tell the freshmen that it will be one of the more enjoyable experiences while they are here, and there’s nothing like the atmosphere and excitement leading into this weekend.”
Last season IU went 8-1-3 in front of its home crowd, and the only loss came at the hands of Virginia Tech in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers also went 4-2-1 against ranked opponents last season as well, and beat the likes of Akron, Michigan State, Butler and California.
Yeagley said he wants to improve execution in the final third of the pitch when the team makes its home debut and said the attacking phase will improve throughout the season through preparation.
“We’re going to be the team that’s going to be as prepared as anyone when games get tight down the stretch,” Yeagley said.
For the freshmen, this weekend will be their first games in front of a true college student section. The team played one exhibition game against Xavier at home, but it didn’t have the same atmosphere as a regular season game in Bill Armstrong Stadium.
IU freshman attacker Griffin Dorsey, who scored the game winner in extra time against San Diego, was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. He said the upperclassmen have been telling the freshmen what it’s like to play at home in Bloomington.
“I’m excited,” Dorsey said. “I heard the crowd is one of the best in the country, and I’m excited to step out onto the field with the Hoosiers on our shoulders.”
After starting in goal and recording 190 scoreless minutes last weekend, IU freshman goalkeeper Trey Muse said he expects the stadium to have a good environment when the first whistle blows.
“The rest of the guys have been really excited to play in front of the home fans, so it should be fun,” Muse said. “We obviously want to get the win when they’re here, so hopefully we can do that.”
Muse also said he knows what the Hoosier faithful bring to every game just by knowing the tradition the team has.
“The older guys have told me a little bit of what it’s like,” Muse said. “I’ve known about the tradition here for a long time, but it’s a good place and should be a lot of fun.”
Yeagley said he expects a few changes to the starting lineup this weekend, but he said it’s not all about how the players perform when he makes the decision. He said the coaching staff is trying to find certain combinations between different players as the season gets going.
“Unlike last year, I think we have combinations that will make a difference, and we want to find those,” Yeagley said. “I don’t think not starting will knock any of the guys’ confidence when it comes to selection, which makes it easier to rotate mid-game knowing that the players who we are going to bring in are going to be just as good as our starting 11.”
IU will play San Francisco at 8 p.m. Friday and South Florida at 8 p.m. Sunday. San Francisco will go into its game against IU with an 0-2 record, while South Florida will enter the weekend 1-0.
