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The Indiana Daily Student

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Men's soccer opens up Big Ten play against No. 5 Maryland

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Coming off an undefeated weekend at the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic, the Hoosiers will play their biggest game of the season on the road against No. 5 Maryland.



After beating San Francisco and South Florida by a combined score of 8-1, featuring six different goal scorers, the Hoosiers jumped up three spots from No. 7 to No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. IU leapfrogged over Maryland, which sits one spot behind the Hoosiers at No. 5.

Last year’s matchup between the two teams ended in a draw. The goal scorers for each team graduated at the end of the year, so there’s room for this season’s players to fill the void in College Park, Maryland.

Both freshmen attackers Mason Toye and Thomas Warr have started at striker for the Hoosiers this season, and IU Coach Todd Yeagley said the two underclassmen will continue to rotate on a regular basis for the foreseeable future.

“The rotation’s purpose isn’t necessarily in place to keep the two on their toes,” Yeagley said. “Each matchup every week will be part of the decision, and it also depends on who we are playing and the team’s playing style. We just want our guys to be confident in their abilities and to support each other whether or not a player gets to start.”

Maryland is the biggest game of the season for the Hoosiers, and facing the Terrapins on the road makes the matchup even tougher. Junior defender Timmy Mehl, who scored a free kick for IU over the weekend, said the team can feel how big the upcoming match is.

“We’re just excited for the environment,” Mehl said. "Everyone knows it’s going to be a good game. Both teams are some of the best in the nation, so we know it’s going to be a good competition.”

Yeagley compared the two teams and their similarities, including being able to field quality players year in and year out.

“They just reload, and that’s Maryland,” Yeagley said. “There’s a handful of groups, IU included, that does it every year. You can look at the players that were huge for them last year that they lost, but so did we. We both have done our jobs in recruiting and this is shaping up to be a fantastic match, and it’s going to be two teams being relentless with what they want to do in the game.”

The Hoosiers faced their toughest challenge Sunday against South Florida, in which the team was out-possessed for the first time this season. Yeagley said he thought it was good for his team to be challenged early on in the season, especially with a matchup against a top-five team in Maryland on its heels.

The Terrapins are coming off of wins against No. 25 UCLA and Cal Poly. Maryland outshot its opponents last weekend 34-12, and only allowed Cal Poly to get three shots off in a 1-0 win. The game against the Hoosiers will be the second time it faces a top 25 opponent this season, and the upcoming game will feature the two best teams in the Big Ten.

One player that has emerged for the Hoosiers this season is sophomore defender Jordan Kleyn, who has started at right back. Kleyn has been a key figure in the starting 11, and he said the team has been looking forward to this matchup all week.

“We always look forward to this game,” Kleyn said. “They are our biggest rival in the Big Ten, and even though we haven’t had as much success against them in recent years, we’re going to try to put them away early.”

IU’s match against Maryland will open up Big Ten play for the Hoosiers, and it will start at 7 p.m. in College Park, Maryland. The Hoosiers will look to capture their first victory at Maryland since 2000. The game will be available to watch on Big Ten Network.

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