Quest for crown begins

The IU men's soccer program has been notorious for producing champion-caliber teams and it will get a shot at earning another Big Ten title this weekend.\nFresh off their conference regular season title, the top-seeded Hoosiers play the No. 5 seed Wisconsin today at 5 p.m. at Armstrong Stadium in their quest for their 10th tournament championship.\nIU has a 18-3 all-time record in conference tournament games, including a flawless 3-0 mark versus the Badgers. \nTo date, the Hoosiers (11-3-4, 5-0-1 Big Ten) have won nine consecutive games. IU's last lost was Sept. 18 to Notre Dame, 1-0 in double-overtime in South Bend and their last tie was Oct. 2. \nBut coach Jerry Yeagley has his players' eyes focused on Wisconsin, which defeated Ohio State, 2-0 in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament Thursday.\n"We certainly can't take Wisconsin for granted. They looked strong (Thursday)," Yeagley said. "It's going to take a great effort from us. Earlier this season against us, they played a man down for a good portion of the match. They played us tough. They hit two shots off the post. They will be ready."\nThe Badgers (11-9-1, 1-4-1) fell to IU during the regular season, 3-0 in Madison, Wis. on Oct. 10.\nMeanwhile, the Hoosiers captured their eighth consecutive conference regular season championship with a come-from-behind, 3-2 win over Penn State Saturday. \nThursday, Wisconsin was victorious over the No. 4 seed Buckeyes as they tallied a goal in each half.\nThe IU players said the Hoosiers have a great deal of confidence, but said they know the Big Ten tournament offers the chance for a fresh start.\n"Our confidence level has been really high the past nine or 10 games," junior midfielder Danny O'Rourke said. "But everyone's even in the tournament. We shouldn't expect anything."\nLast season, IU lost to Penn State in the semifinals of the conference tournament in Happy Valley. \nThis year, the Hoosiers' offensive weapon all season has been junior forward Ned Grabavoy. The co-captain has a team-high 10 goals and is second on the team with 55 shots. He posted two assists and had two shots on goal in the win last weekend over the Nittany Lions, which clinched the conference regular season for the Hoosiers. \nGrabavoy agreed with O'Rourke that the team's confidence level is high and cited the team's nine-game winning streak as evidence.\n"Anytime you're on a streak like that you're going to have a lot of momentum," Grabavoy said. "However, it's not a good time to get comfortable. We have to win the Big Ten Tournament." \nYeagley, who is set to retire at the end of the season, said Grabavoy is instrumental to the team.\n"This is Ned's team," Yeagley said. "He's the guy we key off of. During the second half against Penn State, he led the team back to a victory. He's a difference-maker. He's working hard to become a complete player. He's learning to play better off the ball."\nWhile Grabavoy has supplied the offense, junior goalkeeper Jay Nolly has been strong in goal for IU. He has corralled 48 saves on the season and has notched a 0.68 goals against average.\nBut the IU defense collectively has played a part in the team's ability to limit opponents. Freshmen defenders Jed Zayner and Julian Dieterle have gained experience since the beginning of the season and have seemingly learned to play defensively more effectively. As evidence, IU has surrendered a mere three goals in its last eight matches. During that same span, the Hoosiers have scored 18 goals.\nGrabavoy described the team's goals coming into the season and said winning the tournament would be special.\n"It would mean a lot to win the tournament," Grabavoy said. "I haven't played in the Big Ten Tournament. It's always a goal to win the Big Ten regular season and the Big Ten Tournament."\n-- Contact staff writer Zack Eldridge at zeldridg@indiana.edu.