Despite a 2-1 loss in the Big Ten tournament last week, heads remained high after the announcement the IU men's soccer team would be seeded No. 2 in the NCAA tournament. Much of the reason for enthusiasm among the Hoosiers was the knowledge that their tournament fate lies in the hands of five men who have been there before -- the defense.\nWith seniors Jay Nolly and Danny O'Rourke, junior Drew Moor and sophomores Julian Dieterle and Jed Zayner, every IU defender knows exactly what is expected of him come crunch time.\n"It's a lot of pressure on the defense's shoulders, but we know how it is from last year," Zayner said. "I think we'll take it moment by moment, and we won't let anybody get through. Just like no shots in our scrimmage (Sunday) against our second team and no shots against IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, no shots for the whole tournament."\nThough not allowing a single shot throughout the tournament may be a tall task, the Hoosiers have certainly excelled in minimizing opportunities for opposing teams this season. IU has 200 more shots than its opponents this season and has nearly three times as many shots on goal.\n"That's the way the Indiana teams have always done well," Moor said. "They've always had a real strong defensive unit, and it shouldn't be any different with (us). We've been with each other for almost two years now so it makes things that much easier."
NO LONGER A MISSING PIECE\nThe news around this time last season looked a little bleaker than this year, yet IU was still able to capture the National Championship. \nIt was right after the Big Ten Championship that Moor and former IU forward Ned Grabavoy told the team they would be forced to play without them for the NCAA tournament. Moor and Grabavoy both traveled with the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team last season and missed the first four rounds of the College Cup.\n"I had known about the decision for a couple weeks at this point last year, but I hadn't made the decision until after the conference championship," Moor said. "But my mind was always set on going ahead and going if I had the opportunity."\nBut this year, the Hoosiers come with all their pieces in place with Moor still in the country and injuries that nagged Dieterle and sophomore forward Jacob Peterson throughout the season no longer problems.\n"It's nice to have our team in tact," said IU coach Mike Freitag. "Everybody is healthy now and I think they are biting at the bit to get after it."
COME ONE, COME ALL\nA major staple of IU soccer, this season and in year's past, has been the large crowds that tend to accumulate at Bill Armstrong Stadium, and even on the road. \nThis season, the Hoosiers have seen an average attendance of 2,470 people at home and 2,738 on the road, even with a couple rainy weeknight games. The Hoosiers, though conflicting with basketball, feel they can still pack the stadium for their opening matchup against either Michigan or the University of Akron at 7 p.m. Tuesday. \n"I know the crowd will come out," Freitag said. "We have the best fans in the country, I think our numbers show that, and I think both basketball and soccer will have a good crowd that night."\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
