Another national title just 2 wins away

CARSON, Calif. -- One of NCAA's best offenses in men's soccer will square off against one of the best defenses tonight as No. 2 IU looks to defeat No. 3 Maryland and advance to the national championship match.\nIU's defending national champions (17-4-1) are just two berths away from keeping their title. In their first match at 8 p.m. Thursday Indiana time at the Home Depot Center, they face the Maryland Terrapins (17-5-2), one of the best teams on offense. No. 9 seed UC-Santa Barbara plays unseeded Duke in the second match at 10:30 p.m. Indiana time.\nThe winners of both games meet for the title Sunday at 4 p.m. Indiana time at the Home Depot Center.\nIU is 2-0 all-time versus Maryland; the last time the two College Cup regulars met was in 2000 when IU won 2-1 in overtime.\nThe Hoosiers are treating today's match as if it were any other match during the season, and coach Mike Freitag ended Thursday's scheduled one hour and 30 minute practice after 40 minutes.\n"I think these young men know what it's all about," Freitag said. "Seven of the last eight years we've been to the (College Cup). Especially being through it last year. They've been through it, they know the hoopla that goes along with it, they're able to handle it, put it all in perspective and they know they're here for one job."\nIU enters today's match with the Terrapins with a rookie skipper and riding a smaller wave of wins as compared to last season, when the team concluded its title run with 10 straight victories, including winning 15 of its last 16 matches. This season the team has won eight of its last nine matches since dropping its first Big Ten home loss in 50 contests.\n"Last year under coach (Jerry) Yeagley, Coach 'Fry' always did a lot of the training sessions, and he's probably one of the most knowledgeable coaches in the country," O'Rourke said. "To have that easy transition from coach Yeagley to another great coach makes it easier on the players. I'm sure I can speak on behalf of the younger guys, it'll keep the transition down the line."\nEven though the Hoosiers dominated Tulsa in IU's 4-0 quarterfinal win last Sunday, IU has relied on its defense all season to stop the opponent. It will come in handy as they face a Maryland team that has two Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Candidates in senior Abe Thompson and junior Jason Garey. Thompson has 11 goals and 7 assists on the season, while Garey has 21 goals and 9 assists.\nThe duo from Maryland scored 32 of 60 goals for the Terrapins this season through 24 games.\n"We like to attack a little bit more than (IU does)," Garey said. "We love to attack, we think that's the right way to play soccer. We're the best when we're attacking teams in their half of the field."\nIU counters with its own pair of MAC Hermann Trophy candidates in its back line with senior Danny O'Rourke and junior Drew Moor. The Hoosiers' duo, along with senior goalkeeper Jay Nolly, have yet to allow a goal in this season's NCAA tournament run.\n"We watched a tape on Maryland in the St. John's game, and they're a real good team," Moor said. "(The match) is going to be a battle, and it is going to come down to who wants it more, who works the hardest for it."\nThe Hoosiers are 17-0 when the cream and crimson score first but 0-4 when their opponent scores the first tally.\nFreitag said he does not see a clear-cut favorite in this season's College Cup, citing the parity in college soccer this year, specifically with the Big Ten receiving the most berths to the tournament for a conference with six teams selected to participate.\n"Once you get here, the pressure kind of leaves a little bit," Freitag said. "You made it to the dance, now we just gotta go out and boogie."\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.