Hoosiers need to regain their footing

Were you as surprised by the Hoosiers' proverbial shot-in-the-foot last weekend as I was?\nNo, not the football team's loss to mighty mouse Division I-AA Southern Illinois University. The "defenders of the rock" have been flirting with a loss from Division-I's little-brother division for years.\nI was referring to the men's soccer team's struggle in St. Louis on Friday. The 1-0 loss at the hands (or is it feet?) of Saint Louis University dropped IU's record to 3-3-1 on its young season. More alarming, perhaps, is that the No. 9 (and falling) Hoosiers have dropped three of their last four matches. Last season -- considered a less than memorable year by the team -- the Hoosiers lost three games total. \nYear after year, IU has done nothing but win in men's soccer. So what gives?\n"We're just playing terrible," sophomore midfielder Brad Ring told the Indiana Daily Student after Friday's loss. "There's no 'if's, 'and's or 'but's about it. We're just playing bad."\nAllow me to supply the "if"s, "and"s and "but"s.\nMental lapses and communication breakdowns have certainly contributed to IU's two-week skid. This team, however, has also been a victim of its past success and lofty expectations. Seven national championships will do that. \nUp to this point in the season, the team's record does not reflect its level of play. Consider IU's 1-0 loss to then-No. 3 Southern Methodist University. The Hoosiers matched the Mustangs shot for shot the entire game, but a late second-half SMU goal made the difference. \nAgainst Notre Dame on Sept. 3, IU staged a dramatic comeback but lost in overtime on a fluke goal that was intended as a pass. Some guys have all the luck.\nGiven a break or two, the Hoosiers could easily be sitting pretty at 5-1-1.\n"When we play good, on top of our game, I know we can play with anybody in the country," Ring said. "I'm sure of that. Everyone's sure of that. We all know that."\nThe challenge for IU coach Mike Freitag lies in getting this young team to play with the grit of the teams of yore.\n"We are a team that I think is a blue-collar team," Freitag said. "If we don't get after it and get into tussles, we are not going to be a good team."\nFreitag has been through this before as an assistant coach and has witnessed first-hand that sometimes early season struggles lead to post-season success.\nIn 2003, IU entered conference play with a record of 2-3-4. From that point on, the Hoosiers went 15-0-1, with the season culminating in a sixth national championship.\nOn Wednesday, IU faces the Akron Zips, a team the Hoosiers upended in the final regular season game in front of 4,884 fans at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Akron was ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time.\nIf the Hoosiers can channel the spirit of teams past, tomorrow could be the game where they get down and dirty and regain their footing.