Hoosiers to compete in the Saint Louis/Nike Classic

As winners of seven national championships, the IU men’s soccer team is known by many as the most storied program in college soccer history. Saint Louis, however is the one school that leaves that claim up for debate.\nThe No. 2 Hoosiers will continue to compete for the title of “best program in the country” this week in the Saint Louis/Nike Classic. IU will face No. 24 Saint Louis 5 p.m. Thursday and No. 16 Creighton 7 p.m. Saturday.\nIU’s battle with the Billikens started only four years after the Hoosier soccer program was established as a varsity sport in 1973. IU men’s soccer coach Mike Freitag, a St. Louis native, played as a freshman for IU during the two schools’ first encounter in 1976. Freitag said that the 1976 contest was the one that put IU on the radar.\n“That ’76 game against Saint Louis was the one that put us on the map,” Freitag said. “They came to IU and we won 5-1, and my teammate Angelo Dibernardo (a 1991 IU Hall of Fame Inductee) scored five goals for us to win.” \nThe two teams have faced each other 28 times, with IU seeing a lion’s share of the wins, amassing a record of 18-7-3 against the Billikens. The Hoosiers have also been successful historically against Saint Louis in the postseason, ending their season in 1983, 1984 and 1990. \nThough their head-to-head record may seem lopsided, Saint Louis holds the advantage in the category that means the most: number of national championships. The Billikens lead IU 10 to seven in that department – although the Billikens’ most recent championship came 34 years ago. The Hoosiers still own the edge in College Cup appearances and NCAA victories.\nAnother chapter will be added to the rivalry this week, but the Hoosiers are approaching this weekend’s tournament as a chance to validate their No. 2 ranking.\nJunior midfielder Brian Ackley said this week’s competition will help the Hoosiers assess themselves as a team.\n“It’ll be a good test for us,” Ackley said. “As long as we prepare well and don’t think we’re as good as our ranking, this weekend will show us where we really are as a team.”\nWhen the Hoosiers competed against Creighton last year, Ackley scored the winning goal in overtime and IU finished with a 1-0 win. IU fell to Saint Louis 1-0 last season in their only meeting. Ackley said he believes this will be the toughest competition of the season.\n“I feel this will be the two hardest games all season,” Ackley said. “And with our ranking, a lot of people are looking to bite at our heels.”\nFreitag agreed that the Hoosiers’ ranking puts a target on his team and said he embraces it.\n“We’ve had a bull’s eye for 30 years, and we’re hoping it stays there for a long time,” Freitag said. “We get everyone’s best shot, and a win against IU could make someone’s season.”\nFreshman forward Michael Roach, a St. Louis native, said he thinks the game against the Billikens will be a competitive one. \n“I think it’s going to be a fast-paced game with a lot of action,” Roach said. “It’ll be a lot of people watching the game because they love the game of soccer and they know the tradition of IU and Saint Louis.”\nFreitag said Saint Louis tested IU last year and that they can redeem themselves this year.\n“Last year, Creighton was tough, but the Saint Louis game was the only one where I thought we were outplayed,” he said. “I know the guys were embarrassed by their performance (against Saint Louis), and now we have a chance to right that wrong.”