IU looks for a win versus Penn State on Sunday

With 16 games down and three remaining in the regular season, the IU men’s soccer team knows there is no time for mistakes.\nAfter a short break from conference play that saw them defeat Evansville 2-1, the No. 11 Hoosiers return to the pitch at Bill Armstrong Stadium this weekend to take on Penn State. IU leads the all-time series 24-9-3, but the Nittany Lions notched wins in three of their last four meetings.\nIn their most recent regular season clash, Penn State stunned the Hoosiers with a 1-0 victory on Oct. 20, 2006, snapping a six-game IU winning streak. The Nittany Lions were able to put a goal on the board in the first two minutes of play, and the Hoosiers never answered. \nHowever, the Hoosiers managed to defeat the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Tournament later in the season.\nAt Wednesday’s game against Evansville, IU coach Mike Freitag thought his team did a poor job on the field, but he has confidence they’ll be ready to play come Sunday’s match.\n“Based on your last game, you’re only as good as your last game,” Freitag said. “We weren’t very good (against Evansville). I challenged them a little bit ... and I know they’ll bounce back and be ready to play on Sunday.”\nPenn State has given the Hoosiers some trouble over the last few seasons, and several of the veteran players on the team have been looking forward to this game and the challenge Penn State brings. Junior midfielder Brad Ring said the Nittany Lions have always tested IU during his time as a Hoosier, and he foresees a good match.\n“We’re confident, for sure,” Ring said. “They’ve been struggling a little bit, but we still know they’re a quality opponent. We’re looking forward to (the game).”\nThis game comes at a crucial point in the season for the Hoosiers. They currently sit atop the Big Ten standings with a conference record of 3-0-1, but both Michigan State and Ohio State are tied for second place with records of 2-1-1. With only two conference games remaining, the Hoosiers can clinch the conference title outright if they win out. \nAlthough it is still his rookie season, freshman Rich Balchan knows the how critical this game is to his team.\n“We only have two more Big Ten games and we’re top of the conference, so these last two games are huge,” Balchan said. “It’s definitely a very, very important game.”