Louisville next up for mens soccer team; IU 14-0 vs. Cardinals

When it comes to IU and Louisville competing on the soccer pitch, “no contest” could be the two words that best describe the series.\nThe IU men’s soccer team will be defending its 14-0 all-time record against Louisville when it faces the Cardinals at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cardinal Park in Louisville, Ky. Despite their recent fortune against Louisville, IU is focused on the game.\nIU coach Mike Freitag said his team is mature enough to know to take this season one game at a time. The Hoosiers are currently 2-0 in the Big Ten, but Freitag said he knows every game is important, both in the Big Ten and elsewhere.\nAlthough the Hoosiers are focused and arduously preparing for their upcoming game, a series history like theirs would make most teams relax. \nIn their worst defeat of the Cardinals, the Hoosiers handed Louisville a 14-0 loss in 1983. That win was just the tip of the iceberg, as IU has defeated Louisville by at least two goals 13 of the 14 times they have played, and the Hoosiers have shut out the Cardinals 11 times, including the past nine meetings. \nPart of the reason IU isn’t taking this Louisville contest lightly may have something to do with the three consecutive losses IU accumulated after starting the season undefeated. These losses include a 2-1 defeat at the hands of University of Alabama at Birmingham, IU’s only loss to an unranked team this season.\nJunior goalkeeper Chay Cain said the course of the Hoosiers’ season so far isn’t new.\n“We always start off good in our (adidas/IU Credit Union Classic), and then we take a few bumps,” Cain said. “But, we learn from it and come back better, and that’s what we’re doing now.” \nPart of the reason IU’s current squad has encountered these bumps is due to sporadic offense. However, the Hoosiers have raised their game in recent contests. \nSophomore defender Kevin Alston scored two goals against Michigan State on Saturday, and the Hoosiers have posted more than one goal in three of their last four wins.\n“We have the ability to score goals on this team,” junior forward Kevin Noschang said. “In practice, we’ve focused on maintaining that output and hope to replicate it.”\nFreitag said he wants his team to continue doing a better job in front of the goal and putting away scoring chances. He also said he wants to see how his team reacts to the Louisville atmosphere.\n“Going to Louisville is going to be tough,” Freitag said. “(Louisville) is going to be pumped, and they have a great crowd. They’ll be looking to knock us off, and I want to see how my guys handle that.”