Scoring’s key to Hoosiers’ success in 2008

The IU men’s soccer team enters the 2008 season with high expectations, but the Hoosiers will only advance as far in the NCAA Tournament as their forwards can take the team.

Fifth-year IU coach Mike Freitag’s squads have done well in the regular season but have failed to find the back of the net in crucial situations during the postseason ever since the Hoosiers won the 2004 NCAA title in Freitag’s first season. The Hoosiers are just 1-3 in tournament play in the three seasons following the program’s seventh national championship.

The squad has not had a go-to forward since Jacob Peterson left for the MLS after the 2005 season, and the offense has suffered as a result. IU scored just 1.33 goals a game last season – outside the top 50 scoring offenses in the NCAA.

For the Hoosiers to win title No. 8, the offense will have to be more consistent and prolific. If the preseason is any indication, the IU forwards should score more goals than previous years, as IU out-scored opponents 6-1 in two exhibition games this fall, getting goals from six different players.

Inexperienced forwards and an always-difficult schedule have hurt the Hoosiers during the last few seasons. While the cream and crimson face another difficult campaign, those formerly inexperienced forwards have grown into more mature players.

Junior Darren Yeagle returns healthy to the team this season after struggling though part of last season with an injury. Yeagle will reunite with senior forward Brian Ackley and try and recapture the magic from the 2006 season when the duo combined for 14 goals.

Senior Kevin Noschang and sophomores Michael Roach and Neil Wilmarth will give Freitag several players with game experience at the forward position for the Hoosiers, but the coach’s most dangerous offensive weapon may be freshman Will Bruin.
A two-time high school All-American, Bruin broke the DeSmet Jesuit High School scoring record held by former Hoosier star Pat Noonan. The Saint Louis native has made his impact already, notching an assist and taking a team-high six shots during the preseason.

With several viable options at forward, Freitag will have the luxury of trying different combinations of players until the right mix emerges. This must put a smile on Freitag’s face, because the rest of the Hoosier team is stock-full of talent.

The trio of senior goalkeeper Chay Cain and junior defenders Ofori Sarkodie and Kevin Alston anchor the IU defense while the strength of the Hoosiers is in the midfield. The flow of play will go though senior midfielder Brad Ring, who Freitag calls the “hub” of the team. Ring will contend for many national player of the year awards on the strength of his aggressive defense and playmaking abilities and will be joined in the midfield by All-Big Ten player Eric Alexander and several key role players.

The No. 7 Hoosiers will be tested right away in this weekend’s Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic with games against Duke and No. 12 Akron. It will be the first chance to see what combinations Freitag puts up top and what type of expectations can be put on this team. If the team can find ways to score, the Hoosiers should advance much further in the NCAA Tournament than they have in recent years.