In-state talent visits for win against Wisconsin

The biggest victory this year for IU men’s soccer coach Mike Freitag could come off the field.

Freitag has had great success recruiting at IU and has a team capable of making the College Cup this season, but the fifth-year coach never stops planning for the future in hopes for a second NCAA championship as a Hoosier head coach.

The latest recruiting targets are a pair of Indiana natives – A.J. Corrado and Harrison Petts.

Juniors at Zionsville High School, the duo was part of the Carmel United Soccer Club that won the inaugural U.S. Development Academy U-16 National Championship last July, staking its claim as the best youth team in the country for its age group.

Freitag should look at several players from the Carmel High School squad as it is full of talent, but the tandem of Corrado and Petts would fit nicely into the Hoosier system.

Both players will be highly recruited and are already hearing from some of the top programs in the country. Add IU to that list of programs as the longtime friends made the trip down to Bloomington this weekend to watch the Hoosiers defeat Wisconsin 3-2 in overtime.

Corrado and Petts would bring different skill sets to the Hoosiers, but the pair complements each other nicely on the field.

A gritty and creative player, Corrado would be a perfect replacement in one of the center midfielder positions, as current IU junior midfielder Eric Alexander will just have graduated when Corrado is a freshman.

Corrado showed he is not afraid of the spotlight by scoring the lone goal in the Academy Championship final – a game broadcast on ESPNU. His goal clinched the championship for Carmel, but Corrado’s biggest contribution to the game was how he controlled the pace and played solid defense down the stretch.

Good goal-scorers are hard to come by, so getting a forward with the finishing touch of Petts would be a great pickup for Freitag.

Petts has the rare ability to find the back of the net from anywhere around the penalty box. A member of the U-18 national team, Petts would be a perfect player to pair at the forward position with current IU freshman forward Will Bruin. The duo would be one of the most lethal scoring threats in the nation.

While landing either Corrado or Petts would be a success for IU, the history between the two players would make signing both of them a huge coup for the Hoosiers.

The players are just juniors, so there is a lot of time remaining in their recruitment. However, it is important that Freitag and the Hoosiers are already establishing relationships with the players and their families.

IU will always get its fair share of top-notch recruits, but landing the duo of Corrado and Petts could be the groundwork needed for another championship for the storied IU soccer program.