Men’s soccer team shows grit in weekend victories

Mike Freitag is right – maybe losing to unranked Dartmouth is the best thing that could have happened to the IU men’s soccer team.

The team entered the season highly ranked in every major poll, as Freitag has assembled one of the most talented group of players he has had in his five years as head coach at IU. Though talented, some of the younger members of the squad had not been through a tough loss that shows the makeup of the team under pressure.

Ineffective offensive play along with defensive mistakes led to a 4-0 defeat to Dartmouth on Sept. 7. The first test of the team’s character was last weekend’s West Coast swing to play UCLA and San Diego.

If last weekend’s 2-0 record is any indication, the Hoosiers have the mettle to bounce back from disappointing results.

IU found the scoring touch that had been eluding them in the first two weekends of action, outscoring UCLA and San Diego by a combined 5-1.

“It showed the character of the team to come back (after losing to Dartmouth),” Freitag told the IDS after a 2-1 victory against San Diego. “A lot of teams would fold after a loss like that one.”

Hoosier fans should be happy with the fact the Hoosiers earned two victories, but what was more encouraging was the Cream and Crimson finding the back of the net five times in two games.

Anchored by senior goalkeeper Chay Cain, junior defenders Ofori Sarkodie and Kevin Alston, the Hoosier defense is the rock of the team. Freitag, who played defense for IU under legendary coach Jerry Yeagley, has always had solid defensive teams, but his squads have struggled offensively at times.

Finishing offensively is going to determine how successful this team is in the Big Ten, and more importantly, the NCAA Tournament. Freshman forward Will Bruin, a highly regarded forward from St. Louis, scored his first collegiate goal against UCLA and added another goal against San Diego.

Bruin is going to have to continue producing goals, but he cannot be the sole offensive weapon for the Hoosiers. Other forwards need to step up in key situations. This is where the veteran leadership of senior forward Kevin Noschang could prove to be valuable to IU.

Noschang, a second-team All-Big Ten selection last year, got his first start of the season against San Diego after scoring in Friday’s match against UCLA. Noschang’s quickness and nose for the goal bring another dimension to the line-up. He is a good complement to Bruin, who plays a physical game because of his size.

The senior also brings experience and leadership to the field, something the young players can model as the season continues.

This team is certainly a work in progress, but if the Hoosiers can continue to build off their prior performance and find the back of the net, it could be a special year.