Inconsistent IU men's soccer looks ahead to NCAA selection

Like a broken record, IU’s season is beginning to get repetitive.

For the seventh time this season, the Hoosiers out-shot their opponent but failed to capture a win.

For the fourth time this season, the Hoosiers came close to vanquishing a conference foe, only to fall short. For the third time this season, the Hoosiers could not build on a three-game winning streak.

But the team is running out of time to justify its place as one of college soccer’s premiere men’s teams. With seven national championships and 11 Big Ten Tournament titles, IU’s legendary status remains. But with each failed attempt to acquire a banner, the Hoosiers find themselves at the edge of the road in 2008.

Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament championship game ended a successful conference run, with IU defeating Northwestern in its final regular season match and adding two 1-0 victories against Ohio State and Michigan in the first and second rounds, respectively.

In their defeat, the Hoosiers tallied 19 shots, six shots on goal and 11 corner kicks. The Spartans only managed six shots, two shots on goal and two corner kicks.

But Michigan State’s senior forward Doug DeMartin, the Big Ten Player of the Year, recorded the lone goal, the only figure that mattered in the final box score.

IU coach Mike Freitag said the Spartans did not pose many difficult challenges, they just took advantage when they had opportunities.

“They weren’t a difficult team to handle,” Freitag said. “They just scored a goal. We handled them pretty well. We dominated the game for the most part, (but) they scored the goal. That’s why they’re the champs.”

While IU headed home as runners-up, the team felt confident about several facets of the game.

“I feel like we did well coming together as a team and battling as a team,” said sophomore defender/midfielder Rich Balchan. “We were well-organized in terms of spacing and overall organization.”

Big Ten Freshman of the Year Will Bruin said the players improved on their focus, playing a full 90 minutes for all three matches.

“We were clicked in most of the game, every game,” Bruin said. “We played our style.”

Bruin and freshman defender Tommy Meyer received valuable playing time over the weekend, participating in their first “do or die” tournament. Their familiarity with high-pressure situations should help the Hoosiers in their quest for an eighth NCAA title, Balchan said.

“It’s good experience for them, just to get their feet wet with a tough atmosphere like that,” Balchan said.

With the NCAA Tournament beginning Friday, the Hoosiers have to wait and see if they are selected to the field. Last year the team, the No. 4 overall seed, received a first-round bye but lost to Bradley 1-1 (5-4 PKs) in the second round. The NCAA will announce the tournament schedule tomorrow on ESPN News.

“We’re going to get a week of good practice in,” Bruin said. “If we keep playing like we’re playing, we could make a good run.”