IU men's soccer conference tournament kicks off

The end is near.

After a 2-0 drubbing of No. 11 Northwestern, IU will head to Madison, Wisc., to take on Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament, the final stop before the NCAA tournament.

While only posting a 3-3 conference record, the No. 3 seeded Hoosiers hope to justify themselves as one of the nation’s top teams.

Last season, the Hoosiers lost to Ohio State in the finals of the Big Ten Tournament after a nil-nil tie was broken with penalty kicks.

Senior goalkeeper Chay Cain, who was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week last week, said one of the issues the team has struggled with all year is a lack of communication. While players have been relatively quiet this season, Cain said some of the communication is starting to pick up.

“Some games it’s off and on between different players,” Cain said. “I think everybody realizes the season’s coming to an end and we have to do everything we can to stay in the tournament. Because of that everybody is being more alert, and everybody’s talking a lot more.”

IU coach Mike Freitag said the players tend to be quieter this season.

“It’s just their personality,” Freitag said. “We don’t really have a vocal leader on the team. It’s a skill the players have to learn, how to communicate. It’s something that’s a big deficiency, not just in my team, but other teams. Guys don’t talk enough.”

Because the Hoosiers’ season has been plagued by inconsistency, they need to focus for a strong postseason. Freitag said the team has been working hard to cure its “casual defense.”

“Inconsistency has given us some bumps in the road throughout the season,” he said. “Many people would be very happy to be where we’re at, maybe we have higher standards at IU. A lot of people think we’ve had a terrible season.”

While the Hoosiers hold a No. 18 ranking, the NCAA listed IU as having the No. 3 Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) in the country.

A team’s RPI is a formula that determines the difficulty of a team’s schedule.

“It’s been a good season with one of the toughest schedules in the country,” Freitag said.

Junior defender Ofori Sarkodie said the Hoosiers have improved since their close 3-2 OT win against the Buckeyes. Back in October, IU had a 2-0 lead and let Ohio State tie up the match. Sophomore midfielder Andy Adlard rescued the Hoosiers with a successful free kick.

“We’re focusing on maintaining our performance, eliminating mistakes, being more efficient, playing a full 90 minutes, communicating more so as not to give them those (scoring) opportunities,” Sarkodie said.

IU will still be without the services of senior midfielder Brad Ring, who has missed the past three games with a pelvic injury, according to his coach. He will travel with the team, but is not expected to play. Cain said Ring’s experience and advice will assist the players.

“He can help some of the younger guys,” Cain said. “He can talk to people at halftime, after the games. It’s like having another coach.”

From upset wins to surprising losses, the season has had its unexpected twists. But sophomore forward Neil Wilmarth said the team is prepared.

“It’s been a rollercoaster year,” Wilmarth said. “We’re starting to click. I think we’re ready to play. Everybody’s going full cylinders.”