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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

sports men's soccer

As underdogs, Hoosiers to face No. 1 Akron Zips on Friday

IU Soccer vs. Akron

The No. 8 IU men’s soccer team heads north Friday to face No. 1 Akron at 7:30 p.m. for what many would argue is the biggest game of the team’s young season.

“I don’t pay attention to that stuff,” junior midfielder Rich Balchan said. “I would just say it’s just another game. We know how to play and we play our game. We watch film, and we know our assignments.”

The Hoosiers find themselves as the underdogs yet again this season, facing their third top-five team in their first five games of the year. 

IU coach Mike Freitag isn’t worried.

“I think the pressure is on them,” he said. “They’re No. 1 in the country, they’ll have a big crowd and they’re playing Indiana. I think our guys can go in there a little more relaxed and ready to play. I think the pressure’s on them.”

The last time Akron was the nation’s top-ranked team was 2005. That year the Hoosiers knocked off the Zips 1-0 in overtime.

“This is in-region – there’s some sort of history between the two schools,” Freitag said. “There’s history between the coaches, some of the players and brothers and everything else. It may have a little extra spice to it.”

IU enters this weekend with a 2-1-1 record and a two-game win streak. The undefeated Akron squad will be the team’s first test against a ranked opponent since then-No. 3 Wake Forest in the season’s opening weekend. 

IU is Akron’s first ranked opponent of the season.

Balchan said Akron provides a tournament-like atmosphere, which can prove to be essential early in the season.

“There’s more pressure to get the job done now so you’re not in those tense situations later, trying to get in the tournament, get a high seed and get that home field advantage later on,” Balchan said. 

Pushing all the hype of this much-anticipated matchup aside, Freitag said focus equals confidence for the Hoosiers.

“I think what I’m confident about is we’ll go and play,” Freitag said. “We’ll play to our potential. That’s all I can ask of the guys. I think these guys can be road warriors.”

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