IU named as No. 1 soccer school in the country

As Todd Yeagley prepares for the upcoming men’s soccer season, his first as IU’s coach, he does so under an intense spotlight, heightened expectations and a staunch sense of pride when he puts on the cream and crimson.

That sense of pride contributed to U.S. News and World Report recently naming IU as the top college in the country for soccer fans.

Yeagley was quick to point out that this honor would not be possible without the support of the student body and fans across the state.

“We feel that we have the best fans in the country, and we have a long history of success within our program,” Yeagley said. “It’s nice to be recognized and have our fans recognized for all of the great support that they’ve given over the years.”

Senior midfielder Daniel Kelly responded to the ranking with a sense of confidence.
“Honestly, it’s not really surprising,” Kelly said. “In the past, we’ve always had fans come to the games, and they’ve always supported. Our fans are always supportive, and they want to see the players do well and succeed and see the program succeed.”

An additional factor contributing to Indiana’s spot at the top of the list also resulted in the men’s team past successes on the soccer field: family.

When Yeagley leads the Hoosiers this season, he’ll be standing on a field named after someone he knows intimately and who has greatly contributed to the national prominence that IU enjoys as a top soccer school — his father.

Jerry Yeagley led IU to six of its seven national titles during his career from 1973 to 2003, and the University honored him by naming the field at Bill Armstrong Stadium after him in 2004.

The sense of unity and outward support from the University continues to help draw recruits to Bloomington.

“Family is really big at Indiana University, and that’s the main reason why our fan base is so huge and supportive of the team,” Kelly said.

IU was bestowed with the honor based on fan support and the seven national championships the University has captured.

Also honored were University of Maryland, Messiah College, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, Seattle University, Stanford University, UCLA and University of Virginia, all schools with soccer legacies. However, Yeagley, who played at IU under his father and was a four-time All-American, acknowledges that wasn’t always the case at IU. 

“My father often said that he couldn’t buy a soccer ball when he first got to Bloomington in 1963,” Yeagley said. “I know that my father and all the players over the years take a lot of pride in the growth of the program.”

The tradition continues as the team grooms for the season opener, when IU welcomes Xavier to Bloomington in late August.

“We bring other top teams from coast to coast to IU, and our fans appreciate that,” Yeagley said. “We’ve done that in the past, and we’ll continue to do that in the future.”