Soccer depth allows position competition

When the IU men’s soccer team took the field in Ft. Wayne for Friday’s preseason match against Duke, sophomore and usual starting goalkeeper Luis Soffner did not get his number called.

Soffner started 20 of the Hoosiers’ 23 games in 2009, as well as the preseason opener against Xavier the previous weekend, but junior goalkeeper Nate Mitchell got the start against the Blue Devils instead.

“The biggest thing is to just let it go,” Soffner said. “It is what it is.”

The combination of a brand new coaching staff and an incoming freshman class that brings depth at each position poses a unique circumstance for IU’s 2010 roster that does not guarantee starting jobs for any player — even regular starters from previous years.

“I came in knowing that with new coaches, my starting job wouldn’t be handed to me,” Soffner said.

Junior midfielder Tyler McCarroll acts primarily as a bench player, offering speed on the outside and a strong left foot to cross the ball. Last spring, however, he took advantage of playing time granted to him by recording a goal and an assist during the spring season.

“With a new coaching staff, it’s a new start for everyone to show what they can do,” McCarroll said. “They can show their roles and how they can help the team. It’s just a second chance to show what you can do.”

First-year coach Todd Yeagley said although the best players will play, he does not intend on putting unnecessary pressure on his players to perform.

“We want to have a culture that when the players are on the field, they’re not looking over their shoulder afraid to make a mistake because they’re going to get pulled,” he said. “I give players opportunities and liberties and have a lot of confidence in them when they’re on the field.

“Inherently there is [that pressure]. I continue to put new players in some spots. They know there’s competition. We don’t need to stress the ‘This is your chance. Don’t make a mistake.’ It’s not the mindset you want.”

One of the incoming freshmen who has potential to mix things up in the starting 11 is midfielder Harrison Petts. Earning plenty of playing time during the three-game preseason in August, Petts said regardless of who ultimately wins the starting spot, the team benefits as a whole.

“It’s good competition,” the freshman from Zionsville, Ind. said. “It’s a situation where everybody gets better. No matter who’s on the field, we’re all pushing each other to get better.”

Soffner agreed.

“It’s not necessarily pressure, but the competition is good,” Soffner said of working for his starting spot at practice. “It helps the four goalies in practice, and we want to show coaches what we can do — that we’re the best. It pushes us harder to show you can step up and do well.”

McCarroll said he embraces his role on the team, even if it is not the role he expected coming into the program three years ago.

“When I came to IU, everyone wants to be a starter,” he said. “My overall goal wasn’t to necessarily start. It was to help my team win a national championship. If you can do that coming off the bench, that’s an honor in itself. Am I content in helping my team in any way possible? Absolutely.

“I don’t feel any hostility toward anyone who takes any spot. My job may not be to start. That may be the role of a freshman.”

Though that freshman now is Petts, McCarroll said he has much to teach the freshmen on the bench and off the field, and Petts knows he has much to learn.

“As I came in, I just wanted to do anything I can to help team and get starts,” Petts said. “I look up to the older guys with experience. I think it’s going to make me a lot better player.”

As for perennial starter Soffner, he knows that whether or not he is starting, mental toughness is vital to his success. In the meantime, however, he also supports his friend, roommate and competitor, Mitchell.

“Friday on bench, I was rooting on the whole team, especially Nate,” he said. “The first kind of weakness leads to mistakes, which leads to losing your spot. The next opportunity you get, you have to pounce and play well.”