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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

sports men's soccer

Offense necessary for soccer success

Offense. Offense. We all scream for offense.

The tunes of a stellar season seem to be getting closer, don’t they?

Surely the Hoosier soccer team will score goals, lots of them. But the void of 2010 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Will Bruin and the lack of offense thus far this season has left lingering questions about whether or not the 2011 Hoosiers will repeat as Big Ten Champions under second-year coach Todd Yeagley.

After being named the preseason favorite to take home the Big Ten regular season crown and playing two preseason contests and the regular season opener, the No. 17 Hoosiers (0-0-1) have yet to taste victory this season.

There may be questions, but stop.

Do not push the panic button on Indiana soccer yet. It is still very early.

Anyone who thinks the team will not taste success has to be crazy, but it is hard not to question after the slow offensive start.

Junior goalkeeper Luis Soffner was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his stellar performance against No. 12 Notre Dame this past weekend in South Bend.

The Hoosiers and Irish tied 0-0 in a double-overtime thriller.

Each member of the Hoosier soccer team should personally pat Soffner on the back. He is the sole reason there is still a zero in the loss column after the Irish out-shot the Hoosiers 24-11.

Even if one of the 24 shots for the Irish went in, the Hoosiers would have lost due to Indiana’s failure to produce offensively.

Notre Dame is arguably more mature than the Hoosiers, therefore a 0-0 tie is at least respectable for Indiana.

However, one total goal in three games, two of them preseason, is flat-out unacceptable.

The void of Bruin and former defender Rich Balchan in the Hoosier lineup leaves a hole that two Hoosiers must now step up to fill. They were a big reason Indiana won the Big Ten regular season title a season ago, their fourteenth overall.

The Hoosiers may be young, but they have reason to believe they can be successful.
Sophomore Harrison Petts started all 19 matches a season ago while leading the Hoosiers with three shots  this past weekend. He could be the straw that stirs the drink in 2011, much like Bruin was in 2010.

The Hoosiers look to enter the win column this weekend when they return home for the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers will face Saint Louis University (0-1-0) on Friday before taking on the University of Dayton (0-1-0) on Sunday.

This weekend should erase some question marks as Indiana comes into both matches as clear favorites. Indiana must, however, score goals and take advantage of its opportunities in both matches.

The team has yet to reach its full potential this season, and if it does not start to play like the No. 17 team in the country, it could be in serious trouble. It is not yet time to panic, but Yeagley needs to earn his paycheck and get the offense rolling.

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