Men's soccer team begins 2012 season with high hopes

For a team that lost two key defenders in Tommy Meyer and Chris Estridge, the one consistent word of the IU men’s soccer team’s preseason has been
“cohesiveness.”

Even with the loss of the two veteran backs to the 2012 Major League Soccer draft, IU Coach Todd Yeagley and senior goalkeeper Luis Soffner said they feel the team has come together more than ever this preseason.

“This is a really energetic, positive, cohesive group,” Yeagley said. “They are having a lot of fun out there and are very anxious to get back. I wish we had a little bit longer in the preseason, but that’s what we have to deal with.”

Yeagley is referring to the one-week time frame from the official start of training on Aug. 7 to the team’s first preseason game 7:30 p.m. today against the University of Illinois at Chicago. The official start of the season is also just 10 days away, when IU will travel to St. Louis to take on the Billikens.

“Our sport is difficult because you have such a short window in the preseason,” Yeagley said. “A lot of our players are gone doing other things throughout the
summer.”

Emerging from this separation is the cohesiveness the team thrives on, he said.

“A lot of moments have been very good,” he said. “Certainly we have some returners expecting to have good seasons. But even some of the new guys have put their mark on us very
quickly.”

Soffner said some of these new role players have filled the shoes left by Estridge and Meyer in the back.

“Right now, we’ve been trying Kerel Bradford in the back because he was there a lot in the spring and he’s comfortable back there,” Soffner said. “Also, specifically, we knew that Patrick Doody could step in and play left back because he is quick up and down the line as Estridge was.”

No matter who or what type of player is called to fill those shoes, Soffner said he believes the defense’s cohesion will be nothing to worry about.

“We will be fine finding the two new role players,” Soffner said. “But defensively, we will be great because our whole team is defensive-minded.”

For Soffner, this season hits a personal nerve. In his fourth season as starting goalkeeper, he has never advanced past the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. The last two years, the eventual champions knocked out the Hoosiers. IU also failed to grab the Big Ten title last year.

The preseason foreshadows the difficulties the Hoosiers face in the next few months. Ranked 12th in the nation according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America rankings, the Hoosiers are atop the Big Ten with 20th-ranked Northwestern the next-best team from the conference.

The Hoosiers will find themselves in away matches against top 10-ranked opponents Louisville and Akron.

For now, Yeagley said he is looking to his first two opponents in preseason play: UIC and a professional Mexican team, Chivas de Guadalajara.

“I’m sure UIC will probably look to be a little bit more defensive in their style, and I think Chivas will come out and give us as much pressure as they can,” Yeagley said. “It will be interesting to see the two contrasting styles.”

One returning scorer from the Hoosiers who has seen both styles in his career is sophomore forward Eriq Zavaleta.

During the summer, in addition to workouts with his father, Zavaleta participated in a month-long training session in Los Angeles with MLS team Chivas USA.

“The speed of play is at a higher level than in college,” Zavaleta said. “Coming back to college ball from that and being ready for that type of speed of play is always a good thing.”

With a cohesive blend between veterans and newcomers, the Hoosiers all look to reach and surpass the hump that has halted the last two men’s soccer teams.

“The benchmark is the fact that we didn’t win the Big Ten and we lost in the Sweet 16,” Zavaleta said. “I feel that is the big thing.”

Because of this cohesiveness, Soffner said he feels the same thing in the back of the pitch.

“The camaraderie and just everything is feeling really good because everyone has the Final Four in their sights,” he said. “I kind of feel like no one can stop us, and we haven’t even played a game yet.”