IU finished its first season with a record of 11-3-4 and a sixth-place finish the in the Big Ten.
On Sunday, IU starts its Big Ten tournament season against ?Northwestern.
“11-3-4 is not a bad record but that’s done with, it’s over,” IU senior Patrick Doody said. “Now the fun starts.”
IU’s first season ended with a 3-2 loss against Michigan State on senior night. That loss was one of three this season for IU, all in conference play.
IU, ranked No. 2 in the country, finished sixth in the Big Ten.
The lower-half finish in conference means IU will be ineligible to host a Big Ten tournament game and will be traveling to play schools that national polls deem inferior to IU.
It does present IU with an opportunity to exact revenge on teams that IU has dropped points against.
“There are a few games we’d like back this year from the Big Ten,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “We’ll have that opportunity now.”
First on this redemption tour will be Northwestern, who tied 1-1 with IU in September. IU had been leading before Northwestern junior Joey Calistri equalized with one minute remaining in regulation.
IU outshot Northwestern 19-12 in that game, sent nine shots on goal compared to Northwestern’s six and took three more corner kicks.
That match was played in Bloomington. Sunday’s game will be played in Evanston.
IU is 7-0-1 this season in matches played away from home.
“We’ve always been good on the road since I was a freshman,” Doody said. “I think we just kind of like being in that atmosphere. IU draws a good crowd. It’s fun.”
Last season IU entered the Big Ten tournament as the No. 5 seed, but that was before Rutgers and Maryland joined the conference adding two more teams.
IU was seemingly a different team in that tournament, defeating three teams it lost to in the regular season on its way to the tournament championship.
“It reminds me of last year in the Big Ten,” IU sophomore Tanner Thompson said. “It’ll be nice to have a little redemption if we can play some of the teams we’ve lost to and hit them back in the Big Ten tournament.”
IU’s problem in the regular season was not always a lack of quality.
In many matches where IU dropped points it outplayed its opponent, like they did against Northwestern. In the postseason those types of matches where a team plays well throughout but gives up a cheap goal against the run of play can define an entire season.
“Hopefully we can turn it on, show some character and I think we will make a run at it,” Doody said. “Our record speaks for itself. We can play. We just have to bring it every single game.”
