It was a banner weekend for the Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers went 8-1 in a three-day period across four sports. What a start to the season for field hockey, men’s soccer and volleyball and a nice rebound by women’s soccer.
But here’s the thing: it’s the beginning of the season.
I love a good #hottake as much as the next person. If I could just have a column of IU football/basketball/everything hot takes, I totally would. But people don’t usually get my sarcasm, and as a female sports writer, I have to think twice about putting my opinion out here. But actually, thanks for the gender-neutral name, Mom.
I digress.
It seemed kind of cool that between field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball, just one team tallied a loss. It’s early in the season, and a bad start can break a fan’s hope. Unless you’re 2015 IU football. Then you wait until mid-season, lose a 25-point lead — on Homecoming, guys — and remind us why you don’t get your hopes up early in the season.
Actually, let’s take a look at last year’s team.
IU went 4-0 for the first time in 25 years. I won’t be cynical about this — that’s really a good start. But then the Hoosiers hit the Big Ten season. Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers. Loss, loss, loss . . . and then three more conference losses.
But IU did beat conference/state/life rival Purdue. So I guess in the grand scheme of things, that’s pretty important.
My point, though, is the early season is too soon to get one’s hopes up and anticipate amazing seasons.
I don’t think it’s necessarily a hot take or a news flash to anyone that conference play is usually significantly harder than early season play when you’re in a conference like the Big Ten.
Per the most recent coaches’ polls, of the NCAA Top 25 teams for each sport, there are three Big Ten women’s soccer teams, three Big Ten field hockey teams and seven Big Ten volleyball teams — that’s half of the Big Ten in the top tier. IU men’s soccer is ahead of the curve, though, as it’s one of the four Big Ten teams in the Top 25.
Needless to say, any Big Ten team IU plays in any sport will probably present more of a challenge than the list of colleges you’ve never heard of that usually lines the tops of schedules for teams like IU.
Now, I want to make one thing clear: as much of a cynic and a skeptic as I am, I’m by no means saying these teams won’t be successful this season.
Men’s soccer has a prestigious past, and they are ranked in the Top 25 for a reason. Volleyball very well could make it to the NCAA Tournament with the attitude IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan has helped them form. Field hockey comes off its best season in years, and it’s entirely possible for them to one-up their 9-10 season last year. Women’s soccer is already two thirds of the way to matching its number of wins in 2015.
These teams do have the potential to have successful seasons. It will be significantly harder to finish each weekend 8-1 as the season progresses, but it’s not impossible.
It’s still August, and we’ve got a lot of games left to play.
jzega@indiana.edu
@jzegss
