It’s time for the IU men’s soccer team to live up to its potential.After opening the Big Ten campaign with an exciting 3-2 overtime win against Wisconsin, the Hoosiers dropped two of three games before getting back on track with a 2-0 victory against Butler on Tuesday night.Soccer can be a fickle game because no matter how dominant a team is, unless that team can finish its scoring opportunities, the opponent will always be one goal away from pulling an upset.For the Hoosiers, it’s been the type of season where good play has not always translated to wins.
This past weekend against unranked Michigan, the IU men’s soccer team was upset 1-0 after the lone Wolverine goal came less than two minutes into the match. But come Tuesday night, it was IU sophomore forward Daniel Kelly providing the early spark for the Hoosiers in their 2-0 win at Butler.Kelly scored his second goal of the season just 11 seconds after the opening whistle was blown, when a pass back to Butler junior goalkeeper Nick Hegeman was misplayed on the wet field. Kelly rushed in on the loose ball to put it in the back of the net and give his team a one-goal advantage.
Searching for a way to explain the IU men’s soccer team’s near misses and defensive mistakes, IU coach Mike Freitag urged his players to be as vigilant as a chicken.
The roller coaster continues, but for the struggling 20th-ranked IU men’s soccer team, the ride has not been thrilling.The Hoosiers lost 1-0 to unranked Michigan on Saturday, their second straight home loss. The defeat was also IU’s second shutout loss of the season. PODCAST: Hoosier SidelinesIU came into the weekend’s game hoping to build on its 3-2 overtime road victory against Evansville. But the Wolverines needed just seconds to clinch the win in the second minute, when senior midfielder Alex Morisset sent the ball in to senior forward Jake Stacy. Amid a sea of defenders, Stacy fired the ball in the right side of the net.
Whirling. Tumbling. Soaring. Dropping. The IU men’s soccer team has been on a wild ride, and only halfway through the regular season, it can’t get off yet.
After losing 2-1 to unranked UC-Santa Barbara, the No. 20 Hoosiers traveled to Evansville on Tuesday to prove they remain of the NCAA’s elite teams. A 3-2 overtime win showed the team, though struggling, hasn’t gone away. IU coach Mike Freitag said IU regrouped well after losing to the Gauchos. “It shouldn’t have been close to that (score).” Freitag said. “We played very well from start to finish. Everyone played with the intensity, the composure, the fight we needed.”PODCAST: Hoosier Sidelines
As the fall season officially begins, a change is in the air for the men’s soccer team. After last Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win against Big Ten foe Wisconsin, the No. 14 Hoosiers (4-1-2) are riding a three-game winning streak. IU has scored eight goals in the past three games after finishing three consecutive scoreless matches.
With two decisive victories this past weekend in Los Angeles, the men’s soccer team for the first time this season will have momentum on its side. And with Big Ten play approaching, it could not have come at a better time.
The growing pains of two scoreless ties and a 4-0 upset by unranked Dartmouth gone, the No. 19 Hoosiers sprung out of adolescence as they defeated No. 24 UCLA 3-0 and San Diego 2-1.
Heading into his weekend matchups against No. 24 UCLA and San Diego, both in Los Angeles, sophomore midfielder Rich Balchan said he feels good about his team’s chances.“We are moving forward and are confident going into this weekend,” Balchan said. “I’m honestly not too worried about (UCLA). If we just play our game, we will be fine.” The No. 19 Hoosiers, 1-1-2, are hoping to rebound from a 4-0 loss this past weekend against Dartmouth in South Bend. The outcome was the largest margin of defeat in the program’s history.
From the Cardinals to Nelly, the Gateway Arch to Budweiser, St. Louis’ influence spreads beyond its borders, and IU men’s soccer is reaping the benefits.
IU head coach Mike Freitag signed another top-10 recruiting class this season as College Soccer News ranked the incoming Hoosier men’s soccer freshman class No. 3 in the nation in the publication’s eighth annual recruiting rankings.
Not long ago, Todd Yeagley stumbled across a tape of the 1994 College Cup Championship game. He was in the IU men's soccer team locker room, looking for footage in the team's archives when he saw a copy of his last game as a college soccer player. He had never watched the game before. "I almost took it out," Todd Yeagley said, "and I said, 'No.'" The tape remains tucked away in storage, but Todd's memories of the game are vivid. He knows a victory would have been a perfect ending to his college career, a chance for him to give his father -- legendary men's soccer coach Jerry Yeagley -- another national championship to hang at the east end of Bill Armstrong Stadium.
