After a 0-0 draw at Maryland, IU is receiving more national attention.
The Hoosiers, 4-0-1, are now the No. 1 team in the country, as ranked by Top Drawer Soccer and the United Soccer Coaches Poll. IU moved up from the fourth spot in both of last week’s polls.
In addition to the ranking, IU senior defender Grant Lillard was named Top Drawer Soccer’s National Player of the Week. He was a part of the IU back line that did not allow a shot on goal against Maryland on Friday. It was IU’s fourth clean sheet in five matches this season.
The senior has started all five games for the Hoosiers so far in 2017. Before the season, Top Drawer Soccer ranked Lillard as the fifth-best player in the country, and he was listed as a preseason consensus All-American. He also was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list.
"Grant is off to a great start this season," IU Coach Todd Yeagley said in an IU Athletics press release. "He has been fantastic on and off the field as one of our key leaders. He is certainly performing at an All-American level."
The Hoosiers received help in the polls, with the three teams in front of them, Stanford, Wake Forest and Clemson, all having lost in the past week.
The No. 1 Hoosiers return home Wednesday to face the Michigan Wolverines at Bill Armstrong Stadium. It is the first home conference match of the 2017 season.
Josh Eastern
