Men's soccer takes on top teams at Butler Classic

The men's soccer team took more than 84 minutes to score a goal against unranked IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis Wednesday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium. \nThe Hoosiers haven't scored a goal in the first half in any of their games this season.\nWhile the seven newcomers on his team are gaining confidence, coach Jerry Yeagley said his players are "too nice" on the playing field. They need to enter a game with intensity, swagger and not wait until halftime to get fired up for a come-from-behind win, he said. \nWith this lack-of-scoring concern, No. 14 IU will enter competition this weekend at the Butler Classic in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers face No. 19 Creighton at 6 p.m. today and undefeated Florida International at noon Sunday.\n"We need to work on coming out in the first half better than we do," said sophomore midfielder Pat Noonan, who scored in the 2-0 win against IUPUI. "We came out (Wednesday night) with plenty of opportunities. But against top-ranked teams, we're going to have to come out harder. In the first 45 (minutes), we need to come out with as much fight as we do in the last 45."\nThe Hoosiers won their last three consecutive games, including a win against then-No. 1 Virginia Sunday in College Park, Md. IU began the season with losses to Portland and UCLA at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nYeagley stressed what went right in the losses in the six days between their dominating performance against the Bruins and Cavaliers. The team and coaches reviewed videotapes of the matches.\n"Some people, some alums were saying (after the losses), 'Oh you need to change this, you got to do this,'" Yeagley said Tuesday. "'You know you lost two games. Throw the mold away and start over.' We just kept trying to get better at the things that have brought us to where we are and tried to build confidence in the players on the team. \n"When you're 0-2 and lost two at home, the last thing this team needed was to be browbeaten into the ground and told how bad they are."\nAlthough he wants his team's on-field aggressiveness to improve, Yeagley said he's pleased with the depth of the team, which could come in handy if players become injured. Sophomore midfielder Phil Presser left Wednesday's game with an ankle injury but will return to the lineup this weekend. Junior defender Tyler Hawley returned to the lineup after an ankle sprain kept him from playing in last weekend's tournament.\nYeagley said freshman defender Matt Ahumada might play this weekend. Ahumada hasn't played a minute due to a MCL injury but has practiced and traveled with the team to Maryland. Ahumada could play as a sweeper or as a marking back. \nYeagley said he wanted to enter Ahumada in the second half of the IUPUI game, but decided not to because IU hadn't scored before halftime.\nThe freshmen, especially Vijay Dias, have worked past anxiety, Yeagley said. Dias started as a forward against Virginia and as a wide midfielder against IUPUI. He helped set up scoring chances against the Cavaliers.\nThough he's primarily a midfielder, junior Ryan Mack started Wednesday's game as a forward and scored the insurance goal. \n"We're going to have to get one or two goals in the first half," said Mack, who was named Big Ten Player of the Week and selected to Soccer America's Team of the Week. "More confidence in the beginning of games will help us until the end"