Men's soccer getting some "ugly" victories

So you're looking for something to put on your wall, and this is the choice you must make …\nThe "Mona Lisa" versus "Dogs Playing Poker."\nBecause of my taste, or extreme lack thereof, I would choose "Dogs Playing Poker." And while "Dogs Playing Poker" does have its charms, even I am not stupid enough to conclude that it is superior in beauty to the "Mona Lisa."\nSo what does this art lesson have to do with soccer? My point is that both paintings will get the job of covering the wall done. And while the men's soccer team had some da Vinci's throughout this season, it's been nothing but "Dogs Playing Poker" lately.\nThe last three games for the Hoosiers have been anything but masterpieces, and yet they have been good enough efforts to escape with a win.\nAgainst Northwestern, the Hoosiers came out ready to play -- that is, ready to play against Northwestern. The Hoosiers got their wake-up call early, as Jun Kim's header 45 seconds into the match put Northwestern ahead of the Hoosiers for the first time since milk was delivered to your door and bread was a nickel. \nFortunately, the Hoosiers did wake up, tying the game more than midway through the first half and putting the defensive smackdown on the Wildcats in the second half. While the 4-1 score indicates total domination, it took awhile for the Hoosiers to take control, and there were definite signs of the Hoosiers underestimating their opponent.\nThen, The Hoosiers travel to Lexington to face Kentucky on Wednesday night. Last year, these two teams played two hotly contested and overly physical matches. Wednesday night, the two squads continued that tradition. The contest featured 28 fouls, seven yellow card cautions (including one on coach Jerry Yeagley) and one ejection (Kentucky's Brian Mitts). \nThe Hoosiers' composure managed to win out over Kentucky's aggressiveness 2-0, on goals by junior Tyler Hawley and sophomore Pat Noonan. Once again, the result was better than the game, as the Hoosiers came out slow for the second straight game.\nThen came yesterday's battle at Ohio State. The Hoosiers and Buckeyes basically played to a stalemate on the field, with the Buckeyes being able to force their style of play on the Hoosiers -- one of the few teams to do so this season. \nIf you liked solid goaltending, then this was the game for you. Ohio State's Kerry Thompson made his share of spectacular saves, but Colin Rogers, a junior, gave another solid effort in blanking the Buckeyes 1-0. \nIf you liked solid offense or finishing, I hope you were somewhere else. Ohio State's aggressive play all over the field forced IU to go away from their usual possession style offense, forcing them to play long balls downfield, which were often won by the Buckeyes. Ohio State's physical play also caused the Hoosiers to take out their aggression, as IU committed 25 fouls and collected five yellow cards on the day. And yet, senior Matt Fundenberger's 20th minute penalty kick would be all IU would need to collect their 10th straight victory.\nSo what is the lesson here? Sometimes poor finishing is OK? You don't always have to play clean to win? The dirtier the better? Well, there's two sides to this story. Fortunately they are both good for the Hoosiers.\nSide one: In three games, IU was unprepared, outmuscled and even outplayed by their opponents. Despite these facts the Hoosiers came out 3-0, showing that this squad does what it has to do to be victorious.\nSide two: Out of those three games the Hoosiers know that they could have dropped one, maybe even two of them. But this Hoosier squad and coaching staff know that it is not always the result that counts, but the performance of the team that is more important. This team knows that the past three contests have not yielded their best soccer.\nWith almost two weeks off, the Hoosiers have time to work on some things. This means that while some things may change, you can expect the winning to continue.