Hoosiers on familiar ground

In some ways, the 1998 and 2000 men's soccer seasons are stark contrasts.\nFor one, the 1998 squad coasted to the national championship with a 23-2 record. The 2000 team, on the other hand, slipped into the NCAA tournament with an at-large bid after ending the regular season on a three-game losing streak.\nWhile the 1998 team had several veterans, the 2000 squad boasts only three seniors.\nBut the Hoosiers of '98 and '00 found themselves in similar positions in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.\nIn both years, IU was up against the top-seeded team. This year, the Hoosiers (15-6) will face No. 1 North Carolina at 1 p.m. Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C. In 1998, the No. 8-seeded Hoosiers upset No. 1-seeded Clemson 2-1 on its road to the Final Four.\nAlthough the 2000 team isn't seeded, the Hoosiers have one advantage the national champion didn't -- winning on the road.\nThe Hoosiers haven't had the luxury of playing NCAA games at Bill Armstrong Stadium, where they have a 43-3 postseason record. Instead, IU has slipped into the NCAA Elite Eight with wins in Santa Clara, Calif., and Seattle.\n"I think playing on the road the first couple games (of the NCAA tournament) has prepared us even more," senior midfielder Justin Tauber said. "I know in '98 we were at home up until that point, and I think most of our games were at home that year. I think in terms of being able to play in a tough environment, we're more experienced going in than we were in '98."\nNevertheless, the '98 squad boasted five players who now play professionally. But what the Hoosiers lack in veteran leadership, they have made up in grit. After losing three of their first six games this season, the Hoosiers went on a 10-game winning streak before dropping the last three games of the regular season.\n"In terms of fight and heart, working out there on the field, I think that ranks us pretty high in the country," senior forward Matt Fundenberger said. "I think that really does it -- the intangibles."\nIn the game against Clemson in 1998, the Hoosiers held onto their 2-1 lead with 15 minutes to go. Tauber said he remembers almost 5,000 fans near the edge of the field and a Clemson shot hitting the goal post in the closing minutes. The Hoosiers played some of their best defense to deny the Tigers, who were ranked first in national polls.\n"I look for a similar environment to how it was in '98," Tauber said. "For as long as I've been playing here, that was probably one of the best games I've ever seen as far as the environment. It went down to the wire. In the last 15 minutes, we were dodging bullets as far as shots go. We expect the same kind of game."\nIU knocked off eighth-seeded San Jose State to get to Chapel Hill, where the Tarheels have averaged 1,061 fans this year.\nWhile the Hoosiers have outscored their opponents 6-1 in the past two games, the Tarheels knocked off William and Mary 3-2 in overtime and Rhode Island 3-1 to reach the NCAA Elite Eight. Junior forward Chris Carrieri paces North Carolina with 25 goals -- 13 more than Fundenberger, IU's leading scorer.\n"We will not go down there and have anxiety legs and stand and watch," coach Jerry Yeagley said. "We know we're playing a very good team ... And before this year, we were 2-8 in road games in NCAA tournament play (and) 43-3 at home. We're now 4-8. So we've shown we can play on the road"