Versatile transfer player sparks Hoosier offense

Bobby de St. Aubin remembers last season's NCAA men's soccer College Cup.\nHe and his teammates got together and watched the games on television. De St. Aubin saw IU beat UCLA 3-2 and Santa Clara 1-0 for its second consecutive national championship -- the Hoosiers' fifth title overall.\nHe must have liked what he saw.\nDe St. Aubin transferred from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and joined IU this year. He said he made the move to challenge himself and he's been happy with the challenges he's found with the Hoosiers.\n"It's just been more than you can imagine," de St. Aubin said. "Everything at IU, the tradition, you hear about it, and it's totally lived up to those expectations. There's no program in the country like it. It's unparalleled.\n"It's been everything I hoped and more. And then to top it off with the final four, that's just great." \nIU might not have made it to its fourth consecutive College Cup, NCAA soccer's final four, without de St. Aubin.\nAfter playing much of the season without making an impact, de St. Aubin played his best game of the season in IU's 1-0 win Saturday at North Carolina. The win qualified IU for today's semifinal contest with Creighton.\nSophomore Marcus Chorvat sat out the third-round game because of a red card, so de St. Aubin started in his place as left outside midfielder. Coach Jerry Yeagley switched de St. Aubin to the right side when the Tar Heels' Noz Yamauchi began getting past IU junior midfielder Tyler Hawley early in the first half.\nDe St. Aubin tackled the ball away from Yamauchi the first time the North Carolina midfielder tried to make a move.\nDe St. Aubin also gave the Hoo-siers a spark on offense, hustling to grab balls and controlling the ball in the midfield.\nThe performance impressed Yeagley, who said de St. Aubin started to make his mark on the team in the North Carolina match.\n"For him to give that performance, play 90 minutes and play at that level was the surprise of the match," Yeagley said. "It was a real positive of the match. I was very pleased for him. It was great for his confidence.\nDe St. Aubin admitted he hadn't played to his potential until the North Carolina contest.\nHe came to IU hoping to help a team that returned a solid core of players but didn't make a major contribution before he injured his groin in mid-October.\nAfter the injury, de St. Aubin missed several games and played little in several others. He played in each of IU's first two tournament games but had less of an effect than he did against North Carolina.\nJunior sweeper Josh Rife, who also transferred to IU this season, said de St. Aubin's breakout game shows what kind of player he is.\n"He's a real explosive-type player," Rife said. "If you're not watching, he'll catch you. He's strong on the ball and a good passer, too."\nDe St. Aubin said he hopes to continue to be a force in the College Cup. He said he expected more from himself, even more so after his game against the Tar Heels.\nAnd, as Yeagley says, de St. Aubin should expect a good game. Yeagley likes players to have a certain amount of arrogance when they step on the field. \n"He's very quiet," Yeagley said. "But we want him to change his personality when he gets on the field, get a little bit of an arrogance to him. He could be the man. He could do more. I think sometimes he just feels, 'Hey, I'm new. These guys are here. I just better help them,' rather than, 'Hey, I'm going to go out and do my thing and help this team myself when it's my time.'"\nIf the North Carolina game is any indication, de St. Aubin has decided to take the second approach.