Men's soccer draws 4th seed in NCAA tournament

The men's soccer team will find itself in some familiar situations when it competes in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.\nThe Hoosiers (14-3-1) drew the fourth seed in the tournament Monday, securing Bloomington as a host site for the first and second round. IU is 46-3 in NCAA Tournament games played in Bloomington and are 36-3 at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers will be looking to achieve their fifth straight Final Four appearance.\nHead coach Jerry Yeagley, who was recently named Big Ten Coach of the Year, said playing in front of a friendly crowd will be to the team's advantage.\n"When we can play (at home) at tourney time, that's a big plus," Yeagley said. "Last year, very honestly, when we were the road warriors we (reached the final four) against the odds. If we can get a big crowd (Sunday) and get a win as a top seed, hopefully we can hold homefield advantage." \nThe last time they lost a tourney contest at home was in 1995 in a 1-0 loss to Butler University.\nButler, who IU beat 3-0 earlier this season, will battle Michigan State in the first round game at 6:30 Friday, Nov. 23 at Bill Armstrong Stadium for the right to play the Hoosiers in the second round. \nIf MSU wins, it will be the third time this year that they will match up with IU. The most recent game against the Spartans was Nov. 11 in the Big Ten championship game, which IU won 2-0. IU blanked Michigan State 3-0 in the regular season.\nJunior forward and Big Ten Player of the Year Pat Noonan said if they play Michigan State for a third time, he won't be worried.\n"We know what they're like, but at the same time they know what we're like," Noonan said. "They'll have a strategy and so will we. It's always tough to beat a team three times, but we have all the confidence in the world that we can do it."\nSenior back Josh Rife said he wants to play the team that will present the greatest challenge.\n"I want to play the best team," he said. "Coach (Yeagley) always says, 'we don't want to take the easy games, we want the good teams.' We want to beat them and prove to ourselves that we can beat the best and play against the best."\nYeagley said both teams will pose a threat to the Hoosiers.\n"(Butler and MSU) are both dangerous teams with good talent," Yeagley said. "Teams you've beat before you tend to psychology take your foot off the peddle a little bit. So we're just going to have to play like it's the last game of the season, no matter who we play. If we play our best, I think our chances are good"