Tough test awaits Hoosiers at tournament

Seeking to snap their first three game winless streak since the 2000 season, the Hoosiers head up-state to South Bend to face Akron today and Fresno State on Saturday as part of Notre Dame's Berticelli Memorial Tournament.\nAfter a tie and a defeat to Georgetown and UConn respectively in last week's UConn Classic, the Hoosiers (1-1-2) fell six spots from No. 5 to No. 11 in this weeks adidas/NSCAA poll. The Hoosiers will conclude the five game road swing next Thursday when they return to South Bend to face Notre Dame.\nThis weekend's opponents mark the first time IU will not be battling a preseason ranked squad. However, Friday's game against Akron is no walkover as the Zips return eight starters from their Mid-American conference champion team. \n"Akron may be the best team that we will have faced so far," coach Jerry Yeagley said. "They are an interesting blend of international and U.S. players who have very good speed and are a very experienced team. They will be a good test for us." \nAkron enters today's game with a 2-1 record, including wins over Seton Hall and IU-Fort Wayne. Junior Alex Odwell leads the Zips with seven total points on three goals and an assist. Head coach Ken Lolla is in the midst of his 11th season at the helm for Akron.\nOn Saturday, for the second time this season, IU will face an opponent seeking their first point of the season. In this case, Fresno State enters the tournament with an 0-2-0 mark, including defeats at the hands of UC Irvine and Santa Clara. The Bulldogs own a 2-1 lifetime record against IU, beating the Hoosiers 2-1 in 1999.\n"Fresno State is in the Pac-10, which is the No. 1 conference in soccer," Yeagley said. "They are capable on any day of beating any team.They are a talented and athletic squad."\nAs dissatisfied as IU is with its 1-1-2 record thus far, a sluggish start has become the norm for IU squads lately. Over the past four seasons, in which IU has finished no worse than the third round of the NCAA tournament, the Hoosiers have never won more then two of their first four games.\nEven freshman forward Jacob Peterson expects nothing but victories as part of the IU soccer tradition.\n"Especially here at IU we should not go into a weekend and lose one and tie one," Peterson said. "And we play a good team on Friday in Akron, so hopefully we can get down and get a couple of wins."\nBut even after leaving UConn last weekend without a win and heading to South Bend for two tough games, the players remain focused.\n"There is no sense of panic, but we just need to find a way to win," sophomore Pat Yates said. "Every game it seems we are finding ways to lose instead of ways to win, so we just need to go out this weekend and show these two tough teams how we can play."\nIn terms of changing their style, Yeagley will continue to do what has brought this program such great success the past three decades. That is, go on the road and try to take control of the game from their opponent.\n"These are two good matchups for us," he said. "We need to get up on these teams and not just sit back. We need to be aggressive and try to take the game to them." \n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Cohen at djcohen@indiana.edu.