Defender happy to return to lineup

He started all 25 matches of the IU men's soccer team last season and earned Big Ten Conference All-Freshman team honors.\nWhen IU made its west coast swing to New Mexico for two matches against UC-Santa Barbara and New Mexico in mid-September -- both double-overtime losses for the Hoosiers -- he injured the medial collateral ligament in his right knee while going for a 50/50 ball against New Mexico.\nAfter sitting out three games for the first time in his career, sophomore defender Julian Dieterle said it is great to lace the boots back up and get on the pitch as he made his return -- with a black knee brace -- in the Hoosiers' 2-1 win Sunday against Michigan.\n"It's been a rough couple of weeks," Dieterle said. "It's something if you push too much, it is going to be a lingering injury that hurts you in the long run. All you can do is give it time. It is the most frustrating thing if you are an athlete, not being able to play with an injury, but it is good to be back."\nDieterle's rehabilitation process was extensive as he would first practice with the team for a half-hour, then ride the stationary bike, followed by icing before he would go back onto the field for some running and lateral drills to strengthen the ligament.\nIn Dieterle's first game out of action against Michigan State, IU coach Mike Freitag played junior back Chris Pomeroy in IU's 3-1 win. Redshirt freshman back Greg Stevning then played for Dieterle when IU defeated Penn State 2-1 and tied Kentucky as both Pomeroy and Stevning earned their first starts in their respective games.\n"IU's the best program in the nation, we go 20 deep," Stevning said. "Everybody on the bench can play, it's just a matter of what coach gives a chance to and he gave me the chance. I did my best."\nStevning impressed Freitag while Dieterle was out, and Freitag gave Stevning the start at midfield against Michigan. Freitag even said Stevning will fill in somewhere along the backline Friday against Wisconsin as sophomore Jed Zayner is required to sit the game out for a red card he received against Michigan.\nBoth Stevning and Dieterle agreed it was nice to play at each others' side against Michigan, since both backs are friends off the field.\n"Greg is a great guy," Dieterle said. "And actually, it's the best thing that could happen in a way because for him, he gets a little playing experience this year and next year he'll be able to step on the field with a little more confidence. He showed the coaches that he can step in and play if need be. Obviously the injury is bad, but he is a great guy and he did well in there; so I'm happy for him."\nAlthough Dieterle does not post numbers appearing in the box score on a regular basis, he does have three career goals for the Hoosiers, including one goal this season -- his lone game winner. It's what Dieterle does on the defensive end that goes unnoticed in the box score by making stops, including a handful of key ones at the top of the 18-yard box against Michigan Sunday.\n"What you're going to get with Jules, he's a hard-nosed defender who is always focused and never really has a bad game," Freitag said.\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu