Breathe in.\nBring all that positive energy in.\nBreathe out. \nLet out all the negative energy.\nIU coach Mike Freitag led his troops into battle with a simple pregame exercise.\nBreathe in.\nTake in the moment. Senior goalkeeper Jay Nolly is staring University of California-Santa Barbara's Nate Boyden face-to-face with a national championship on the line.\nBecerra's foot strikes the ball, and time stands still. Nolly seems to float through the air to his left, when the ball hits his arms, deflects off the ground, and then gently lifts back into the air. It's right about here that things are brought back into full speed.\nBreathe out.\nThe emotion, the affection and the passion of IU soccer flood from every last Hoosier in the stadium and are brought to life in the form of 30 young men celebrating in the center of the field. Finally, after months of preparation and build-up, three IU seniors were able to address their team as champions -- again.\n"Coming in here we knew the hardest team to beat was ourselves," said senior Danny O'Rouke. "It shows so much character that we weathered the storm all game and came up with a victory. I am so proud of you guys. I'll be your brother for life, I love you. Now let's go back to Bloomington and celebrate."
Pregame\nEvery player knew he was faced with the biggest game of his life, but the mood wouldn't have suggested it. \nPlay designs and talk of strategy are met with jokes and laughter. But behind the laughter, players like O'Rourke and junior defender Drew Moor sit with stone faces.\n"I try to get them focused, but relaxed," Freitag said. "You can be too hyped up, you can be too relaxed."\nFor Freitag, the realization that the upcoming championship match is all but out of his hands looms hard. Once the game begins, he'll coach; but until then, all he can do is wait.\n"I hate the time leading up to the game," Freitag said. "There are so many things you start thinking of whether positive or negative."
Gametime\nBreathe in.\nOnly one team will end the day national champions. The other, will just be the last of a string of 47 losers.\nRough describes the atmosphere on the field, as 50 total fouls will be called during the course of two periods and two overtimes of soccer.\n"Before the game," O'Rourke said, "I got in the huddle with the guys and said 'Boys, this isn't going to be pretty, it's going to be like going to war' and the guys responded immensely."\nIn the 26th minute, sophomore forward Jacob Peterson receives a ball from sophomore back Jed Zayner and stretches every last inch to flick the ball up and over the approaching UCSB goalkeeper.\nBreathe out.
Halftime\n"Put a body on your man!"\n"We're going to get another on!"\n"We can't be satisfied!"\nRandom shouts of encouragement ring through the IU locker room, while others choose to keep the moment to themselves.\nJunior midfielder Brian Plotkin sits in his chair, looking like he has just seen a ghost. Perfectly still, he basks in the potential of the next 45 minutes.\nWhen the coach walks into the room, all goes silent and the maestro takes his stand. Strategy and instructions emanate through each of his soldiers, but he finishes with one final message.\n"This is ours!" Freitag exclaims. "Even if they come back, this is ours! But they're not going to come back!"
Go time\nBreathe in.\nLike shells from mortars, Freitag's soldiers are bombarded with six shots, six corners and countless Gaucho opportunities in the second half.\nThe men hold off the UCSB attack, bunkering nearly every last player on the defensive side. That is until 12 minutes remain, and a ball rolls out to the Gaucho's Drew McAthy and he sends the tying shot passed the senior goalkeeper Nolly.\nBreathe out.\n"There was no doubt," O'Rourke said. "I haven't had a doubt in these guys all season. We could have been down 3-0 and I still would have thought we could have come back."
Overtime\nBreathe in.\nNeither of the two overtime periods contains the miracle IU seeks, and as penalty kicks await, the miracle will take the form of one of six men. \nFirst Moor -- miss. Then sophomore John Michael Hayden -- score. Then senior forward Greg Badger -- score. Then Plotkin -- miss. Then junior forward Mike Ambersley -- score.\nThe game lies in the hands of Nolly -- save.\n"At first I was shocked," he said. "I didn't even know if (we) had won yet, then everyone started running at me and I was just like, 'Oh man, we just won the championship again.'"\nBreathe out.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
