IU bidding for Big Ten's No. 2 seed

Although the IU men's soccer team held a 2-0 halftime advantage over Butler Wednesday night, head coach Mike Freitag was anything but content heading into the locker room. Freitag said he feels there have been times this season when players have not played up to the precedent set by former IU teams.\n"I wrote at halftime the number 76 -- that's how long I've been here, since '76," Freitag said. "I've seen what IU soccer is all about and I thought the last 15 minutes of the half felt like an IU soccer team. Sometimes you can have skill and think that's all you can get by on, but hustle and fight have to be there. If we aren't getting it from some other people I am going to get people on the field who can do it."\nNo. 6 IU will need to follow the lines of its lineage Sunday when it welcomes Ohio State to Bill Armstrong Stadium for the final Big Ten game of the season. For a present-day example of traditional IU play, the team looks to senior midfielder Mike Ambersley.\nWith the Hoosiers and Bulldogs tied Wednesday night, Freitag moved Ambersley to forward. Less than a minute later, the senior assisted on IU's first goal, opening the floodgates for a 6-0 Hoosier victory. Ambersley's ability to spark play all season has served as an example to the team, Freitag said.\n"I think Mike Ambersley has shown all year that he knows what it's all about," Freitag said. "I thought he was the one who really got us going."\nTeammates have also noticed the consistent performance and leadership Ambersley brings to the team every game.\n"Mikey has been playing amazing -- he's in shape and in good form right now," senior midfielder Jordan Chirico said. "He's getting the job done (up top). That's what we've got to go with."\nAmbersley and the Hoosiers can clinch the second seed in the Big Ten tournament with a win against the Buckeyes and a Michigan State loss or tie in their last two Big Ten games.\nThe Hoosiers have gone 5-0-1 since losing their only game this season to Penn State. Even though the team has rebounded from the loss, Freitag and the Hoosiers are not overlooking Ohio State.\n"They are a big physical team, which is sometimes a thing we don't do well against," Freitag said. "If we play smart and skillful and move the ball around those big guys can't keep up with the ball."\nWhile the Hoosier defense, allowing .60 goals per contest, is ranked 15th in the country, IU will look to its recent offensive success to carry the team. For the first time since 1997, IU has registered five games with five or more goals. Even with this offensive talent, the Hoosiers cannot be successful without a strong team work ethic.\n"You can't just get by on being a good player," Freitag said. "Every day you have to come with your lunch pail and work hard."\nWith powerhouse teams Notre Dame, Maryland and \nAkron waiting on the schedule, it makes the Ohio State game that much more important.\n"We need that win to be in second place in the Big Ten to make sure we get a good seed in the tournament," Chirico said. "And also, just to keep on a roll here. At the end of the year every year we start building up some wins in a row so it will be important to keep that going"