IU heads to Michigan seeking 1st conference victory of season

The IU men's soccer team returns to Big Ten action this weekend at Michigan in search of its first conference victory of the season. \nAfter beginning the Big Ten campaign 0-1-1 with a loss to Penn State and a tie with Michigan State, the Hoosiers rebounded with a pair of non-conference wins against IU-Purdue University Indianapolis and the University of Louisville.\n"I think we have been playing well," IU head coach Mike Freitag said. "The loss against Penn State, I thought we played well enough to win. The Penn State one hurt -- I thought we should have won. It's good to bounce back with these two wins. We look forward to going to Michigan Sunday." \nThe No. 11 Hoosiers currently sit in a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten. In the 14 seasons of Big Ten competition, IU has lost only five regular season contests, and the Hoosiers have never dropped more than two games in a Big Ten regular season. IU has won at least a share of the conference regular season crown 11 times.\n"We have a little bit of momentum and we got our confidence back a little," senior midfielder Brian Plotkin said. "Coming out on the road and getting a nice 2-0 win helps a lot. Now we have to go back and take care of business. Now we have to step it up and (win) the next four, and hopefully we can still get the top seed in the (Big Ten) tournament."\nThe Hoosiers will look to get back on track this Sunday when they face Michigan, who is currently tied with Ohio State and Penn State for the Big Ten lead at 1-0. Senior forward Ryan Alexander leads the Wolverines, who have made the NCAA tournament the past two seasons, with seven points on three goals and an assist this season.\n"They have some great players up there, and we know it will be a battle like every game in the Big Ten," Plotkin said. "We are going up there looking for a win, and I think we can get it."\nThe Hoosiers have never lost to the Wolverines, holding an 8-0 record over their Big Ten counterparts. Last season, IU defeated Michigan 2-1 in the regular season and 1-0 in the second round of the NCAA tournament. While both of those games were played in the friendly confines of Armstrong Stadium, Sunday's game will be another road challenge for the defending national champions. The Hoosiers are in the middle of a four-game road trip as they end the season with six of the final nine games on the road.\n"We always look forward to the away games because we think it helps our team get prepared for the tournament," junior midfielder Josh Tudela said.\nEven with a record of 6-1-3 and a No. 11 national ranking, Freitag is looking for the Hoosiers to continue their growth as a team in their pursuit for a third straight national championship.\n"Right now I still feel we're not close to running on all cylinders," Freitag said. "I've got a lot of good players, and I'm trying to find the right chemistry. I look at it like you got all these pieces of puzzle and you are trying to make a masterpiece print out of it. I got to find that still"