IU defeats No. 1 Maryland 1-0

FORT WAYNE -- Although Friday night's game against No. 1 University of Maryland did not count for the record books, only one outcome was acceptable for the IU men's soccer team when it took the pitch against the defending national champions.\n"A victory," IU coach Mike Freitag said. "It's to prepare us for the season. It's nice to get the victory, and it's nice to see improvement. I think we got both of those today."\nSophomore forward Brian Ackley netted the only goal of the match in the 75th minute to give the No. 12 Hoosiers a 1-0 victory in their second game of the IU-Purdue University Fort Wayne Soccer Showcase.\nFreshman forward Darren Yeagle set up the Ackley goal with a run up the sideline on a pass from senior John Michael Hayden.\n"I had a good through ball, and I knew the defender was big but not that fast, so I just beat him on speed," Yeagle said. "I saw Ackley on the far post, so I just slid it through, and we scored."\nIt was Ackley's second game-winning goal in as many games since moving from a midfielder last season to a forward this year. The Cary, N.C., native tallied the only goal in the cream and crimson's 1-0 victory against the University of Illinois-Chicago in the first game of the Showcase.\n"Brian Ackley has come in this year and played very, very well," Freitag said. "He gives us a calming effect and has scored two goals in two games, so I hope he keeps it up."\nDefense has always been the focus of the IU soccer team, and this year's defense is shaping up to be as successful as last season's after two shutouts in the first two exhibition games, junior goalie Chris Munroe said. Last season the Hoosiers led the Big Ten with the fewest number of goals allowed, averaging only .73 goals per game.\n"They are doing a great job," Munroe said of freshmen defenders Ofori Sarkodie and Kevin Alston. "And, of course, Greg Stevning and Julian Dieterle are solid as a rock back there, just like they've always been."\nLosing six starters from last year's team required Freitag to plug new faces into the Hoosier lineup. Seven players logged significant playing time after not playing last season or being a part of the Hoosiers' heralded recruiting class this season. \nSarkodie, who was the 2005 NSCAA/Adidas National Youth Player of the Year, said the collegiate game is different from the club and international levels the incoming freshmen have been used to playing.\n"I believe on the collegiate level the physical level is much higher," he said. "On the international level, everyone is quite accomplished in their technical ability and their awareness of the game. In the collegiate level, their physical ability is higher. They get more games in a short amount of time, and I think that helps."\nFreitag is confident about the young players stepping up and making contributions for the seven-time national champions, saying he wouldn't recruit the players if they couldn't play.\nAs the regular season begins this weekend at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament in South Bend, the younger players will certainly have a chance to show why Freitag and the Hoosier coaching staff recruited them -- a chance Yeagle is excited about.\n"I feel good about stepping up," he said. "We are a young team, but I feel that we are going to be good"