The scoring attack

Brian Ackley insists it was luck. \n"I'm just kind of being in the right place at the right time," said the sophomore midfielder/forward. "I'm just trying to bust my ass and get to the ball. Everybody's really helping me out.\n"I'm playing with the best players in the nation."\nHe could probably throw himself into that category. And he could bring freshman teammate Darren Yeagle along, too. \nThe pair scored seven goals in eight nonconference games this season.\n"It's been phenomenal," senior forward Kevin Robson said. "We needed some guys to score some goals for us, and they scored some timely, timely goals."\nNo more timely goals than a couple weeks ago in Dallas when the team was trying to rebound after losing two close games to two nationally ranked opponents -- Notre Dame and Southern Methodist University. The Hoosiers were trailing Tulsa University by a goal with five minutes remaining in regulation. \nThat's when Ackley knocked the ball into the top corner of the net to even the match. Eleven minutes later in overtime, Yeagle booted a ball of his own to give IU the victory.\n"Me and him, when we're up top, kind of gel well together -- feed off each other," Ackley said. \nThe pair represent more than just two of IU's most prolific goal scorers. They are part of a new breed of IU players -- a group of talented, young Hoosiers who have yet to hoist a College Cup trophy. But they are trying to get to that point, and they are trying to fill in for players who are no longer on the team. \nAckley and Yeagle are leading that charge.\n"They're both stepping up," senior midfielder John Michael Hayden said. "We lost a few guys. We lost (Brian) Plotkin, we lost (Jacob) Peterson -- those guys which last year, past years, were somewhat of our goal scorers. They're stepping up, and it's good."\nThough, Hayden admits they could be even better.\n"They're given a lot of opportunities," he said. "There are some also that I felt like they should have scored. So they should have more (goals)." \nThough Ackley and Yeagle are separated by a year of eligibility, they both were part of IU coach Mike Freitag's 2005 recruiting class. Freitag redshirted Yeagle last season to give him an extra year of eligibility. \n"I grew up with (Ackley)," Yeagle said. "Last year he was one of my close friends. I just know how he plays, and he knows how I play."\nThat cohesiveness manifested itself in the Hoosiers' final preseason game. They faced then-No. 1 University of Maryland in an exhibition match in Fort Wayne. \nTied 0-0 in the second half, Yeagle made a break down the right side of the field and passed the ball to Ackley, who delivered.\nAt that point, they knew they had something special.\n"I knew we had to take it upon ourselves to help out the team in scoring situations," Yeagle said.\nFreitag is happy with their performances. \n"Probably the biggest surprise is Brian Ackley," Freitag said. "Brian we knew was a good player last year in so limited time. When he came back (this season), we threw him up front (to forward) because of necessity, and he seemed to click. He's got a lot of good attributes to play up here. He's got good feet; he's good in the air, and he's got a little bit of larceny in him. He's always trying to poach a goal or find a way to make something happen."\nThe two make up a good one-two punch. Ackley towers over opposing defenders while Yeagle flashes past them. \n"Darren is just a very dynamic player -- a player who, if you're a defender, you better be on your toes cause if you're on your heels, that explosiveness, he'll find a way to make things happen," Freitag said.\nIt's a combination Freitag can trust for the next few years, during which Ackley and Yeagle have only one goal: a national championship.\n"That was one of the major reasons I came here -- the history," Ackley said. "The older guys and the coaches try to make us realize what it's about. I get hyped about it, just hearing them talk about it. Hopefully we get there and share the same experience"