IU's championship push begins tonight

The IU men's soccer team begins its quest for the eighth national championship title in program history tonight when the No. 7-seed Hoosiers host Northern Illinois University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at 7 p.m. at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nThe Huskies defeated Loyola University-Chicago in the first round 1-0 while the Hoosiers had a bye to the second round. With a 15-5-1 record, NIU will be a formidable opponent, IU coach Mike Freitag said.\n"I look forward to a tough contest," he said. "We've always found over the years this first game is always the toughest. Maybe this is a little different because in the past it has been someone you may have played already."\nThe Huskies' defense has only given up an average of 0.64 goals per game, and sophomore goalkeeper Joe Zimka is ranked No. 1 in the country with a goals-allowed average of 0.15 per game. A tough defense will make the Hoosiers' first game in the tournament difficult, sophomore midfielder Brad Ring said.\n"They are different from most teams we played because they really emphasize defending first," he said. "They have four defenders, five midfielders, so they have a real defensive-oriented system. It's going to be hard breaking them down, but I think we're going to be successful."\nThe Hoosiers finished the season ranked No. 6 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America on the strength of a 14-4-2 record en route to capturing both the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships. After starting out 4-3-2, IU went on a 10-1 run at the end of the season. With the steady improvement during the season, senior forward Kevin Robson said he feels the team is just starting to play to its potential.\n"I'm real confident; I like our chances," Robson said. "We've had a good week of practice, we look sharp, and I am excited about our team. I think we are heading in the right direction and peaking at the right time."\nEight regulars in the Hoosier playing rotation will get their first taste of NCAA Tournament soccer against the Huskies tonight. With the season on the line, each game in the NCAA Tournament is pressure-packed, Robson said.\n"Every play is magnified," he said. "It's a huge difference because it's the NCAA Tournament -- one loss and you are gone. I think once you get on the field, though, everyone does what they have all year."\nFormer IU coach Jerry Yeagley addressed the team after Tuesday's practice. Robson said the inspirational talks from Yeagley motivated the team to play hard for the program and themselves.\n"Whenever Coach Yeagley comes out, he has something important to say," he said. "He's such a monumental part of this program, so whenever we hear Coach Yeagley is coming, we get excited. He gets us fired up."\nThe Hoosiers lost the first game of the NCAA Tournament last season to Notre Dame. After failing to convert on early scoring chances, the Hoosiers fell at home 2-0 to the Irish. But Freitag said the team is not letting last season's disappointing result affect the preparation for tonight's game.\n"That's history," Freitag said. "Most of the guys weren't there, so we don't want to dwell on the past. We are thinking about the future and taking care of business Wednesday night"