Hoosiers tie 1-1 with Bearcats

For the second weekend in a row, the IU men’s soccer team traveled up to Indianapolis to battle not only a tough opponent, but also less-than-ideal playing conditions. The hard, uneven field of Warren Central High School proved to be a speed bump in the Hoosiers’ offensive attack as it tied Cincinnati 1-1 during the Literacy Classic on Friday. \nSophomore midfielder Brad Ring scored the lone goal for the Hoosiers in the 44th minute off an assist from sophomore forward Kevin Noschang. While IU’s style of play was more organized, the Bearcats took several erratic shots before getting one around goalkeeper Chay Cain in the 74th minute. Cincinnati had both more shots on goal as well as more corner kicks than the Hoosiers. Cain had three saves in addition to the one shot he allowed. \nIU coach Mike Freitag called the game “so-so,” and blamed his team’s mediocre play partially on the rough field conditions. \n“This game was a game that was different than we were used to,” Freitag said. “We didn’t adapt quickly enough.” \nRing agreed that the conditions were not the greatest. He also attributed the Hoosiers’ playing to the conditions, saying that Cincinnati was no different than any other team IU faces. \n“They were dangerous at times,” said Ring. “But (they were) nothing we hadn’t seen before.” \nSophomore midfielder John Mellencamp said that it was disappointing to tie the game, and agreed with Ring that the Bearcats were not one of their toughest opponents. Mellencamp believed that most of Cincinnati’s close calls were more from a lack of defense than a stand-out offense. \n“I’d give them some credit,” Mellencamp said. “But also some focus here and there (on IU’s part) would have prevented the goal.” \nAlthough the game may not have been the most athletically challenging for the Hoosiers, Mellencamp cited that it was good practice for their next opponent, the Mexican national Under-20 team. What may be their most challenging game of the spring season, the Hoosiers will take on El Tri at 3 p.m. next Sunday. Mexico’s roster will include several players from the U-17 team which beat Brazil in 2005 to win the U-17 World Cup.