Men's soccer to face Nos. 1- and 9-ranked teams this weekend

If faced with two teams ranked in the top nine in the nation in one weekend, many coaches would be scrambling to prepare their team. IU coach Mike Freitag said when the No. 7 Hoosiers take the pitch this weekend in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic to face the No. 2-ranked UCLA Bruins and the No. 9-ranked Maryland Terrapins, they will worry more about themselves than the opponent on the field.\n“We prepare like we do for anybody,” Freitag said. “I worry more about my team than I do anyone else before a game.”\nThe Hoosiers will take on Maryland at 7:30 p.m. Friday and UCLA at 2 p.m. Sunday.\nIn their last meeting with Maryland in 2005, the Hoosiers were down 3-0 at halftime, but showed serious resilience, scoring three second-half goals to earn a hard-fought tie. Though second-half heroics might make for good drama, sophomore defender Kevin Alston said it is important for IU to establish themselves early.\n“It’s very important that we get off to a good start,” Alston said. “Coming back three points to tie it up in a game happens really rarely, so hopefully we get off to a great start and don’t put ourselves in a hole where we’ll have to come back.”\nAlston also said it was vital for IU to focus on both teams, keeping an eye on the task at hand against Maryland instead of casting a wary eye toward UCLA.\n“I think it’s important for our team to focus on both teams equally,” Alston said. “They’re both good teams, and with the game of soccer, anybody can win at any time so you can’t really look over anything at all, and you have to prepare the same for both.” \nIU’s only competitive action this fall prior to this weekend’s season opener came in a 1-0 exhibition win over New Mexico on Aug. 25 in Fort Wayne. Junior midfielder John Mellencamp said it was good to use that exhibition match as preparation for this weekend.\n“We had a tough preseason,” Mellencamp said, “but we healed up and got some fire going, and I’m glad we were able to put that one away.”\nThe Hoosiers’ game against UCLA will be broadcast on the recently launched Big Ten Network. The IU Athletics Department is conducting a campaign to “Fill the Bill,” encouraging fans to pack the stands at Bill Armstrong Stadium to witness the two highly ranked teams Sunday afternoon. Freitag said his team usually has an enthusiastic following, and he expects a good turnout.\n“We’ve had great fan support over the years, and I wouldn’t expect anything different this year,” Freitag said. “And especially this year, because on campus I see a lot of students that have soccer jerseys on. They played the game, and I think they’ll enjoy a great soccer weekend if they come out.”