Soccer team looks forward to fall play

As August draws to a close, students will begin returning to Bloomington for the start of classes. Along with classes comes the fall athletics season, and one team expecting big things is the men’s soccer team. Recently ranked No. 8 in the country in the College Soccer News’ preseason poll, the Hoosiers hope to live up to such hype and redeem themselves after a third-round loss to Santa Clara on penalty kicks in last season’s NCAA Tournament. \nAlong with the high overall team ranking, IU coach Mike Freitag’s incoming freshman class was recently named the No. 2 class in the country by College Soccer News, behind only Duke. IU will welcome the seven new faces Aug. 15, when practice officially begins. In addition to the freshman arrivals, the Hoosiers will return several players from injuries, including senior backer Greg Stevning and eventually junior forward Darren Yeagle, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the spring exhibition season. \nAlthough the summer is usually a downtime for the players, several continued to play well into the scorching summer heat. Sophomore backer Ofori Sarkodie saw action with the U.S. Under-20 team, where he had the opportunity to travel and play against teams such as Brazil. \n“It was an amazing experience to represent your country on that big of a stage,” Sarkodie said. “The experience was second to none.” \nFreitag watched Sarkodie’s performance in the game against Brazil and said he was very pleased and proud of his player. \n“It’s nice to see your players play,” Freitag said. “You’re proud of them out there representing the country.” \nWhile Sarkodie was representing the cream and crimson on the U-20 squad, sophomore midfielder Kevin Alston and freshman midfielder Daniel Kelly were improving their games competing with the U.S. Pan American team. Alston and Kelly both saw significant playing time before the team was eliminated from the competition on July 21 by Mexico in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.\nWhile these three Hoosiers traveled the world, many of their teammates held jobs, including senior goalkeeper Chris Munroe. Munroe worked with the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs in Chicago. He said that after a long summer in the city, he’s ready to get back to campus.\n“I really am (looking forward to the season),” he said. “Having actually been in the real world makes you appreciate college and soccer so much more.” \nBoth Sarkodie and Munroe look forward to the arrival of the newest class of Hoosiers, but Munroe might have a reason to be more excited. Included in the freshman class is his younger brother Michael. \n“I’m not going to lie, I’m more excited (about starting the season) for him than I am for myself,” the elder Munroe said. \nThe Munroe brothers, as well as the rest of the squad, will face a challenging schedule from their first kickoff. After an Aug. 25 exhibition game in Fort Wayne against New Mexico, the Hoosiers will play preseason-ranked No. 1 UCLA as well as No. 9 Maryland during the IU Credit Union/adidas Classic at Bill Armstrong Stadium beginning Aug. 31. Despite the early challenges in the season, Sarkodie can’t wait to get back on the grass of Yeagley Field. \n“I’m always excited (to play),” he said. “I love competition.”