IU ready for rivalry game

The IU men’s soccer team (11-4-2, 4-0-1) has a chance to win the Big Ten regular season title outright for a second straight year in what should be a competitive matchup with Wisconsin on Sunday. But the Hoosiers will have to go through a tough Kentucky team (6-7-2, 4-2-0) Wednesday before getting a shot at the Badgers.\nThe Hoosiers will travel to Lexington, Ky., where they will take the pitch at 7 p.m. tonight at the UK Soccer Complex.\nIU has been successful against Kentucky historically, posting an all-time record of 19-1-1. However, when faced with a similar challenge against another Kentucky team the Hoosiers had historically dominated – Louisville – IU fell in a 2-1 defeat, tarnishing a previously unblemished all-time record of 14-0-0 against the Cardinals.\nHowever, momentum might be on the Hoosiers’ side this time. They have won four of their last five matches, the only exception being an Oct. 21 tie with Ohio State, a game that ended at 0-0. This recent success has paved the way for the possibility of an undefeated Big Ten season for the team. \nDespite the team’s recent success and good fortune against Kentucky, defender Ofori Sarkodie said he is sure tonight’s game will be a tough one.\n“We know it’s definitely going to be a physical game,” Sarkodie said. “We have to be mentally prepared, and we’re nursing a lot of injuries, and trying to get guys healthy so we can compete for 90 minutes.”\nContributing to the Hoosiers’ recent injuries may have been Sunday’s 1-0 win against Penn State, which saw physical play from both sides. There were a total of 22 fouls in the game, with Penn State committing the bulk of them – 14.\nThe Hoosiers have been resting up in anticipation of the back stretch of their season to make sure those injuries don’t affect their performance. IU coach Mike Freitag said at this late point in the year his team needs rest, because some players seem to tire from having a number of obligations along with training every day. To that effect, he’s given players who play regularly two days off to prepare for Kentucky.\nThough they have some injuries and two tough games ahead of them, freshman midfielder Rich Balchan said the team will be looking to take the remainder of the season one game at a time to start a streak that will help with consistency in the Big Ten and \nNCAA Tournaments. \nPart of the reason Freitag has been resting his team might be the Wildcats’ physical play. He said he’s sure they’re in for a good game.\n“Kentucky will be a hard-fought game,” Freitag said. “Lexington’s a hard place to play, especially on Halloween. They’ll be pumped up, and (Kentucky coach) Ian Collins always has his team ready to play the Hoosiers.”