Tourney Time

Born in St. Louis and having played soccer for St. Louis University High School, IU defender Tommy Meyer knows what to expect in his first NCAA tournament game more than most freshmen typically would.

“Luis (Soffner), Chris (Haffner) and I were all recruited by St. Louis University,” Meyer said. “There is one kid from my club team that is on SLU and a bunch of older kids on that team that are on SLU too, so I know most of them. Ever since coming here I looked forward to playing St. Louis because it has always been such a big game. I’m not really nervous yet, but we’ll see.”

Seeded No. 6 in the tournament, the Hoosiers (12-6-3) will face the Billikens (12-4-5) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

The matchup against St. Louis is especially intriguing for a couple of reasons.

For one, IU coach Mike Freitag and five players hail from the Gateway City. In addition, the Hoosiers have competed against the Billikens 30 times, posting a 17-9-4 advantage.

SLU senior midfielder Kyle Patterson, a MAC Hermann Trophy candidate for the nation’s top college soccer player, is the best offensive threat for the Billikens. He leads the team with 29 points on the season, including five game-winning goals.

Another player the Hoosiers will need to focus on is SLU senior defender Calum Angus, who returned for the final 12 games after being injured earlier in the season. Last year, Angus was named second-team All-America by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and the Atlantic-10 Defensive Player of the Year.

Freitag said the intense rivalry will make Tuesday night’s game a little more interesting.

“There has always been a good Indiana versus St. Louis University rivalry, and it adds a little spice to the game,” he said. “St. Louis is a very talented team. I know their starting eleven, a lot of their players we have played in the past, and they are as good as anybody we have played. They are well-coached and may have some guys back that were out earlier with injuries.”

The Hoosiers, though, might be the most ready team in the entire tournament, having played more NCAA tournament teams this season, 12, than any other squad in the post-season. Eight of these matches were against non-conference opponents.

Senior forward Kevin Noschang said the difficult regular-season schedule allows his team to be fully ready come the NCAA tournament.

“We try to have the toughest schedule every year in the country, and that prepares us for any team we face,” he said. “Having a tough schedule lets us know where you stand and allows us to see our weaknesses and our strengths. But come tournament time, any team can win.”

And with only two losses in its past nine games, IU seems to be peaking at the right time and is confident in its NCAA chances.

“Around tournament time, practice is always different,” Noschang said. “Everybody has a bounce in their step, and they turn the knobs up a few more clicks. We are more of a team now, and certainly that is what you need going into the tournament.”