Soccer team prepares for national quarterfinals

IU senior midfielder John Mellencamp has waited his entire life for a chance to play in the College Cup. That chance might almost be here.

“I think about it every night,” he said jokingly. “I have had a couple of dreams about it already. I want to end on that high note with a championship. With the characters of the guys on this team, I wouldn’t want anything less for these guys other than to win that championship.”

The No. 6-seeded Hoosiers (14-6-3) will face the No. 3-seeded St. John’s Red Storm (18-2-3) at 5 p.m. Saturday in Queens, N.Y., in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

An IU victory would advance IU coach Mike Freitag’s team to its Division 1-leading 18th College Cup appearance next week in Frisco, Texas.

The Hoosiers advanced to the fourth round of the tournament with 2-0 and 3-0 victories against St. Louis and Michigan, respectively.

Freitag said he is proud of the way his team has played lately.

“Defensively, we are not taking any risks, and offensively, we have found a way to put the ball in the net,” he said. “The guys have learned to play together, and the casualness that cost us earlier in the season has been eliminated. That is the big reason for our success.”

One reason for IU’s recent run of form has been the play of the defense. The Hoosiers have given up only one shot on goal in the tournament and have shut out their opponents in five of the last six matches, allowing just one goal during that span.

“We have played spectacular,” senior goalkeeper Chay Cain said. “Giving up only one shot on goal in two games in the tournament is almost unheard of. Everybody has been working behind the ball to cut out those chances. That is what you need to win championships.”

The Hoosiers have also benefited in the tournament from the return of senior midfielder Brad Ring. The All-American candidate scored his first goal of the season in the victory against Michigan in the last round.

St. John’s has also played well recently, winning six of its last seven games. In the NCAA Tournament, the Red Storm posted one-goal victories against both Boston and UC-Irvine.

With the Red Storm winning all 11 matches at home this season, Freitag said the quarterfinal game would be a true test for his squad.  

“They are a very solid team,” he said. “They are good defensively and find ways to score goals. St. John’s teams are always very well-organized, are disciplined and work hard.”

The field at Belson Stadium is surfaced with Astroturf and on top of a parking garage because of a lack of space. The Hoosiers practiced this week at Memorial Stadium to prepare for the different conditions.

“The ball moves a little bit quicker, but not much compared to our game field,” Mellencamp said. “There are no excuses for bad touches. The pitch is extremely smooth, so the ball does what you want, so I don’t think we will have a hard time transitioning.”

Despite the Red Storm’s impressive home record, Cain said the team is confident it will advance to the College Cup.

“Their record is what it is,” he said. “Everyone gets beat at some point. Statistics like that don’t really faze us. We are going to go in there and try to get a good victory.”