Men's soccer ends preseason at 1-1-1

The IU men’s soccer team tied Denver on Sunday 0-0 in Fort Wayne at the ShinDigZ National Soccer Festival, which ended the preseason and sent the Hoosiers home with a 1-1-1 exhibition record.

“It was pretty fast paced, and it was hot out,” freshman midfielder Harrison Petts said. “They were fresh because they didn’t play a game Friday. As the game went on, we got a lot of fresh legs out there. I think we’re in really good shape.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Luis Soffner posted his first shutout of the preseason, which came after he lost the starting job to junior Nate Mitchell for Friday’s 2-1 win against Duke.

“I’ve been trying to stay connected with defense,” Soffner said. “We’re really stressing defense first over offense. Us communicating with each other has been our main focus.”

Aside from Soffner getting the start in goal, the starting lineup for Sunday’s friendly match was the same as Friday.

Junior forward Will Bruin led the charge with three shots on goal, including a try with 12 seconds remaining in the first half that was blocked by a Denver defender.

With the Hoosiers’ 11-8 shot advantage Sunday, IU outshot its opponents in each of its three preseason games.

“After Xavier, we knew we had a lot to work on,” Petts said. “Moving forward into the season, we’re feeling confident. We got better as the preseason went on, which is what you look for.”

Bruin and newcomer Nikita Kotlov each recorded a score in Friday’s win
against Duke.

As IU steps into the regular season and coach Todd Yeagley’s first year full year, they face a challenging schedule that begins with California and UCLA at home Sept. 3 and Sept. 5, respectively.

The Hoosiers enter the season ranked No. 20 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll.