IU soccer preps for coach’s former team

If October means establishing a team’s status for the remainder of a season, the men’s soccer team enters the 5 p.m. Sunday match against Wisconsin — the first game of the month — riding a three-game winning streak and looking to share the Big Ten lead with Michigan State or Ohio State by the night’s end.

“Our guys take pride in the Big Ten success we’ve had and try to add to that,” IU coach Todd Yeagley said. “Right now we’re probably the top conference in the country. Every game is important.”

Though the 5-3-0 Hoosiers’ match against the 1-6-1 Badgers may appear lopsided, Yeagley anticipates the team he coached last season will come out firing.

“Wisconsin’s a hungry team right now,” he said. “They haven’t had much success this year, but as it is for every team who plays IU, it’s their game on their calendar.”

Senior midfielder Cameron Jordan said he knows emotion may run high on the Wisconsin bench when facing the team’s old coach.

“We know since its our coach’s old team, they’ll be coming at us,” Jordan said. “If we focus on us and do what we need to do, play our game, we’ll get the result.”

Jordan said recent team success has turned the 30-man roster into a group of believers, especially considering the various ways in which the team has turned out wins.

“We got over our hump after we went .500 in the first six games,” he said. “UMass wasn’t our prettiest game, but we found a way to win. We decided then, ‘Here we go.’ I think we can keep on riding this wave as long as possible.”

That wave must go through the Badgers. As for emotions in facing his former team, Yeagley said he approaches Sunday like any other game.

“I have a relationship with the returning players and who we recruited,” he said. “We’ll always have that ... when that whistle blows, it’s about IU getting a result. That’s my focus.”