Yeagley, team look to continue win streak in Evanston, Ill.

Heading to the end of the regular season, senior defender Tommy Meyer knows everything his team has worked for is right in front of it.

After blowing some leads this year, Meyer said it is time for the Hoosiers to take control of what remains of the regular season.

“We just need to stay focused,” Meyer said. “The thing is, we just need to get the results now. We don’t want ties. We want wins.”

The No. 10 IU men’s soccer team travels to conference leader Northwestern with a shot to win the Big Ten if it wins its final two games.

The Hoosiers need victories against Northwestern and Ohio State. Wisconsin must lose a game, as well.

In order to accomplish the team’s goal to win the Big Ten title, Meyer stressed the importance of keeping composure on offense and defense equally.

“We need to be focused on restarts. We all know it,” Meyer said. “Coming into this part of the season, it’s crucial that we are focused on each restart.”

The Hoosiers (10-3-3, 2-1-1) head to Northwestern riding a five-game unbeaten streak. Sophomore Nikita Kotlov’s has scored goals in four straight games, giving him five on the season.

Last year, in IU Coach Todd Yeagley’s first season, the Hoosiers finished with a 10-8-2 record after falling to eventual National Champion Akron in the Sweet 16.

With two regular season games remaining, IU has matched last season’s win total and Yeagley has seen the team grow as a whole.

“We have outplayed opponents. A lot of these results are just good wins,” Yeagley said. “Sweet 16 is a good year. A Big Ten championship is a good year. But we felt there were some losses that slipped.”

The Hoosiers had some trouble this year figuring out how to pull away once they accomplished a 2-0 lead, but while IU had some breakdowns in those games, after Wednesday’s 2-1 win against Evansville, the team improved to 6-1-1 when holding a 2-0 lead.

Senior Chris Estridge said the team has to maintain an aggressive mentality, no matter the score.

“Having a two-goal lead is usually a dangerous lead, because you get a little complacent,” Estridge said. “Once we find a second (goal) we have to find a third and really kill the game off.”

Entering its final two Big Ten contests, Yeagley said he likes the direction his team is headed.

“Here we are. It’s all in front of us,” Yeagley said. “A Big Ten regular season championship (is) still in reach with some help, and it is now a tournament time feel, where if you slip, things start to get more difficult.”