Mares to face former team for first time

Dylan Mares said he will approach Tuesday’s game against No. 11 Louisville as he would any other, though he knows the players on the other side of the ball may not. 

Mares, who played for the Cardinals for two seasons before transferring to IU this spring, will square off against his former team for the first time as the IU men’s soccer team welcomes Louisville to Bloomington Tuesday night.

The junior midfielder said his transfer may add fire to what could be one of IU’s most fiercely competitive games all season.

“I expect some of them, mostly the ones I know, to have a little more ‘oomph’ or push to them,” he said. “I’m sure there’s some players who are going to be a little bit more aggressive going into tackles or something. I just have to be aware of it.”

Leading the Cardinal attack in 2010 and 2012, the Zionsville, Ind., native made 41 appearances for the Cardinals, tallying 15 goals and 10 assists.

After Louisville fell in the quarterfinals of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, Mares announced his decision to become a Hoosier, citing “personal reasons” as the motivation for the transfer.

He quickly earned a spot in IU Coach Todd Yeagley’s preferred lineup and has recorded one goal and an assist in his first season at IU.

Mares and the Hoosiers will attempt to snap their second three-game losing streak of the season and avoid the program’s first streak of four consecutive losses since 1985 when the Cardinals arrive at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

They will more than likely have to make that attempt without two of their standout performers, as senior midfielder Harrison Petts and freshman forward Tommy Thompson were held out of weekend practice and have been deemed “doubtful” for Tuesday.

Petts injured his hamstring in the final minutes of last Sunday’s game against Penn State, and Thompson is dealing with an injury to his right leg. At time of printing, the extent of Thompson’s injury was unknown.

Yeagley and the Hoosiers have become well-acquainted with Louisville, having faced the Cardinals 20 times since 1981.

IU dominates the all-time series record at 16-3-1, aided by 14 consecutive victories from 1981-2006 to open the series. All three of Louisville’s victories have come since 2007.

A Todd Yeagley-coached IU team has never defeated the Cardinals.

The Cardinals (8-2-1, 4-0) have stifled their opponents this season, outscoring them by a 20-6 margin. Only once this season Louisville allowed an opponent to score multiple goals, recording six clean sheets in the process.

Sophomore forward Ricardo Velazco has given Cardinal opponents fits, netting five goals and assisting on five more this season. He leads a diverse attack that has produced 11 different goal scorers for the team’s 20 total goals.

Louisville will bring to Bloomington a squad almost wholly different from that of last year. Nine

players who started 10 or more games for the 2012 squad have left the program due to graduation or transfer.

Yeagley said he and his team may not have seen many of Louisville’s players before, but they know the system and how the Cardinals will intend to play.

“They’re going to want the ball, and they’re going to build quite a bit,” he said. “They’re very dynamic, but have a lot of new faces this year, so it’s a little bit harder to predict.
They’re in real good form right now. It’s another IU-Louisville battle.”

Despite IU’s struggles this season, the fourth-year head coach dismissed the idea that Tuesday presented a “do-or-die” situation for his team.

“There’s no do-or-die games,” he said. “We have to get a win. If it’s not this game, it makes the next one that much more important. They’re going to leave it on the field and play from a sense of playing from confidence, not from a fear of failure. This team knows how to win games in big moments, and they know it’s a big game. It’s not the end of the season, win or lose.”

Follow reporter Alden Woods on Twitter @acw9293.