Men's soccer travels to Northwestern for final regular season game

The IU men’s soccer team is on the road again, out to prove it has the skills and determination to get a win in hostile territory for the first time this season.

Six road games have gone by, and all have ended in defeat. However, this final one in Evanston, Ill., could make all the difference. With the postseason rapidly approaching, one final win to close out an otherwise rough season could give the Hoosiers the confidence they need going into the Big Ten Tournament.

The Hoosiers will be posed against the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday, also playing for a better seed in the Big Ten Tournament. 

Winning the tourney is the squad’s only route back to the Big Dance. If Indiana wins and Ohio State loses or ties, it could snatch the five seed. A loss would give the Hoosiers the seventh seed (the last seed) in the tourney for the first time in school history.

“It’s important for us to come out and play well and get a good result,” senior midfielder Harrison Petts said. “The result’s especially important for building confidence going into the Big Ten Tournament. We’ve been playing some pretty good soccer lately, but the results have still kind of been evading us, but we need to find a way to do the little things that we maybe haven’t been doing the past couple games to finish the game off.”

Indiana has no lack for experience in big games. There are five seniors at the helm of a team who would love to go out on top as two-time national champions.

IU Coach Todd Yeagley said freshman forward Tommy Thompson is expected to be back in action for Friday’s matchup. Thompson hasn’t played in three weeks due to knee surgery. His five goals share the team lead with Femi Hollinger-Janzen for the most on the team.

“We expect Tommy to be available Friday, and we’ll definitely use him in the Big Ten Tournament,” Yeagley said. “He’s playing very well. He’s a quick healer and he’s excited to help the team, and we’re excited to get him back.”

Northwestern and Indiana have a history of playing neck-and-neck soccer. The last three games they have played against one another have ended in ties. This time around, the Hoosiers will see a familiar goalkeeper in junior Tyler Miller, who has been playing between the posts for the Wildcats the past three years. Miller has 27 career shutouts, which is tied for second in program history.

Sophomore forward Joey Calistri has had a standout season for the Wildcats as well. He has posted 12 goals and three assists for 28 points this season. Those marks have put him at the top of the Big Ten and tied for sixth in the nation.

Senior defender Matt McKain said Northwestern will be a big test for the squad because it has been a consistently tough opponent and a big rival for Indiana.

“I expect a tough battle,” McKain said. “Every year I’ve played against them they’ve always had a lot of physicality and it’s always been a tough game for us. Quite honestly, I don’t think they like us very much and I don’t know how much we like them, but it’ll be a tough game.”

Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.