The No. 2 Hoosiers (11-2-4, 3-2-2) will honor their seniors before the game for senior night.
“It’s exciting, I mean it’s cool that they honor the seniors,” senior defender Patrick Doody said.
IU Coach Todd Yeagley said this year’s seniors brought a lot to the IU program, including being a large part of the 2012 national championship.
“They’ve meant a lot,” Yeagley said. “They’ve done a great job with their leadership. I think they’ve set a new standard on how to be great teammates, and that I think is a real positive of this group. I’m really proud of what they’ve done.”
The game also has implications as to where the Hoosiers will be playing in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Depending on what happens in several other games, the Hoosiers could finish anywhere from second to seventh in the nine-team Big Ten. If IU finishes in the top four it will host a first-round matchup.
“Any time we can play at our field, it’s big deal,” Doody said. “This game has implications for the Big Ten tournament, it has implications for the NCAA tournament, it’s just a huge match, and we have to come out ready.”
Yeagley said his team isn’t worried about where they play, saying every team is a challenge and that he believes the Big Ten is the best soccer conference in the nation.
“Certainly travel-wise it’s nice,” Yeagley said. “But we’ve done what very few IU teams have ever done, and that’s go undefeated on the road. This team is not intimidated on the road.”
After finishing in a tie against last-place Wisconsin on Saturday, the players are ready to get back on track.
“We need to get our mojo back,” Doody said. “We haven’t really had too many off games. If we can regroup and play like we did a few Wednesdays ago against Notre Dame, I think it’ll be a good night.”
Doody said the key to a victory will be increasing pressure on the Spartans.
“We just need to pressure hard,” Doody said. “I think that’s what helped Michigan get a result (against MSU) was their pressure. Our pressure Saturday night was not what it needs to be. We’ve set a standard and we have to match that for us to be successful.”
Yeagley said his team needs to be sharp in and around the box on both sides of the field.
“They have two high end midfielders, two box to box guys that really make them go,” Yeagley said. “Michigan State is as balanced as there is in the country. This is one of the best teams I’ve seen there in a long time, and we have to be really good.
“Michigan State is a championship-caliber team. They’re good.”
Players seemed excited and very aware of what the game means — and the importance of carrying over strong play into the conference tournament, where Doody hopes to get another crack at Maryland.
“I think (Michigan State) is one of the best teams in the conference,” Doody said. “It’s always a good game against them. It’ll be a very tough game.”
