Things just weren’t bouncing IU’s way Sunday.
Twenty-eight shots resulted in zero goals and a lot of frustration as IU couldn’t grab three points against a Northwestern team that came into the game with just one win all season. IU ended up grabbing one point with the draw, but the result wasn’t necessarily what the Hoosiers wanted.
IU will look to get back into the win column today as it welcomes an in-state non-conference opponent in the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis Jaguars.
IUPUI, with a record of 0-5, isn’t the most high-profile opponent IU will face this season and thus could serve as a match for IU Coach Todd Yeagley’s squad to gain some goal-scoring confidence in the lead up to matchups against Butler and Notre Dame.
“For us, it’s the next team on the schedule,” Yeagley said. “I know our team will be ready and very focused and pay attention to detail in that game.”
IU’s performance Sunday against Northwestern was not necessarily a bad showing, but it wasn’t the result many expected. The Hoosiers did show their creativity in the final third in that match even if it didn’t put a ball in the back of the net.
Senior defender Derek Creviston said IU will treat IUPUI just like any other game.
“Every game we prepare the same way. We prepare for the next one,” Creviston said. “We know it’s going to be a challenge. With college soccer, it could go any way each game, and you see it every week so we have to prepare right and be ready for it.”
The Jaguars have been outscored 20-2 in five matches this season and scored both of their goals in a 4-2 loss to Butler. IU should have plenty of chances, but it comes down to execution in the final third, which wasn’t there Sunday.
Yeagley said it was good to see a team that played that deep like Northwestern because there is a good chance the Hoosiers will see that Tuesday.
“If they do sit, I’m glad we had a good 90, 110 minutes to prepare for what we might see,” Yeagley said.
This match comes at a good time for Yeagley’s squad to get things back on track. It is the last match before a portion of the schedule that features two top 10 teams and a road game at Rutgers on Friday, a team against which IU lost 4-1 last season.
There is no question IU’s backline is stout. The Hoosiers have yet to lose a game and although some of these draws could have easily been wins, there is no reason to panic. The quality in this side is still one of the best in the country and if IU is firing on all cylinders, the Hoosiers are a team to be reckoned with.
In the mean time, Yeagley said his team will keep reviewing tape and work out the kinks.
“We’ll just keep getting better,” Yeagley said. “It’s the final pass, the final finish, just repetition and getting more of it. The good news is we’re early in the year, so there is time to get better in these areas.”
