IU’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal match Friday is a classic case of offense versus defense.
The Hoosiers have posted 10 clean sheets this season, and the Wisconsin Badgers have scored multiple goals in six of their last seven matches. If this match is anything like the first match, a 0-0 draw, then the result would likely favor the Hoosiers.
If not, it will be interesting to see if IU can muster up a few goals.
Something will have to give. Whether it is 5-4 or 0-0 and penalties decide the winner, one team will advance to Sunday’s Big Ten Championship match against Michigan State or Maryland.
“Wisconsin is a great team,” IU junior defender Grant Lillard said. “They’ve been in great form recently, finished strong in the Big Ten, just had a 3-0 win over Ohio State, and they’re a good team. Defensively, they’re organized. They talk well, good players in the air. We just have to make sure we’re focused on what we need to do.”
One player IU may want to focus on is Wisconsin junior forward Christopher Mueller. Mueller has seven goals and 10 assists on the season. He leads the team in goals, but the attack doesn’t end with him. Four other Badgers have scored at least three goals. As a team, the Badgers have put the ball in the back of the net 28 times this season.
The Hoosiers have prided themselves on defense all season long. Those clean sheets are no fluke. Two players, Lillard and sophomore Andrew Gutman, from backline made the All-Big Ten first and second teams, respectively.
“Defensively I think we’ve been good all year,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “I think we have some new options. Our team defending, our shape, where we press, when we press I think has been getting better, and every game we learn a little bit more tactically.”
The Hoosiers have faced high-octane offenses with scorers like Mueller already this season and held Mueller to just three shots in IU’s 0-0 tie with Wisconsin.
Yeagley called his Hoosiers upbeat and expects a back-and-forth battle against the Badgers. The Hoosiers have not won a Big Ten Championship since 2013, and while the program prides itself on adding another National Championship star, Lillard doesn’t discount the importance of the conference crown.
“The Big Ten Tournament is still obviously very important,” Lillard said. “We put as much focus into it as anything else we do. I’ve never won one, so that’s something that I’ve wanted to win since coming here. There’s a huge amount of focus going into this weekend to get two results.”
