Four games and three conference opponents stand in the way between IU and the Big Ten Regular Season Championship.
Going into the weekend, the Hoosiers sit in fourth place in the Big Ten standings, behind Maryland, Michigan State and Michigan, with a game in hand over the Michigan schools and two games in hand over Maryland.
IU currently has 11 points in the Big Ten, trailing Maryland by three points for the first place spot.
Conference play has been defined by “title points” for the Hoosiers, and it all originated from senior defender Grant Lillard, who said at the beginning of the season that one of his ultimate goals for the team was to win the Big Ten.
“We were talking about it before a game," IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. "We were discussing how winning a conference game at the beginning of the season is just as important as our last game against Michigan State will be, which could potentially decide who wins the Big Ten."
With just four games left in the season, the team knows that winning a conference championship is in its hands. Junior midfielder Trevor Swartz said the team is trying to play down the significance of every game and simplify its situation.
“Even though we want to win every game, we’re not putting any pressure on ourselves,” Swartz said. “We want to make it simple and just win, and we came here to win.”
Swartz said he and the rest of the players are taking the remainder of the season one game at a time, and they are only worrying about their next opponent.
This Sunday, that opponent will be Ohio State.
As for the Buckeyes, a team that likes to play with a lot of physicality, IU will have to play the same way it does every Big Ten game, with a little scrappiness feeding from its possession and distribution.
Ohio State is coming off a three-game losing streak and hasn't won in five games. Two of those losses came to conference opponents Michigan State and Maryland.
“Every point in the Big Ten is crucial right now, and getting points from lower standing teams are important in order to compete for a title,” Yeagley said. “We need to get all three points against Ohio State and then Wisconsin and Michigan State.”
Sophomore defender Jordan Kleyn returned to action for the Hoosiers against Kentucky for the first time since Sept. 13, which adds more depth to an already deep squad. With a season-ending injury to junior midfielder Jeremiah Gutjahr, his return will be crucial for IU’s success for the remainder of the year.
“Kleyn’s return can bump Buckmaster into the midfield, and it gives us more people to rotate,” Swartz said. “I think we need depth in the middle for sure in order to go on a title run.”
With the regular season’s ending right around the corner, every game will be important for the Hoosiers, and Yeagley said the team’s no-quit mentality will be the key for its success.
“This team wants to leave its mark, and I told them the best way to do that is by winning titles,” Yeagley said. “I love the way they are playing, and it’s a daily approach with that edge that they have. That mentality is because of them, us as coaches just try to keep that fire going.”
