Road to Recovery
(12/04/09 8:27pm)
Road to Recovery
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Caleb Porter: I'm not interested
(12/04/09 7:39pm)
Herald Times reporter Chris Korman cited the Akron Beacon-Journal for an update for the IU men's soccer coach search.
Mike Frietag doesn't approve of his dismissal
(12/04/09 7:22pm)
Former IU coach Mike Freitag held a private press conference today in which he discussed his dismissal from the IU soccer program.
Mike Freitag
(12/04/09 7:08pm)
Former IU coach Mike Freitag reads a statement about his dismissal from the IU soccer program as his wife Renee looks on. Freitag was informed on Monday that his contract would not be renewed in 2010.
Glass looks to IU alumni for replacement head coach
(12/03/09 5:46am)
Glass looks to IU alumni for replacement head coach .
After 25 years with IU, Freitag will not return for 2010
(12/03/09 5:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Twenty-five of Mike Freitag’s 51 years have been spent with the IU men’s soccer program, as a player, assistant coach and head coach.But now, Freitag’s tenure as a Hoosier is done.Fred Glass, IU vice president and athletics director, told Freitag on Tuesday that his contract will not be renewed for the 2010 season. His contract expires Dec. 31.“I feel pressure in this job all the time because it’s Indiana soccer, and I put pressure on myself to do the best possible job for this program and I have for all my adult life,” Freitag said. “I felt there were some people that probably wanted me out of the position.”Freitag served as the second coach during the program’s 36-year history. He played for the Hoosiers from 1976-79, contributed as a graduate assistant from 1983-86, was an assistant from 1993-2003 and won an NCAA Championship as head coach in 2004. He posted a 86-32-19 record as head coach. He was there when five of the seven national championship trophies were hoisted over his players’ heads. He spent 25 years in all with IU soccer. But none of it was enough.“I think we could have won a national championship this year and my job still would have been in jeopardy,” Freitag said. “I’m very fortunate because I’ve lived out one of my goals of being the head coach here and help this University win a national championship.”After IU’s run to a national championship ended on Sunday with a 1-0 loss to North Carolina, players were called into a meeting with Senior Associate Athletic Director Chris Reynolds. Freitag called the 11:30 p.m. meeting disturbing.“You lost a game,” he said. “You’re down and then they call up kids to come to their office at 11:30 at night to get their feelings. Emotions are still high. The way it was done seems like it was all set up.” However, Glass said IU’s 13-11-1 record was not the sole reason for Freitag’s dismissal. Throughout the season, players also went to Glass with complaints of Freitag.“It’s traditional at the end, in fact, an NCAA requirement at the end of a season that we conduct interviews with the seniors because of concerns about the program,” Glass said. “Also, we wanted to expand that beyond just the seniors.“We certainly took into account that they were fresh from that loss, but these comments were not inconsistent with comments that other exit interviews and other things that we have heard from the players over the course of the season, so I reject any suggestion that the input from the players was somehow not credible because it came after that loss.”Glass also announced Monday that fourth-year assistant Phil Presser and first-year assistant Aleksey Korol will also be let go effective at the end of the month.The decision will lead to the first coach employed under Glass’ watch, a decision he said he does not take lightly.“It’s the first hire that I’ll make, and it’s really with our premier program,” Glass said. “I take this responsibility very seriously.”After a team meeting Monday night, junior midfielder Daniel Kelly said the team is simply looking for someone with whom they can share mutual respect. Kelly was one of the players interviewed by members of the IU Athletics Administration before Freitag’s dismissal.“Over my last three years playing for him, it’s always been fun,” Kelly said. “It’s just we haven’t gotten the results so I guess the administrative guys see it as we need to move on. Kind of a fresh start I guess.”Junior midfielder Andy Adlard said the firing came as a bit of a surprise.“It all happened so fast, and it hasn’t quite settled in yet,” Adlard said. “I can’t really comment if it was a good decision or not. Things needed to be figured out, apparently, because things happened so quickly, so that was the time it needed to be done.”Although no decisions have been made in regard to Freitag’s replacement, Glass said “multiple IU alumni” will be considered in the search, a trend that has been true throughout the program’s history.“For what it’s worth, renewing Mike’s contract would have been the easy thing and the safe thing,” Glass said. “But it would not have been the right thing, and I wasn’t eager to make that change but I’m absolutely convinced that it was the right thing to do and that’s why I did it.”Sports editor Sean Morrison contributed to this report.
volleyball
(12/03/09 3:14am)
Junior Ashley Benson blocks a Buckeyes spike.
Glass answers questions on Freitag situation
(12/02/09 7:54pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana Daily Student reporters Kevin Loughery and Stephanie Kuzydym spoke in-depth with IU Athletics Director Fred Glass regarding his decision not to renew IU men's soccer coach Mike Freitag's contract for the upcoming year.Look below to see what Glass had to say.IDS: There was a meeting called Sunday night after the North Carolina in which players talked with Senior Associate Athletic Director Chris Reynolds about former IU coach Mike Freitag. Did the players call this meeting?FG: Chris reached out to the players. It’s traditional at the end. In fact, an NCAA requirement at the end of a season that we conduct interviews with the seniors because of concerns about the program, and we wanted to do that quickly. Also, we wanted to expand that beyond just the seniors. You always do exit interviews with your seniors after season. Sometimes you do it right after a last game because it is hard to catch up with them later on. Sometimes you do it significantly after the last game.IDS: Do you think after the players had just lost and they were emotionally upset that the timing of the meeting was right?FG: I understand that some may suggest that the freshness of the defeat inappropriately colored their comments, and we certainly took into account that they were fresh from that loss. But these comments were not inconsistent with comments that other exit interviews and other things that we have heard from the players over the course of the season, so I reject any suggestion that the input from the players was somehow not credible because it came after that loss.IDS: A few weeks ago you announced you would be keeping IU coach Bill Lynch with the record he has (14-23) but you didn’t renew Mike Freitag with his record (86-32-19). What set Freitag apart?FG: That’s really trying to compare apples and oranges. Fair isn’t treating everything the same. Fair is treating like things alike, and these are just different situations in a number of ways. Number one: Bill Lynch has a four-year contract. He was promised an opportunity four years ago to be given four years to make progress with Indiana’s football program. Mike had an annual contract. We honored his annual contract.Indiana University soccer is one of our premiere programs, we’ve won seven national championships. Until the last couple years, every class that has gone through Indiana University has made it to a Final Four sometime over the course of their four-year tenure at the University. Unfortunately, football’s tradition hasn’t been as strong. And then most importantly, I really feel and am convinced that the soccer program was going in the wrong direction, and I believe the football program is going in the right direction. So I think you take into account the record and you don’t ignore the record because, ultimately, all of us are ultimately judged upon the wins and losses, but it’s only part of the puzzle. If the record was what it was but I felt the soccer program was going in the right direction, then we wouldn’t have made a change.I think it would be incredible to say that it wouldn’t, but having said that, the record was a factor, but it wasn’t the primary factor. The primary factor was I felt the program was going in the wrong direction and I don’t think you can ignore the record. Some people want to focus on, ‘Geez, he had one bad year.’ And we did lose 10 games for the first time in the history of the program this year. It was the most losses in the history of the program this year. It was the first time that we had a losing record at home in the regular season in the history of Indiana University soccer. It was a tough year, but last year was the third most losses in program history, and this class was the second senior class to go through Indiana University and not make it to a Final Four. And while Mike won the national championship in 2004 and that’s great, that’s the last time that Indiana University had been to the Final Four. The sole time we had been there in ’04 we won it and that’s great, but for an elite program like Indiana University soccer, to go that long without getting to the Final Four — and I’m not talking about getting to the Final Four every year, I’m not talking about winning a championship ever year — but I will acknowledge that it was a question, an issue that we hadn’t been back since 2004. Two senior classes who had come to Indiana University with an expectation that they would be able to be put in a position to play for a national championship hadn’t been to a Final Four, that was a part of the body of work that we judged. So my point there is this wasn’t a one-year reaction. This was an overview of the entire program. And Mike’s a great guy and I wish him well. I’m fond of him personally, but the tough part of this job is I have to make evaluations like I did, or worse, make the kinds of decisions I had to make (Monday).IDS: Have you reached out to any schools?FG: I am very interested in getting an alumnus of Indiana University soccer, and there are three or four at least coaches — either head coaches or assistant coaches — around the country who have been very successful, who were successful here, and we’ll be reaching out to them. I think in a program like Indiana University soccer, you go out and get who you want. You don’t sit back and see what resumes flow in over the transom. Having said that, we’re posting the position, we’ll review and entertain people that submit their applications. But I think this is really going to be a situation we’re going to go out and aggressively pursue the handful of people who we think are the preeminent coaches in the country.There’s no artificial deadline, but I want to do it as fast as possible. I think it’s important that we do it as quickly as we can. It’s more important to get it right than to get it fast. Having said that, I think it’s important that we do it quickly and candidly. I think one of the benefits of being Indiana University soccer is that people will find this to be a very attractive position.
Freitag: People wanted me out
(12/02/09 3:06pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Twenty-five of Mike Freitag’s 51 years have been spent with the IU men’s soccer program, as a player, assistant coach and head coach. But now, Freitag’s tenure as a Hoosier is done.Fred Glass, IU vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics, told Freitag Tuesday that Freitag’s contract will not be renewed for the 2010 season. His contract expires Dec. 31.“I feel pressure in this job all the time because it’s Indiana soccer, and I put pressure on myself to do the best possible job for this program and I have for all my adult life,” Freitag said. “I felt there were some people that probably wanted me out of the position.”Freitag, who served as the second coach during the program’s 36-year history, played for the Hoosiers from 1976-79, served as a graduate assistant from 1983-86, was an assistant from 1993-2003 and won an NCAA Championship in 2004. He spent 25 years in all with IU soccer.Freitag posted a 86-32-19 record as head coach.“I’m very fortunate because I’ve lived out one of my goals of being the head coach here and help this University win a national championship,” Freitag said. “I’m very, very proud of that. I trust in my ability as a coach and my integrity, and I know good things will happen for me and my family in the future.”Glass also announced that fourth-year assistant Phil Presser and first-year assistant Aleksey Korol will also be let go effective at the end of the month.Glass said Tuesday that IU’s 12-10-1 record was not the sole reason for Freitag’s dismissal.“If we felt the program was going in the right direction, I could handle the record,” Glass said. “But, we ultimately concluded that the program was not going in the right direction and that we needed new leadership.”The decision comes as Glass’ first firing and inevitable hiring, a decision he said he does not take lightly.“It’s the first hire that I’ll make and it’s really with our premiere program,” Glass said. “I take this responsibility very seriously.”Junior midfielder Andy Adlard said the firing came as a bit of a surprise.“It all happened so fast, and it hasn’t quite settled in yet,” he said. “I can’t really comment if it was a good decision or not. Things needed to be figured out, apparently, because things happened so quickly, so that was the time it needed to be done.”Junior midfielder Daniel Kelly agrees. He was one of the players interviewed before Freitag's dismissal.“Over my last three years playing for him it’s always been fun,” he said. “It’s just we haven’t gotten the results so I guess the administrative guys see it as we need to move on. Kind of a fresh start I guess.”Although no decisions have been made in regards to Freitag’s replacement, Glass said “multiple IU alumni” will be considered in the search, a trend that has held true throughout the program’s history.“For what it’s worth, renewing Mike’s contract would have been the easy thing and the safe thing,” Glass said. “But it would not have been the right thing, and I wasn’t eager to make that change but I’m absolutely convinced that it was the right thing to do and that’s why I did it.”Sports editor Sean Morrison contributed to this report.
Senior Yeagle won't go out without a fight
(11/28/09 8:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Flashback to early September 2006.Sprinting through a Tulsa defensive line, then-freshman Darren Yeagle netted the golden goal for an IU overtime victory.Progress forward two weeks.Yeagle is encircled by Akron defenders, but that doesn’t stop the dominant freshman from obtaining possession of a rebounded roller, storming forward and firing a goal from 20 yards out to solidify a win against Butler.Flash forward three years and two months.The Louisville-native takes revenge on his hometown team, scoring two goals in 30 minutes to move IU to the second round of the NCAA tournament.In the last three years, Yeagle has seen all sides of the soccer ball. Two knee surgeries and a year and four months of recovery later, the senior is finally back where he belongs, scoring goals on Jerry Yeagley Field.“I’m awfully proud of Darren,” IU coach Mike Freitag said. “Darren is a young man that came in and had some success his freshman year and then his knee injury set him back and he’s fought back to get back to the player we know he is … good ol’ Smiley.”"Smiley," as he’s known to his teammates for the infectious grin, led the team his freshman year with seven goals, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. Then came a game during the spring season of his sophomore year where Yeagle tore his lateral meniscus and ACL in his left knee.Cleared for play four months later, Yeagle came out and tore his ACL again along with his medial meniscus.“It was difficult,” Yeagle said. “I’ve never had a serious injury until my knee. … It was definitely hard physically and mentally.”After a stellar freshman year, the forward finished his sophomore year with four shot attempts. “You definitely see him struggle and the disappointment from the injury and then having to rehab two times,” senior Eric Alexander said. “You can see how it frustrated him over the past couple years but he’s worked so hard at it and he’s done such a good job at being strict with his rehab program and just staying persistent and willing to put in all the effort to come back.”However, junior year showed no signs of a quick Yeagle recovery. He had fallen to just one shot for the season. But Yeagle’s shot path has suddenly changed.“He’s finally come full circle,” Alexander said.Freitag said he is happy with the senior stance Yeagle has taken.“He’s stepped up and shown leadership,” Freitag said. “He’s playing as well as he ever has. He’s making things happen and that’s what important at this time of year.”Yeagle has either scored or assisted on IU’s postseason goals.“I’m just playing for myself and of course Indiana University,” Yeagle said about his postseason success. “All the seniors, we’ve never won or been to a Final Four. Our class doesn’t want to be that class that’s never been to a Final Four.“If you look on the field during the games, me, Eric, Lee (Hagedorn) and Ofori (Sarkodie) lead by example because we know what it’s like to almost be there and to not get there. We, for sure, want to get to the Final Four and win a national championship. That’s our goal.”Freitag has also seen a change in the senior’s outlook.“'Smiley,' I think has just decided I’m going for broke. I’m not worrying about anything, whether I’m starting or not starting,” Freitag said. “He loves IU soccer and he’s playing for the cause.”Yeagle’s cause is propelled by the past coaches and trainers who said he would never be the same. “I just decided to stick with it and I wanted to keep playing,” Yeagle said. “It was my choice. I’m just thankful for being able to play because when I was out for a year and six months I was just still upset to know, ‘What if I can never play soccer again because it’s been a part of my life since I was a little kid.’ I’m just glad to be out there even just kicking the ball. I’m just always happy when I’m on the soccer field.”
Men's soccer 'thankful' for NCAA Round 3
(11/26/09 2:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU soccer might be thankful for competing in the third round of the NCAA tournament two weeks after they almost did not receive a berth.The team could be thankful for a freshman goal keeper who has recorded two postseason shutouts against top 25 teams after seeing the bench three weeks earlier for poor play.Thanks could be given for the boost in senior leadership, after the team was told to reevaluate itself by IU coach Mike Freitag.Regardless of what this soccer team gives thanks for, they will be spending Thanksgiving day together.Winning their game against Butler on Sunday afternoon, IU advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament, where it will take on North Carolina this Sunday in Chapel Hill, N.C.After the victory Freitag said the week ahead brought … Thanksgiving.“It’s a time to celebrate,” Freitag said. “We’ll get together as a soccer family and have thanksgiving and we’ll prepare for whoever our opponent is.”With practice and preparation throughout the week, Freitag gave his team 24 hours to spend time with their family.Although a majority of the team is from the Midwest, the full window of break is not one they are taking.Senior midfielder Eric Alexander said he has not spent Thanksgiving at home in four years.“I either have eaten at the Union in the Tudor Room or at Coach Freitag’s house,” Alexander said. “He had a couple of us over last year. We had a little more time in between our games. He gave us like two days to go home and I stayed and a couple other kids stayed.”But staying on campus when a majority of the Hoosier body has gone home doesn’t bother Alexander.“It’s definitely tough, but you still find stuff to do,” Alexander said. “I hang out with kids on the team anyways so I’m just with those kids.”One of those kids is fellow senior Darren Yeagle, who said spending the holiday eating with his coach instead of his parents doesn’t bother him either.“I mean there are positives and negatives,” the forward said. “Obviously everyone wants to go home for Thanksgiving to be with their family and stuff but I mean I consider the IU team my family too.”This soccer family won’t get up early for Black Friday shopping, nor will they go around the table giving thanks for goals and saves of their 12-9-1 season.“We have a prayer, but usually we’re just stuffing our faces,” Freitag said.But one thing they most likely will be giving thanks for is being at their coach’s house to celebrate Thanksgiving.“It means we’re still in the tournament,” Yeagle said about turkey at Freitag’s house. “It’s a good thing.”
Hoosiers beat Butler 1-0, go on to 3rd round
(11/23/09 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The name of IU’s postseason game is revenge.A month and a half earlier, the wrong team was celebrating on Jerry Yeagley Field. A stunned Hoosier squad stood watching Butler celebrate after a 2-1 double overtime win Oct. 7.Like they had done just three days before against a Louisville team who crushed the Hoosiers 4-0 in the regular season, IU came out seeking a win.This time, IU only needed 90 minutes to take down Butler 1-0.“I think we probably underestimated Butler the first time we played them,” senior midfielder Lee Hagedorn said. “I think we knew this time we really couldn’t come out and underestimate them one bit, and we had to come out and play hard the whole game. We knew that if we didn’t play our best they could beat us, so I think we stepped up a notch this time.”The difference was not just underestimation or experience. The difference, Will Bruin said, was heart.“We knew that we had to avenge them, just like we did Louisville,” the sophomore forward said. “We were fortunate to get it at our place, and we just had to come out and play hard, and that’s what we did.”A 9-8-1 regular season record left the Hoosiers out of the national rankings and in a spot they aren’t accustomed to.“I think, at times, we give the ball away too easy,” IU coach Mike Freitag said of his teams’ mistakes. “I don’t know if that’s lack of composure or pressure from the other team, but I feel we can do a better job and make it harder for some. Maybe at times we defend too much, but the good thing is they’ve bought into defending, and if you do give it away, we’re there to defend.”As for whether this team is the one that will take Freitag to another championship, the coach alluded to a road not paved.“I think we’re coming together as a team,” he said. “I still think there’s more for this team. I still see a lot of mistakes being made, but I’m the kind that tries to get my team to play perfect soccer. We’re never going to play perfect soccer, but you push for it. It’s their team. It’s not my team, and I’m just trying to direct them in the right direction.”Ending the regular season with a 3-3 conference record was not something the Hoosiers were used to. Now, IU sits as one of two teams from the Big Ten to remain in the NCAA Tournament.“We really had to focus on that. If we lost, we’re done with our season,” Hagedorn said. “Maybe we were taking games for granted before, and that’s not happening, so I think it’s a little bit more sense of urgency. We’re just putting our goals away this time as compared to some games earlier this year, where we had chances and didn’t put them away.”Putting away his ninth goal of the season, Bruin got his foot on the ball for the Hoosiers’ lone score against the Bulldogs.“It was a play down the right side,” Bruin said, describing his goal. “Yeagle just hit it and bent it around the backs, but far enough from the goalie where the goalie couldn’t get out to it. I just curled around the back post and just hoped to get a foot on it.”At the other end of the field stood IU’s 6-foot-4 goalkeeper, Luis Soffner, who was making his second tournament appearance of his career. Soffner tended goal the way Coach ordered, coming out to the 18 on the easy rollers and jumping above his defenders to snatch shots before they could be netted.“We’re definitely starting to gel as a unit back there,” Soffner said about his backfield. “We’re close to the peak. We’re playing pretty solid in the back – I know that’s keeping us in games and helping us out.”With the final seconds ticking off the clock and the ball at midfield, Soffner was able to stand relaxed in the net, a second-straight shutout accredited to his name.“I didn’t think we played especially well today, and that’s a compliment to Butler,” Freitag said. “But what we did is found a way to win, and that’s what we’ve been doing here lately instead of squandering games like we did early in the year. That’s what we intend to keep on doing – finding ways to win.”
Jawn Purdue
(11/23/09 2:13am)
Crabb buries Jawn Purdue
IU-Butler soccer live chat (NCAA)
(11/22/09 7:02pm)
Butler at Indiana
Hoosiers stun No. 6 Louisville 2-0 in NCAA opener
(11/20/09 5:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Darren Yeagle made sure Thursday would not be his last game at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The senior forward scored two goals – one with his head and one with his foot – to sack No. 6 Louisville 2-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. “I’m very, very proud of Darren,” IU coach Mike Freitag said. “Darren’s had a tough career here, coming back from knee surgery, being in and out of the starting line up at times. Just watching him take off and cross that ball, you knew something good was going to happen.” Yeagle’s first score came on a cross by senior defender Ofori Sarkodie 12 minutes into the second half. Thirty minutes later, Yeagle put the game away on a one-on-one with Louisville keeper Andre Boudreaux with less than three minutes to play. Senior midfielder Eric Alexander got the assist. “I just looked up and there was honestly no one even close to me, so I just took it to goal,” Yeagle said. “Then, I saw Will (Bruin) making the back-post run and the guy committed to him. I just tried to slide it far post and it went under the goalie. It wasn’t a great shot, but it went in. A goal’s a goal.” The Hoosiers fell to the Cardinals 4-0 in the team’s worst showing of the regular season, but was able to turn the tables with gritty defense and the ability to take advantage of rare scoring opportunities. “Obviously, they had a real thrashing against us early in the season,” Sarkodie said. “But we had a real confidence in ourselves. We knew what we’re made of and prepared well this week. I think you saw all the guys out on the field, even the ones that came off the bench, were dedicated to win today.” Louisville posted 13 shots Thursday, but freshman keeper Luis Soffner kept the favored Cardinals out of the net by chalking up two saves, one of which was a one-on-one opportunity against Kenney Walker in the first half. “I love when he comes out, that 6’4”, and he just comes and plucks balls,” Freitag said. “That’s a beautiful picture for a coach. You know, it’s nice to have a big 6’4” goalkeeper.” As the Hoosiers continued to stifle Louisville scoring opportunities, the game became increasingly physical and yellow cards began to be dispensed. Four yellows cards were given in total. Three of them were against Louisville for hard fouls, the fourth was against Yeagle for delay of game. Louisville committed a total of 12 fouls to IU’s 10. Soffner said all that was needed to get the win was offensive success. “Once Darren scored that first goal, we knew we could beat them,” he said. “We had confidence going into the game, and at that point we were up on them. Once he put the second one in, all emotions just kind of let loose – especially for me. I was just screaming and yelling back there.” The Hoosiers’ next contest will come against Butler at 2 p.m. Sunday. The last time the Bulldogs came to Bill Armstrong Stadium, they upset IU 2-1 in double-overtime Oct. 7. Butler, who finished the year at 14-2-2, had a first-round bye after earning a No. 12 seed. For the second consecutive game, IU has the opportunity to avenge a regular season loss. “We’re going to take these next couple days to regroup, rejuvenate and get ready for Butler,” Freitag said. “Butler’s another good team. They’re a team that won’t beat themselves. You’ve got to go out and beat them. That’s why they’re ranked and they’re a seeded team. “We’re happy we’re at home, though.”
Hoosiers face No. 6 Louisville today
(11/19/09 3:25pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sitting just north of 17th Street, surrounded by the stands of Bill Armstrong stadium, rests Jerry Yeagley Field.Games averaged just under 1,500 people in attendance during the regular season, but the IU soccer team would like it if more of the 6,100 seats were filled during their first round game of the NCAA Tournament.“It’d be great to have the fans that have been there all season coming out,” junior midfielder Andy Adlard said. “Whoever shows up, however many that is, will be great. Whoever is behind us, we’ll put on the best show we can for them.”IU and No. 6 Louisville will take the pitch at 7 p.m. today. The game brings IU its 34th tournament appearance in its 36-year history as a program.“We felt a little more pressure this year because of our record, and we weren’t sure if we were going to get in or not,” Adlard said. “It’s a relief to say we got in and, now, it’s just time for us to do our best and hopefully go on a winning string here and get to that national final."IU owns the Division-I NCAA tournament winning percentage and most wins records in the with .745 and 74 respectively. The Hoosiers will throw on their jerseys, lace up their cleats and bring their ‘seven-time national champions’ attitude to their game against the Louisville Cardinals.At least, IU coach Mike Freitag said he hopes that is the case.“The difference between last time is that ... we traveled on the day of the game, just didn’t seem like we were focused when we got off the bus and didn’t seem focus in the first half,” he said. “They scored I think the first two goals in the first fifteen minutes. That was disappointing. I think if we come to play and we’re focused, we’ll have a lot different game.”But the last meeting between the teams ended in a 4-0 win by the Cardinals.However, the Hoosiers are in a different state of mind, no longer in a scoring drought and are equipped with more experience. Almost a month has passed since the two teams last met.“We’re pretty much going with what we’ve been doing the whole year and trying to be more consistent throughout the whole game and try not to have as many mental lapses,” senior midfielder Eric Alexander said.The difference for this game will be that the Hoosiers take on the Cardinals at home. Louisville has never been able to beat IU in Bloomington. For Alexander, a win is crucial, or his days running across Jerry Yeagley Field will be done.“Obviously, it’s in the back of your head,” Alexander said. “That can always kind of mess with your game, so we try not to think about it. If we do think about it, we try to use it as motivation so we don’t make it our last game.”With a 26-4-1 NCAA Tournament opener record, the Hoosiers are not used to packing up early.“This is just a one-game season right now so far, whatever happened in the past, the ups and the downs, we’re just putting it behind us and trying to be positive and move forward,” Alexander said.As for his team that ended just above .500 in the regular season, Freitag said the tournament is a whole new season, in the mind and on paper.“You gotta believe in yourself,” Freitag said. “We know we can do it. We’ve played the best competition out there that there is and we’ve held our own, even though in some of these we’ve faltered. We know what we can do.“Everybody’s at 0-0 right now in the tournament. It’s anybody’s taking. It’s how you perform on the day and if you come out and perform tomorrow.”
Ohio State ends IU Big Ten tourney run in semifinals
(11/16/09 5:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Freshman goalkeeper Luis Soffner stood at the 18, his head thrown back in frustration.A third Buckeye goal in 41 minutes had just gone past his gloved hands.“We made some mistakes defensively, and they capitalized,” IU coach Mike Freitag said. “They didn’t have a whole lot of chances, but when they did, they finished. The name of the game is finishing.”Ohio State beat IU for the second time in 12 days, kicking in the most goals Soffner has allowed in a single game during his first season.The 4-2 loss knocked the Hoosiers out of the Big Ten Tournament, leaving them at 10-9-1 and anticipating a selection for the NCAA tournament.“I’m hurting,” junior midfielder Andy Adlard said. “It’s very disappointing. I know we were so close, and we were playing well from the start, so it’s really frustrating to lose.”After a goal in the opening four minutes of each half, IU was unable to outscore Ohio State in the semifinal match of the Big Ten tournament. “The one goal, the guy had a pretty good shot, but the rest of them we thought they were really our fault,” senior midfielder Lee Hagedorn said. “We should have had a stop, and we didn’t.”About six minutes after the first IU goal, junior midfielder Daniel Kelly charged toward the net and went to take a shot but became entangled with an Ohio State defender. He did not get up to play another minute. Freitag said he thinks Kelly pulled his hamstring.“That’s a big blow for us because D.K.’s been playing so well for us, offensively,” Freitag said. “When he went out, that hurt us a little bit.”But what hurt more was Ohio State’s next two first-half goals. The third Buckeye score came on a long serve from 25 yards out and seemed to pierce IU soccer’s confidence.“They played a game the day before, a lot of running the day before,” Freitag said. “It was a fresh team against a team that isn’t. Now that’s part of it ... that’s not an excuse, but that factors into the equation.”At the start of the second half, the Hoosiers’ momentum and intensity changed. Hagedorn took a shot in the 48th minute that was rebounded by leading scorer and sophomore forward Will Bruin, who finished the ball for the Hoosiers’ second goal. But the Hoosiers were unable to get goal No. 3 off their feet.“Once Ohio State got their few goals, everything went downhill from there,” Adlard said. “Then we picked it back, and then it went downhill again.”The Hoosiers kept trying to push the scoring boulder back up the hill. With 10 seconds left in the game, senior back Ofori Sarkodie had the ball, and a couple of quick passes between defenders eventually led the ball to Bruin’s foot. Bruin took the shot with three seconds left, but the ball sailed high and the final seconds ticked off the game clock.“I’ve been here four and a half years and never thought this day would come,” Hagedorn said. “Never thought I’d go out in a loss, that’s for sure. It’s definitely a sad day knowing that we might not be able to play again in front of our home fans at Jerry Yeagley Field.”
IU loses 4-2 in Big Ten semifinal
(11/13/09 9:45pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior Andy Adlard did a flip in the corner of the pitch after scoring a goal four minutes into the Hoosiers’ matchup against Ohio State.But the Hoosiers’ celebration was stifled when the Buckeyes answered with three goals in the next 41 minutes.After a goal in the opening four minutes of each half, IU was unable to outscore Ohio State in the semifinal match of the Big Ten Tournament. IU lost to the Buckeyes 4-2.Ohio State’s first three goals came in the first half. The third Buckeye point came from a long serve from 25 yards out. The Hoosiers fought back at the beginning of the second half but were unable to find any momentum after a fourth goal from the Buckeyes.The loss eliminates the Hoosiers from the Big Ten Tournament. They now await the selections for the NCAA tournament which take place Monday.For the complete story pick up a copy of the IDS or check back with idsnews.com on Monday.
Ohio State defeats Indiana 4-2
(11/13/09 9:13pm)
After a goal in the opening four minutes of each half, IU was unable to outscore Ohio State in the semi-final match of the Big Ten Tournament.
Big Ten Semi-Finals - Indiana vs. Ohio State
(11/13/09 6:41pm)
Big Ten Semi-Finals - Indiana vs. Ohio State
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