Indiana University Athletics
Graham Preview: No. 2 IU vs. No. 3 UNC
12/8/2017 12:34:00 PM | Men's Soccer
By Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
PHILADELPHIA - This is a very blue-blooded College Cup.
And Indiana's first concern are the guys who bleed Carolina Blue.
After defending champ Stanford and Akron open the NCAA men's soccer semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday in Philadelphia's Talen Energy Stadium, Indiana versus North Carolina follows at 8:45. The winners meet for the championship at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Those four 2017 semifinalists have accounted for five of the last seven national titles.
Stanford won back-to-back crowns in 2016 and 2015. IU got its eighth title and first under coach Todd Yeagley in 2012. UNC won in 2011 and Akron won in 2010.
Indiana's 19 College Cups, 14 NCAA title game appearances, 31-straight NCAA tournament berths and 87 NCAA tournament victories are all on-going national records.
But in the past decade, no program has more than North Carolina's 23 NCAA wins, nine Sweet 16 appearances, eight Elite Eight berths and six College Cups.
"It's a fantastic field, with Stanford, Akron and North Carolina all very deserving to be there," Yeagley said this week. "We have a great challenge Friday.
"UNC is as talented as any team in the country, player for player. Very dynamic. Excellent attackers. It's a team that is very confident and should be, with only three losses on the year against a very good schedule."
That's still three more losses than 17-0-6 Indiana has. This is one of just three undefeated teams through regular-season play in IU's rich soccer history and, if the Hoosiers complete the weekend unscathed, they'll be the first to finish unbeaten.
The 17-3-1 Tar Heel team in the Hoosiers' way boasts 14 different goal-scorers and is keyed by a Hoosier.
UNC sophomore midfielder Cam Lindley, Carmel native and Guerin Catholic graduate, has more than residential proximity tying him to Indiana. He is a cousin of former Hoosier Tyler McCarroll. But the family ties were even closer to Carolina. Lindley's mom and dad both played soccer at UNC-Greensboro.
Lindley, considered the top recruit nationally in the 2016 recruiting class, was last year's ACC Freshman of the Year and currently leads the Tar Heels with 27 points on seven goals and 13 assists.
"He makes things happen for them in the (3-4-3) system that they play," Yeagley said of Lindley. "He's kind of the quintessential quarterback for them. Brings in all their front players. Phenomenal distributor. Can hit the ball from distance. Has a great eye for the game. We'll have to keep a close eye on him.
"But you can't key on one player with this team. I know he's their leader with assists, but there is a handful of players who are dangerous. It creates a lot of important team and individual defensive concepts for this game – but that is a strength of ours."
Senior striker Alan Winn leads North Carolina with 11 goals. Jelani Peters has nine and three other Tar Heels have four apiece. UNC boasts the nation's second-leading offense at 2.52 goals per game (and has scored two goals in each of its three NCAA wins).
But IU sports the nation's best defense, allowing just .246 goals per game, and has posted 17 shutouts.
Freshman keeper Trey Muse is a big reason the Hoosiers are still playing, coming up with three huge saves in four chances during last Friday's penalty-kick shootout that sent IU past Michigan State.
Muse was a late add to IU's celebrated 2017 recruiting class after emerging from the Seattle Sounders' academy program and playing for the United States' Under-18 National Team. He showed composure and the ability to communicate with the Hoosiers' veteran backs from the get-go.
"Trey's beyond his years with those areas as a freshman," Yeagley said. "We say with a goalkeeper, 'The better you are the older you get.' Usually those maturity moments come with a lot of games, a lot of experience.
"… He's been in environments where he's been around some big personalities with Seattle's first team in training, playing in the reserve games, so he's not intimidated. That's a huge part coming to team that has lot of returning players and playing the (way) that we play. He wasn't rattled one bit in any moment in that game Friday or games previously."
With a trio of starting backs returning – including center back Grant Lillard, like Lindley on the Hermann Trophy watch list – and three starters back in midfield along with a slew of experienced reserves, Muse and others in a 10-man freshman class joined a potential powerhouse.
Among the freshmen are offensive-minded players such as Mason Toye (who led the Big Ten this season with 10 goals), Griffin Dorsey (three goals, six assists) and Thomas Warr. They fit in well with an attack also showcasing the junior quartet of Cory Thomas (seven goals), Andrew Gutman (six), Trevor Swartz (four) and Austin Panchot (whose brother, Logan, is a standout freshman for Stanford, also with four).
"Something we used to talk about over the summer a lot was that we knew coming into this year we had four national team guys coming in," junior midfield lynchpin Frankie Moore said of Toye, Dorsey, Muse and Justin Rennicks, a celebrated striker just now rounding into form after an early injury. "Obviously, we were excited for that, because a lot of them were in the attacking half.
"So we knew that the mixture of our defense and our experience along with our midfield being almost the exact same, while throwing in a few more attacking pieces, meant we were going to be a pretty good team."
IU's offense, having posted 30 goals during 21 games in 2016, has 48 through its 23 matches this season. It's already the most goals Indiana has had since scoring 54 in 2005. Add that to the defense Indiana deploys and, well, it's the sort of thing that can lead to an unbeaten campaign.
Yeagley feels good about how well his experienced squad can adjust on the fly to North Carolina's 3-4-3 set – something the Hoosiers have previously seen from Kentucky, Xavier and (in a preseason exhibition) Duke.
"They're very capable of breaking any type of pressure we would give them, where ever we would decide to do that," Yeagley said of the Tar Heels, "and that makes things change fast. Then it comes down to principles in the game.
"That's what is great. We can have a plan in terms of where we want to pick up and some key things. But when it comes down to it, when things break, you have to have the principles (established). There's no faking that. You have to move accordingly – with help on occasion. And that gives me a lot of confidence that we'll solve the moments that we need to the best we can."
Lillard, who chose IU over UNC and others during his recruitment out of Hinsdale (Ill.) Central, is the sort of player who engenders that sort of confidence from a coach.
And after playing on a pair of IU squads that reached the Round of 16, Lillard feels this Hoosier squad is fully worthy of College Cup status.
"I've felt every single team I've been on here has been a final four (caliber) team, but this group actually made it," Lillard said. " … The balance we have, the goal-scoring capabilities, our ability to defend effectively as a team, ability to press well (gives us) better options to keep possession a little more, to stretch the field a little bit.
"We've been able to demonstrate strong defensive performances for a few years now, and just with the attacking options we have going forward, we just find a way to win this year. Just because we have so many opportunities to score in games, so many options we can throw on the field to throw something different at the other team. At some point, they're not going to be able to handle it. So it's been a fun year."
It'll be even more fun if the Hoosiers conduct a red-blooded celebration Sunday.
IUHoosiers.com
PHILADELPHIA - This is a very blue-blooded College Cup.
And Indiana's first concern are the guys who bleed Carolina Blue.
After defending champ Stanford and Akron open the NCAA men's soccer semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday in Philadelphia's Talen Energy Stadium, Indiana versus North Carolina follows at 8:45. The winners meet for the championship at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Those four 2017 semifinalists have accounted for five of the last seven national titles.
Stanford won back-to-back crowns in 2016 and 2015. IU got its eighth title and first under coach Todd Yeagley in 2012. UNC won in 2011 and Akron won in 2010.
Indiana's 19 College Cups, 14 NCAA title game appearances, 31-straight NCAA tournament berths and 87 NCAA tournament victories are all on-going national records.
But in the past decade, no program has more than North Carolina's 23 NCAA wins, nine Sweet 16 appearances, eight Elite Eight berths and six College Cups.
"It's a fantastic field, with Stanford, Akron and North Carolina all very deserving to be there," Yeagley said this week. "We have a great challenge Friday.
"UNC is as talented as any team in the country, player for player. Very dynamic. Excellent attackers. It's a team that is very confident and should be, with only three losses on the year against a very good schedule."
That's still three more losses than 17-0-6 Indiana has. This is one of just three undefeated teams through regular-season play in IU's rich soccer history and, if the Hoosiers complete the weekend unscathed, they'll be the first to finish unbeaten.
The 17-3-1 Tar Heel team in the Hoosiers' way boasts 14 different goal-scorers and is keyed by a Hoosier.
UNC sophomore midfielder Cam Lindley, Carmel native and Guerin Catholic graduate, has more than residential proximity tying him to Indiana. He is a cousin of former Hoosier Tyler McCarroll. But the family ties were even closer to Carolina. Lindley's mom and dad both played soccer at UNC-Greensboro.
Lindley, considered the top recruit nationally in the 2016 recruiting class, was last year's ACC Freshman of the Year and currently leads the Tar Heels with 27 points on seven goals and 13 assists.
"He makes things happen for them in the (3-4-3) system that they play," Yeagley said of Lindley. "He's kind of the quintessential quarterback for them. Brings in all their front players. Phenomenal distributor. Can hit the ball from distance. Has a great eye for the game. We'll have to keep a close eye on him.
"But you can't key on one player with this team. I know he's their leader with assists, but there is a handful of players who are dangerous. It creates a lot of important team and individual defensive concepts for this game – but that is a strength of ours."
Senior striker Alan Winn leads North Carolina with 11 goals. Jelani Peters has nine and three other Tar Heels have four apiece. UNC boasts the nation's second-leading offense at 2.52 goals per game (and has scored two goals in each of its three NCAA wins).
But IU sports the nation's best defense, allowing just .246 goals per game, and has posted 17 shutouts.
Freshman keeper Trey Muse is a big reason the Hoosiers are still playing, coming up with three huge saves in four chances during last Friday's penalty-kick shootout that sent IU past Michigan State.
Muse was a late add to IU's celebrated 2017 recruiting class after emerging from the Seattle Sounders' academy program and playing for the United States' Under-18 National Team. He showed composure and the ability to communicate with the Hoosiers' veteran backs from the get-go.
"Trey's beyond his years with those areas as a freshman," Yeagley said. "We say with a goalkeeper, 'The better you are the older you get.' Usually those maturity moments come with a lot of games, a lot of experience.
"… He's been in environments where he's been around some big personalities with Seattle's first team in training, playing in the reserve games, so he's not intimidated. That's a huge part coming to team that has lot of returning players and playing the (way) that we play. He wasn't rattled one bit in any moment in that game Friday or games previously."
With a trio of starting backs returning – including center back Grant Lillard, like Lindley on the Hermann Trophy watch list – and three starters back in midfield along with a slew of experienced reserves, Muse and others in a 10-man freshman class joined a potential powerhouse.
Among the freshmen are offensive-minded players such as Mason Toye (who led the Big Ten this season with 10 goals), Griffin Dorsey (three goals, six assists) and Thomas Warr. They fit in well with an attack also showcasing the junior quartet of Cory Thomas (seven goals), Andrew Gutman (six), Trevor Swartz (four) and Austin Panchot (whose brother, Logan, is a standout freshman for Stanford, also with four).
"Something we used to talk about over the summer a lot was that we knew coming into this year we had four national team guys coming in," junior midfield lynchpin Frankie Moore said of Toye, Dorsey, Muse and Justin Rennicks, a celebrated striker just now rounding into form after an early injury. "Obviously, we were excited for that, because a lot of them were in the attacking half.
"So we knew that the mixture of our defense and our experience along with our midfield being almost the exact same, while throwing in a few more attacking pieces, meant we were going to be a pretty good team."
IU's offense, having posted 30 goals during 21 games in 2016, has 48 through its 23 matches this season. It's already the most goals Indiana has had since scoring 54 in 2005. Add that to the defense Indiana deploys and, well, it's the sort of thing that can lead to an unbeaten campaign.
Yeagley feels good about how well his experienced squad can adjust on the fly to North Carolina's 3-4-3 set – something the Hoosiers have previously seen from Kentucky, Xavier and (in a preseason exhibition) Duke.
"They're very capable of breaking any type of pressure we would give them, where ever we would decide to do that," Yeagley said of the Tar Heels, "and that makes things change fast. Then it comes down to principles in the game.
"That's what is great. We can have a plan in terms of where we want to pick up and some key things. But when it comes down to it, when things break, you have to have the principles (established). There's no faking that. You have to move accordingly – with help on occasion. And that gives me a lot of confidence that we'll solve the moments that we need to the best we can."
Lillard, who chose IU over UNC and others during his recruitment out of Hinsdale (Ill.) Central, is the sort of player who engenders that sort of confidence from a coach.
And after playing on a pair of IU squads that reached the Round of 16, Lillard feels this Hoosier squad is fully worthy of College Cup status.
"I've felt every single team I've been on here has been a final four (caliber) team, but this group actually made it," Lillard said. " … The balance we have, the goal-scoring capabilities, our ability to defend effectively as a team, ability to press well (gives us) better options to keep possession a little more, to stretch the field a little bit.
"We've been able to demonstrate strong defensive performances for a few years now, and just with the attacking options we have going forward, we just find a way to win this year. Just because we have so many opportunities to score in games, so many options we can throw on the field to throw something different at the other team. At some point, they're not going to be able to handle it. So it's been a fun year."
It'll be even more fun if the Hoosiers conduct a red-blooded celebration Sunday.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder/Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder/Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder/Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
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