Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Seeded Third in Quest for Three-Peat
11/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 14, 2005
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The two-time defending national champion Indiana men's soccer team received the third seed in the NCAA Division I Championships on Monday evening. It marks the 19th consecutive year the Hoosiers have made the NCAA Tournament and the 30th in the 33-year history of the program. By virtue of the top-four seed, the Hoosiers' quest for a three-peat will not have to leave Bloomington until the College Cup, Dec. 9-11. Indiana will have home field advantage throughout the opening four rounds of the tournament.
"I am happy to have the number three seed and have the opportunity to play at home until the College Cup," Indiana head coach Mike Freitag said. "We were hoping through our performance during the year with only two losses that we showed we were deserving of a top-four seed. I am satisfied to get it, but now we have work to do."
The top-16 seeds in the tournament receive a first-round bye, meaning the Hoosiers will not begin NCAA Tournament action until Tuesday, Nov. 22. Indiana could find a familiar foe in its opening contest. The Hoosiers will host the winner of Notre Dame (10-7-3) and Mid-Continent Conference champion Western Illinois (6-9-4). The second-round match will be at 7 p.m. on Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium. For NCAA ticket information call 1-866-IUSPORTS. The Fighting Irish and Leathernecks will battle at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, at Alumni Field in Notre Dame, Ind. Indiana defeated Notre Dame, 3-0, in South Bend on Oct. 26.
The confines of Armstrong Stadium have been quite friendly for the Hoosiers. IU has won 19 straight NCAA Tournament games at home and is 45-3 at Armstrong Stadium during the tournament.
The Maryland Terrapins are the top seed in the tournament after going 15-4-1 during the regular season and winning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular season title. The Hoosiers and Terps met in a classic college soccer match on Oct. 29 in College Park, Md. Trailing 3-0 at the half, IU scored a trio of second-half goals led by freshman Lee Nguyen, who had two assists. Sophomore Greg Stevning headed home a corner kick from Nguyen with just five seconds remaining to forge a 3-3 tie. The two teams also met in the College Cup semifinals a season ago with the Hoosiers winning, 3-2, in double overtime, thanks to a header from junior midfielder John Michael Hayden.
New Mexico, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champion, and North Carolina round out the top-four seeds at No. 2 and No. 4, respectively. Pac-10 champion UCLA, a preseason opponent of the Hoosiers, is the fifth seed followed by ACC Tournament champion Duke (sixth), California (seventh) and Big East champion Connecticut (eighth).
The Hoosiers are a top-four seed for the second straight season. Indiana was the second seed on its way to the program's seventh national title in 2004. Indiana defeated the ninth-seeded UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos, 3-2, in penalty kicks to bring home last season's national title. In 2003, the Hoosiers were the eighth seed and defeated sixth-seeded St. John's, 2-1, in the title game. In the 33-year history of Indiana soccer the Hoosiers have won seven national titles (1982, 1983, 1988, 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2004), second only in NCAA history to Saint Louis' 10.
Indiana is one of three Big Ten Conference teams to make the field. Big Ten regular season and tournament champion Penn State and Ohio State join IU in the tournament field. The Nittany Lions are the 11th seed in the tournament and could be a potential foe in the quarterfinals for IU. PSU is the only team to defeat the Hoosiers this season, knocking them off once in Bloomington (2-1 in overtime) and again in the Big Ten Championship (1-0) on Sunday, Nov. 13.
IU has played eight tournament teams on 10 different occasions, including four seeded squads, this season. The Hoosiers hold a record of 6-2-2 in those 10 affairs. Along with the Maryland, Penn State and Notre Dame outcomes, the Hoosiers defeated the ninth-seeded Zips of Akron, 1-0, in the final regular season match. At the time, Akron was ranked No. 1 and unbeaten. Indiana also defeated 15th-seeded Cal State-Northridge (5-0 on Sept. 16), SMU (4-0 on Sept. 4), Ohio State (3-0 on Nov. 11) and Wake Forest (1-0 on Sept. 2). The other of IU's two ties against tournament teams came during the regular season against Ohio State, 2-2, on Oct. 19.
The third round of the tournament will be Nov. 26 and 27, followed by the quarterfinals on Dec. 2, 3 and 4. The 48-team field will be competing for four spots in the 2005 NCAA Men's College Cup on December 9 and 11 in Cary, N.C., at the SAS Soccer Stadium. North Carolina State University, Capital Area Soccer League and the Town of Cary will host the championship. For ticket information call the N.C. State Ticket Office at (919) 865-1510 or visit gopack.com. All tickets are $30 (adults and youth)
