Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Announce 2008 Men's Soccer Schedule
5/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
May 27, 2008
2008 Schedule
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana University men's soccer team revealed its 2008 schedule today and will again put itself up against some of the top competition in the country. The 18-match schedule features 11 2007 NCAA Tournament teams and nine home matches.
"The 2008 schedule is similar to past schedules in that it will be one of the toughest in the nation," said head coach Mike Freitag. "A tough Big Ten Conference schedule will be surrounded by games against some of the nation's best and very competitive local derbys. Eleven of our eighteen regular season opponents made the NCAA tournament last season. This is the type of competitive schedule my players came to Indiana to play. It will bring out the best in us."
After exhibition matches against Tulsa (Aug. 20) in St. Louis, Mo., and North Carolina (Aug. 22) in Ft. Wayne, Ind., the Hoosiers officially open the 2008 season with the annual adidas/IU Credit Union Classic at Armstrong Stadium. Indiana takes on ACC power Duke on Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m., followed by 2007 NCAA Tournament team Akron on Aug. 31 at 2 p.m. The Zips are coached by former Hoosier player and assistant coach Caleb Porter.
The following weekend the Hoosiers make their annual trip to the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament, facing NCAA participants South Florida on Sept. 5 and Dartmouth on Sept. 9. Indiana will spend its second-straight weekend on the road as it travels to Los Angeles to play UCLA on Sept. 12 and San Diego on Sept. 14. Last year the Hoosiers defeated then-No. 1 UCLA 1-0, to win the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. The Bruins made their 25th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007, while San Diego was 11-8-1 last season and holds a 1-0 advantage in its series with IU after a 2-0 victory in 1992.
The Hoosiers return home to open Big Ten play on Sept. 21 against Wisconsin. Indiana is the defending Big Ten regular season champion after posting a 4-0-1 record in 2007. That is followed by a meeting with 2006 NCAA Champion UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 27 at Armstrong Stadium. Indiana then faces the first of three in-state opponents as it closes out the month of September at Evansville (Sept. 30).
Parents Weekend is celebrated with a match against Michigan on Oct. 4, followed by a trip to Indianapolis to face the Butler Bulldogs on Oct. 7. This is the 14th-straight season the Hoosiers and Bulldogs have matched up and IU holds a 14-1-1 record in those meetings. Indiana visits Michigan State on Oct. 12 before welcoming in-state rival Notre Dame (Oct. 16). Last season the Hoosiers snapped a two-game losing streak against the Fighting Irish with a thrilling 3-2 win in South Bend. Each of the last two meetings have been decided by a single goal.
Louisville comes to Bloomington on Oct. 22 as IU looks to avenge last year's 2-1 loss in overtime, its first-ever defeat at the hands of the Cardinals. Indiana then jumps back into Big Ten action with a trip to Ohio State on Oct. 26. Last year the Buckeyes advanced to the NCAA College Cup title game. Ohio State and Indiana met twice on the pitch last season with both matches ending in double overtime scoreless ties. The nonconference portion of the schedule concludes on Oct. 29 with Kentucky.
Indiana's final two matches of the regular season put it up against Big Ten foes Penn State (Nov. 1) and Northwestern (Nov. 7). The Hoosiers visit Penn State for the first time since 2006 and are 2-2 in their last four trips to State College. The Wildcats make the trip to Bloomington after IU's 1-0 victory in Evanston last season.
The Big Ten Tournament will be held Nov. 13-16 in Madison, Wis. The first round of the NCAA Tournament begins on Nov. 21, with the College Cup taking place Dec. 12-14 in Frisco, Texas at the home of Major League Soccer's F.C. Dallas. Indiana is looking for its first trip to the College Cup since 2004, when it took home the NCAA title.
