Indiana University Athletics
Men's Soccer Picked First in Big Ten Preseason Poll
8/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 18, 2008
August 18 Practice- Photo Gallery
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - In a vote of conference head coaches, the Indiana men's soccer team was picked to win the Big Ten regular season title in a preseason poll released today by the conference office. It is the sixth-straight season the Hoosiers have nabbed the top spot.
Indiana is coming off a 13-4-5 season in 2007 as it captured its 13th Big Ten regular season title and was awarded the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers return nine starters from that squad, led by All-American and team captain senior Brad Ring. First-team all-conference selections midfielder Eric Alexander, defender Ofori Sarkodie and goalkeeper Chay Cain are also back in the fold, along with eight newcomers.
Northwestern was voted second by the coaches, followed by Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Penn State. Indiana opens Big Ten play on Sept. 21 at home against the Badgers in a game that will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
The Hoosiers are in the midst of preseason camp as they prepare for the season opener on Aug. 29 against Duke in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. On Monday the team opened its morning practice with some small-sided games to work on touch, before moving to an 11-vs-11 scrimmage on the IU Practice Field. With a blue vs. white matchup, it was all blue in the first half, capped off by a goal from Eric Alexander.
Freshman Will Bruin put the blue squad on top 2-0 right before the halftime break, and it was senior Kevin Noschang who closed out scoring for the blue side with a slow roller just before the final whistle.
Indiana is just two days away from its exhibition opener, a match against Tulsa on Aug. 20 at the Scott-Gallagher Friendlies in St. Louis, Mo. The Golden Hurricane are ranked No. 25 in the College Soccer News preseason poll. The Hoosiers then travel to the National Soccer Festival in Ft. Wayne, Ind. where they will face preseason No. 29 North Carolina on Aug. 22.
Big Ten Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Indiana
2. Northwestern
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Michigan State
6. Wisconsin
7. Penn State
HOOSIER NOTES:
• Indiana is ranked No. 4 in the College Soccer News preseason poll. The Hoosiers are the highest-ranked Big Ten team, ahead of No. 16 Northwestern and No. 23 Ohio State. Other IU opponents in the rankings are No. 9 UC Santa Barbara, No. 11 South Florida, No. 14 UCLA, No. 15 Notre Dame, No. 18 Akron and No. 21 Louisville.
• The NSCAA/adidas preseason poll released last week has IU in the No. 7 slot. The 2007 NCAA Champion Wake Forest is No. 1 in both polls. Ohio State (No. 9) and Northwestern (No. 20) join IU as Big Ten representatives.
• The Hoosiers will have at least four games broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network this season. The first broadcast of the season is Aug. 29 against Akron in Bloomington. The network will also broadcast home matches against Wisconsin (Sept. 21- 3 p.m. ET) and Northwestern (Nov. 7- 6 p.m. ET). IU's visit to Ohio State will also be broadcast on Oct.26 at noon ET.
