Indiana University Athletics
IU’s Goals Clearly Defined Heading into Conference Season
9/18/2015 11:42:00 AM | Women's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana Women's Soccer head coach Amy Berbary is a self-described goal-oriented person. As a result, her team is the same way.
The Hoosiers (3-3-2) will open up Big Ten competition Friday against Illinois (6-1-0) and Sunday against Northwestern (6-1-1) at Bill Armstrong Stadium with their objectives clearly defined. With each passing game, Berbary reminds her team of its goals, the first and foremost being to win conference games and qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.
"We know we've got to be completely focused on every game from here on out," Berbary said. "I think we're very prepared for this. We've progressed tremendously since day one of our non-conference season, and I think this team is ready to compete."
Indiana's goals are clearly defined in everything the Hoosiers do.
Each week, the Big Ten standings are color-coded and posted in the locker room for everyone to see.
The top-four teams get grouped together. They're the ones competing for a regular-season championship and to host a Big Ten Tournament game.
Then come the next four teams that fill out the bottom of the Big Ten Tournament bracket. Below the eighth place team is the conference tournament cutoff line showing the bottom six teams that won't qualify for the postseason.
The players and coaching staff have made it clear that they won't settle for missing out on the postseason. Watching the Big Ten Tournament from home last year stung, senior midfielder Jessie Bujouves said. They don't ever want to experience the feeling of being left out again.
"The standings give us a real reality of where we are," Bujouves said. "We know exactly what we need to do to qualify for the tournament. Every practice we kind of have that in the back of our heads."
Berbary has posted the Big Ten standings in the locker room since she arrived on campus three years ago. She'll also constantly remind her team of their RPI and what they need to do to qualify for the NCAA Tournament down the line, but that comes only after reaching the Big Ten Tournament.
One of the new wrinkles to Indiana's goal setting this year is set to debut in the players' emails in the upcoming days. Assistant coaches Benji Walton and Sergio Gonzalez worked with Berbary to define both team and individual position goals to keep the players on track in training, which the players will receive in an infographic sent to their emails.
"Our goals are always clear and concise and in their faces every single day," Berbary said. "The new graphic will show them their goals every day and we'll work to achieve them and live by them."
Junior defender Veronica Ellis said she feels this year's team is more comfortable heading into the conference season than in previous seasons because of the increased level of competition Indiana faced in the non-conference season.
That was on purpose, Berbary said. She went out of her way to schedule as difficult a slate as she thought her team could handle.
After not playing a single Power Five opponent in the non-conference last season, Indiana played the likes of No. 9 Virginia Tech and No. 10 Notre Dame already this year. The Hoosiers know they'll face similar competition in the conference season considering three Big Ten teams are ranked and two more have received votes in the Big Ten Coaches' Poll.
"It definitely helps to have played such a hard schedule just because it'll obviously make you raise your level of play," Ellis said. "You're able to recognize the things you need to work on right away and you can improve on them and not make the same mistakes more than once."
Indiana will look to use all it's learned from the non-conference season in the Big Ten's opening weekend.
Berbary said she senses a quiet confidence about her team that she feels is a direct result of playing proven competition already. The Hoosiers know what to expect in the coming weeks and have been preparing for the Big Ten season to arrive since their last conference game back in October 2014.
"This weekend is huge, and we're lucky enough to open at home," Berbary said. "I think this team is very focused and have their eye on something bigger, but it's mature enough to be able to look at what's in front of them. Right now, that's Illinois and Northwestern."
The Hoosiers (3-3-2) will open up Big Ten competition Friday against Illinois (6-1-0) and Sunday against Northwestern (6-1-1) at Bill Armstrong Stadium with their objectives clearly defined. With each passing game, Berbary reminds her team of its goals, the first and foremost being to win conference games and qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.
"We know we've got to be completely focused on every game from here on out," Berbary said. "I think we're very prepared for this. We've progressed tremendously since day one of our non-conference season, and I think this team is ready to compete."
Indiana's goals are clearly defined in everything the Hoosiers do.
Each week, the Big Ten standings are color-coded and posted in the locker room for everyone to see.
The top-four teams get grouped together. They're the ones competing for a regular-season championship and to host a Big Ten Tournament game.
Then come the next four teams that fill out the bottom of the Big Ten Tournament bracket. Below the eighth place team is the conference tournament cutoff line showing the bottom six teams that won't qualify for the postseason.
The players and coaching staff have made it clear that they won't settle for missing out on the postseason. Watching the Big Ten Tournament from home last year stung, senior midfielder Jessie Bujouves said. They don't ever want to experience the feeling of being left out again.
"The standings give us a real reality of where we are," Bujouves said. "We know exactly what we need to do to qualify for the tournament. Every practice we kind of have that in the back of our heads."
Berbary has posted the Big Ten standings in the locker room since she arrived on campus three years ago. She'll also constantly remind her team of their RPI and what they need to do to qualify for the NCAA Tournament down the line, but that comes only after reaching the Big Ten Tournament.
One of the new wrinkles to Indiana's goal setting this year is set to debut in the players' emails in the upcoming days. Assistant coaches Benji Walton and Sergio Gonzalez worked with Berbary to define both team and individual position goals to keep the players on track in training, which the players will receive in an infographic sent to their emails.
"Our goals are always clear and concise and in their faces every single day," Berbary said. "The new graphic will show them their goals every day and we'll work to achieve them and live by them."
Junior defender Veronica Ellis said she feels this year's team is more comfortable heading into the conference season than in previous seasons because of the increased level of competition Indiana faced in the non-conference season.
That was on purpose, Berbary said. She went out of her way to schedule as difficult a slate as she thought her team could handle.
After not playing a single Power Five opponent in the non-conference last season, Indiana played the likes of No. 9 Virginia Tech and No. 10 Notre Dame already this year. The Hoosiers know they'll face similar competition in the conference season considering three Big Ten teams are ranked and two more have received votes in the Big Ten Coaches' Poll.
"It definitely helps to have played such a hard schedule just because it'll obviously make you raise your level of play," Ellis said. "You're able to recognize the things you need to work on right away and you can improve on them and not make the same mistakes more than once."
Indiana will look to use all it's learned from the non-conference season in the Big Ten's opening weekend.
Berbary said she senses a quiet confidence about her team that she feels is a direct result of playing proven competition already. The Hoosiers know what to expect in the coming weeks and have been preparing for the Big Ten season to arrive since their last conference game back in October 2014.
"This weekend is huge, and we're lucky enough to open at home," Berbary said. "I think this team is very focused and have their eye on something bigger, but it's mature enough to be able to look at what's in front of them. Right now, that's Illinois and Northwestern."
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
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