Indiana University Athletics
DiPrimio: Hoosiers Embrace the ‘Work’ and a 38th straight NCAA Tourney Opportunity
11/20/2024 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – National championship soccer opportunity once again looms for Indiana, and the Hoosiers are, as you might expect for a program with eight NCAA titles and 22 final four appearances on their resume, pumped.
What does coach Todd Yeagley predict for his 14th-seeded team?
"A lot of work."
Work centers on a Sunday afternoon second-round NCAA game at Bill Armstrong Stadium. IU (10-4-5) will play the Thursday night winner between Akron (11-4-4) and Princeton (12-6). Yeagley says his staff will scout both teams so "we'll be ready to roll" after Thursday's game.
Readiness has already included a team scrimmage that emphasized fun, intensity and avoid-injury discretion.
First, some perspective.
Thirty-eight consecutive NCAA tourney appearances, plus the record for most tournament wins (104), most College Cups (22) and most national title-game appearances (17) don't just happen. They demand exceptional coaching, playing, dedication, toughness, resilience and, especially, consistency.
"There are a lot of things you sacrifice to put yourself in these positions," Yeagley says. "It's the way you eat, sleep, the time you spend with others. It's being able to recruit and bring in players to maintain the amazing culture within our program. It's keeping that winning mentality so that the next team has that DNA within them."
These Hoosiers have all of that, even after a third straight struggling September left postseason play in doubt.
Except, doubt has no relevance here, not when you see the way IU dominates October and November. With Yeagley ratcheting up his coaching intensity – "I was very tough in some moments," he says. "It wasn't just 'Kumbaya' the whole time." – the Hoosiers ended the regular season with a 10-game unbeaten run (8-0-2 in that stretch) to clinch a share of the Big Ten title with Ohio State.
"Our guys feel it," Yeagley says. "They have confidence. The selection process of who you bring in to find that chemistry is so crucial to any successful team. It takes a lot of work and discipline and belief."
It takes players such as senior forward Tommy Mihalic, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (10 goals and five assists), and all-conference players Samuel Sarver, Patrick McDonald, Quinton Elliot, Jansen Miller, and JT Harms, plus Big Ten All-Freshman Team members Josh Maher and Charlie Heuer.
"We spend a lot of time thinking, who's in our group, who's in our locker room, are they adding value?" Yeagley says. "We celebrate every player and give them all some love. That goes to the team managers and support staff. Everyone feels part of it. It makes everyone want to do more."
More, in this case, means winning that elusive ninth national title. The Hoosiers have been tantalizingly close in recent years with three nail-biting championship game losses.
This newest opportunity comes with an NCAA tourney seed that wasn't guaranteed after a 1-0 loss to Michigan in Indiana's Big Ten tourney opener. The resulting No. 21 RPI was a problem given only 16 teams are seeded.
As it turned out, the selection committee valued the Hoosiers' strong scheduling, hot finish and rich tradition. That was reflected when Indiana was introduced on Monday's TV selection show as "title town."
"Our resume looked good for all the things we know the committee looks at," Yeagley says.
"Our last 10 games were excellent. Our eyeball test was excellent. But how would the (selection committee) look at the conference tournament? If you watched the game, we outplayed Michigan even though didn't play our best, and they got to the final (losing 1-0 to Ohio State).
Yeagley credits IU's seed in part to the strength of the Big Ten, which added traditional powers UCLA and Washington to the nine men's soccer programs. That negated any disadvantage from tying Notre Dame and Evansville.
"The conference was a big part (of getting a seed)," Yeagley says. "The conference wins took us (over the top).
"We're all being strategically smarter with scheduling, and we're all getting better. All of us benefit from the fact that we're now a coast-to-coast league. We've always been a conference that could have a Final Four team, and now we've added these two teams. I like the way our conference is headed."
Indiana is one of six Big Ten teams in the field, led by No. 1 overall seed Ohio State (14-1-3), which shared the regular season conference title with the Hoosiers before winning the Big Ten tournament tile. Also making it were Maryland, Michigan, UCLA and Washington.
Yeagley said there was a good argument for a seventh Big Ten team with either Northwestern or Wisconsin.
As for the Hoosiers earning a seed for a record 24th time, Yeagley adds, "We've been fortunate over the years to demonstrate our ability to go far in the tournament. The committee has rewarded our program when it's close, and we've been able to deliver."
If the seeds hold, future delivery must come on the road. That would start with a possible third-round trip to third-seed Denver (12-3-4). While Yeagley won't look past any opponent, he's also confident that, "This team isn't intimidated playing on the road."
The College Cup is set for Dec. 13-16 at Cary, N.C.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – National championship soccer opportunity once again looms for Indiana, and the Hoosiers are, as you might expect for a program with eight NCAA titles and 22 final four appearances on their resume, pumped.
What does coach Todd Yeagley predict for his 14th-seeded team?
"A lot of work."
Work centers on a Sunday afternoon second-round NCAA game at Bill Armstrong Stadium. IU (10-4-5) will play the Thursday night winner between Akron (11-4-4) and Princeton (12-6). Yeagley says his staff will scout both teams so "we'll be ready to roll" after Thursday's game.
Readiness has already included a team scrimmage that emphasized fun, intensity and avoid-injury discretion.
First, some perspective.
Thirty-eight consecutive NCAA tourney appearances, plus the record for most tournament wins (104), most College Cups (22) and most national title-game appearances (17) don't just happen. They demand exceptional coaching, playing, dedication, toughness, resilience and, especially, consistency.
"There are a lot of things you sacrifice to put yourself in these positions," Yeagley says. "It's the way you eat, sleep, the time you spend with others. It's being able to recruit and bring in players to maintain the amazing culture within our program. It's keeping that winning mentality so that the next team has that DNA within them."
These Hoosiers have all of that, even after a third straight struggling September left postseason play in doubt.
Except, doubt has no relevance here, not when you see the way IU dominates October and November. With Yeagley ratcheting up his coaching intensity – "I was very tough in some moments," he says. "It wasn't just 'Kumbaya' the whole time." – the Hoosiers ended the regular season with a 10-game unbeaten run (8-0-2 in that stretch) to clinch a share of the Big Ten title with Ohio State.
"Our guys feel it," Yeagley says. "They have confidence. The selection process of who you bring in to find that chemistry is so crucial to any successful team. It takes a lot of work and discipline and belief."
It takes players such as senior forward Tommy Mihalic, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (10 goals and five assists), and all-conference players Samuel Sarver, Patrick McDonald, Quinton Elliot, Jansen Miller, and JT Harms, plus Big Ten All-Freshman Team members Josh Maher and Charlie Heuer.
"We spend a lot of time thinking, who's in our group, who's in our locker room, are they adding value?" Yeagley says. "We celebrate every player and give them all some love. That goes to the team managers and support staff. Everyone feels part of it. It makes everyone want to do more."
More, in this case, means winning that elusive ninth national title. The Hoosiers have been tantalizingly close in recent years with three nail-biting championship game losses.
This newest opportunity comes with an NCAA tourney seed that wasn't guaranteed after a 1-0 loss to Michigan in Indiana's Big Ten tourney opener. The resulting No. 21 RPI was a problem given only 16 teams are seeded.
As it turned out, the selection committee valued the Hoosiers' strong scheduling, hot finish and rich tradition. That was reflected when Indiana was introduced on Monday's TV selection show as "title town."
"Our resume looked good for all the things we know the committee looks at," Yeagley says.
"Our last 10 games were excellent. Our eyeball test was excellent. But how would the (selection committee) look at the conference tournament? If you watched the game, we outplayed Michigan even though didn't play our best, and they got to the final (losing 1-0 to Ohio State).
Yeagley credits IU's seed in part to the strength of the Big Ten, which added traditional powers UCLA and Washington to the nine men's soccer programs. That negated any disadvantage from tying Notre Dame and Evansville.
"The conference was a big part (of getting a seed)," Yeagley says. "The conference wins took us (over the top).
"We're all being strategically smarter with scheduling, and we're all getting better. All of us benefit from the fact that we're now a coast-to-coast league. We've always been a conference that could have a Final Four team, and now we've added these two teams. I like the way our conference is headed."
Indiana is one of six Big Ten teams in the field, led by No. 1 overall seed Ohio State (14-1-3), which shared the regular season conference title with the Hoosiers before winning the Big Ten tournament tile. Also making it were Maryland, Michigan, UCLA and Washington.
Yeagley said there was a good argument for a seventh Big Ten team with either Northwestern or Wisconsin.
As for the Hoosiers earning a seed for a record 24th time, Yeagley adds, "We've been fortunate over the years to demonstrate our ability to go far in the tournament. The committee has rewarded our program when it's close, and we've been able to deliver."
If the seeds hold, future delivery must come on the road. That would start with a possible third-round trip to third-seed Denver (12-3-4). While Yeagley won't look past any opponent, he's also confident that, "This team isn't intimidated playing on the road."
The College Cup is set for Dec. 13-16 at Cary, N.C.
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's SoccerDarian DeVries Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, November 26
IUBB Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, November 26
FB: Riley Nowakowski Media Availability (11/25/25)
Wednesday, November 26
FB: D'Angelo Ponds Media Availability (11/25/25)
Wednesday, November 26