Indiana University Athletics
DiPrimio: ‘Great Vibes' – Weiss Finds Scoring Touch as Postseason Arrives
11/4/2024 9:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Goal-scoring Justin Weiss is back, although, in truth, the Indiana men's soccer graduate forward never left. He was always making a difference, even when an invisible force field seemed to block every shot he took.
And now that he's regained his scoring form – six goals in the last five games, part of a Hoosier scoring onslaught (32 goals in the last 10 matches) that bodes well for postseason prospects – look out.
"It took time," Weiss says. "We have a lot of good players. It took time for us to mesh. Once it clicked for us, it feels good. We're on a good path now."
How good? IU finished on an 8-0-2 run to earn a share of the Big Ten regular season title with Ohio State. Both had 7-1-2 conference records. The Buckeyes got the No. 1 in this week's conference tourney at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill., near Chicago.
The second-seeded Hoosiers (10-3-5 overall) will face No. 7 seed Michigan (7-3-6) in a Thursday quarterfinal match. IU won the regular season meeting 5-0.
"This feels pretty (darn) good," Weiss says about the co-championship. "A lot of hard work goes behind it. We're so talented at so many levels. We have guys that (don't get all the fame), like (junior midfielder) Jack Wagoner, who is such an amazing player. It's great to play with a guy like that."
Weiss, a Northwestern transfer, didn't score in his first 13 matches as a Hoosier, deflating for a veteran who arrived as one of the Big Ten's best offensive players.
"What kept me going was Coach (Todd) Yeagley," Weiss says. "He kept confidence in me, kept playing me. He'd remind me, you're a goal scorer. That's not going anywhere. Stay patient. Do the other things well."
Beyond that, he adds, "I couldn't do anything without my teammates. They kept texting me after games – you got it, keep going. You just need one to start flowing."
Senior forward Tommy Mihalic, a prodigious goal scorer (a Big Ten-leading 10 goals this season) understood Weiss's frustration after going through his own scoring slump last season.
"None of us lost confidence in him or in anyone who starts slow," Mihalic says. "Guys have been there before. It happened to me last year. You have to stay the course.
"Every day in training he worked hard, and guys were supporting him. Now you look back, and it feels like it doesn't matter. Everyone is rolling right now. It's great."
Weiss was one of the nation's top transfer portal prospects last year. At Northwestern, he was a two-time All-Big Ten player (18 goals and 10 assists in 45 matches), a two-time academic all-conference selection, a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner and a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American as a Wildcat.
Still, he wanted more.
"He was in a good situation there," Yeagley says, "He was their guy, but he was thinking, I don't know if I can win something big (at Northwestern). I want to go somewhere to have a better chance."
IU, with eight national titles and nine national runner-up finishes, seemed a natural fit.
"Luckily, he chose us," Yeagley says. "It was a sweepstakes when he went in the transfer portal – everyone wanted him."
Beyond his scoring ability, Yeagley adds, Weiss has "all the intangibles you want in a player who is coming to a new team. He's selfless. He puts other guys first. He's not about stats. He just wants to win."
As a Hoosier, Weiss has, and the Big Ten co-championship reflects it.
"I'm happy for him," Yeagley says. "This is why he came here."
A potential distraction came last week when IU hosted Northwestern. Yeagley addressed it with Weiss.
"I told him, it's just another game. We have to get a result. Don't worry about your old teammates. He said, 'I'm good. I can do that.'
"He was motivated to win a title. His mind was right the whole time."
Was it ever. Weiss scored two goals in IU's 6-1 victory.
Indiana remains a prime destination for elite players – those coming out of high school and soccer academies, and those from the transfer portal.
"We had guys coming in who had chips on their shoulders with something to prove," Yeagley says. "Justin is the perfect example. He came here to win something. He had a great career. He could have stayed at Northwestern. He liked his experience and his teammates, but he wanted to win something.
"He got uncomfortable coming here, knowing it might not be as easy. He's been fantastic."
Senior forward Samuel Sarver picked up on that right away.
"Off the field, he's great," Sarver says. "We have great vibes. He's always up. He fit right in with my friends, the older seniors. He's like one of us.
"The first night I met him, I felt I knew him forever. That's important. Being close off the field ties in with being good on the field. We're close to everyone."
IU seeks a second straight Big Ten tourney title. It has reached the last seven championship games behind Yeagley, the Big Ten's third-winningest coach after his father, Jerry (544 wins in 31 seasons) and Maryland's Sasho Cirovski (437 in 32). Todd Yeagley has won 210 games in 16 seasons.
"He just wants to win," Weiss says of Todd Yeagley. "It comes down to little details. That's what wins us championships. He's so happy when we win."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Goal-scoring Justin Weiss is back, although, in truth, the Indiana men's soccer graduate forward never left. He was always making a difference, even when an invisible force field seemed to block every shot he took.
And now that he's regained his scoring form – six goals in the last five games, part of a Hoosier scoring onslaught (32 goals in the last 10 matches) that bodes well for postseason prospects – look out.
"It took time," Weiss says. "We have a lot of good players. It took time for us to mesh. Once it clicked for us, it feels good. We're on a good path now."
How good? IU finished on an 8-0-2 run to earn a share of the Big Ten regular season title with Ohio State. Both had 7-1-2 conference records. The Buckeyes got the No. 1 in this week's conference tourney at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill., near Chicago.
The second-seeded Hoosiers (10-3-5 overall) will face No. 7 seed Michigan (7-3-6) in a Thursday quarterfinal match. IU won the regular season meeting 5-0.
"This feels pretty (darn) good," Weiss says about the co-championship. "A lot of hard work goes behind it. We're so talented at so many levels. We have guys that (don't get all the fame), like (junior midfielder) Jack Wagoner, who is such an amazing player. It's great to play with a guy like that."
Weiss, a Northwestern transfer, didn't score in his first 13 matches as a Hoosier, deflating for a veteran who arrived as one of the Big Ten's best offensive players.
"What kept me going was Coach (Todd) Yeagley," Weiss says. "He kept confidence in me, kept playing me. He'd remind me, you're a goal scorer. That's not going anywhere. Stay patient. Do the other things well."
Beyond that, he adds, "I couldn't do anything without my teammates. They kept texting me after games – you got it, keep going. You just need one to start flowing."
Senior forward Tommy Mihalic, a prodigious goal scorer (a Big Ten-leading 10 goals this season) understood Weiss's frustration after going through his own scoring slump last season.
"None of us lost confidence in him or in anyone who starts slow," Mihalic says. "Guys have been there before. It happened to me last year. You have to stay the course.
"Every day in training he worked hard, and guys were supporting him. Now you look back, and it feels like it doesn't matter. Everyone is rolling right now. It's great."
Weiss was one of the nation's top transfer portal prospects last year. At Northwestern, he was a two-time All-Big Ten player (18 goals and 10 assists in 45 matches), a two-time academic all-conference selection, a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner and a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American as a Wildcat.
Still, he wanted more.
"He was in a good situation there," Yeagley says, "He was their guy, but he was thinking, I don't know if I can win something big (at Northwestern). I want to go somewhere to have a better chance."
IU, with eight national titles and nine national runner-up finishes, seemed a natural fit.
"Luckily, he chose us," Yeagley says. "It was a sweepstakes when he went in the transfer portal – everyone wanted him."
Beyond his scoring ability, Yeagley adds, Weiss has "all the intangibles you want in a player who is coming to a new team. He's selfless. He puts other guys first. He's not about stats. He just wants to win."
As a Hoosier, Weiss has, and the Big Ten co-championship reflects it.
"I'm happy for him," Yeagley says. "This is why he came here."
A potential distraction came last week when IU hosted Northwestern. Yeagley addressed it with Weiss.
"I told him, it's just another game. We have to get a result. Don't worry about your old teammates. He said, 'I'm good. I can do that.'
"He was motivated to win a title. His mind was right the whole time."
Was it ever. Weiss scored two goals in IU's 6-1 victory.
Indiana remains a prime destination for elite players – those coming out of high school and soccer academies, and those from the transfer portal.
"We had guys coming in who had chips on their shoulders with something to prove," Yeagley says. "Justin is the perfect example. He came here to win something. He had a great career. He could have stayed at Northwestern. He liked his experience and his teammates, but he wanted to win something.
"He got uncomfortable coming here, knowing it might not be as easy. He's been fantastic."
Senior forward Samuel Sarver picked up on that right away.
"Off the field, he's great," Sarver says. "We have great vibes. He's always up. He fit right in with my friends, the older seniors. He's like one of us.
"The first night I met him, I felt I knew him forever. That's important. Being close off the field ties in with being good on the field. We're close to everyone."
IU seeks a second straight Big Ten tourney title. It has reached the last seven championship games behind Yeagley, the Big Ten's third-winningest coach after his father, Jerry (544 wins in 31 seasons) and Maryland's Sasho Cirovski (437 in 32). Todd Yeagley has won 210 games in 16 seasons.
"He just wants to win," Weiss says of Todd Yeagley. "It comes down to little details. That's what wins us championships. He's so happy when we win."
Players Mentioned
Forward
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Forward
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Midfielder
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