Indiana University Athletics
DiPrimio: Target On – Soccer Hoosiers Embrace Lofty Expectations
8/12/2024 3:12:00 PM | Men's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Todd Yeagley is not fooled. Indiana's veteran head soccer coach understands the whimsy of preseason college polls, which are based on past performance and not present reality.
The Hoosiers are ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason Top-25 poll, which reflects last year's NCAA tourney quarterfinal finish as well as the program's long tradition of success that includes eight national championships.
For perspective, defending national champion Clemson is No. 1. Notre Dame, the national runner-up that ended IU's season in a dramatic quarterfinal PK shootout, is No. 2.
Hoosier uncertainty comes from 14 newcomers as they seek to replace difference-making veterans such as Maouloune Goumballe, Joey Maher, Brett Bebej and Hugo Bacharach from a 15-4-5 team that dominated the last two months of the season.
Are the Hoosiers, a couple days into August practice, really a top-10 team?
The short answer – you can't really know until the crucial games of October and November arrive.
The long answer, courtesy of Yeagley with a reference to former IU football coach turned ESPN College Gameday analyst Lee Corso – not so fast, my friends.
"We're used to it," Yeagley says about the early acclaim. "The first poll is a reflection of last year and where you finished. We were in the quarterfinals, so I would expect us to be in the top eight, whether or not we have a big returning group."
Yeagley remembers the 2019 preseason poll, when the Hoosiers were a top three pick nationally despite substantial player losses from the previous season's College Cup squad.
For the record, IU was 20-3-1 in 2018 and 15-3-1 in 2019 and reached the NCAA tourney third round.
"We had one starter back and were top two or three in the country," Yeagley says. "It was like, 'Really?' They like to put the target on us."
There's a reason for that. IU has made 37 straight NCAA tournaments and a record 22 College Cups and has a record nine national runner-up finishes along with those eight national titles. Championship contention seems part of Hoosier DNA, a reflection of great coaches and players, hard work, tenacity and a knack for matching the strength of its personnel.
Much is expected of these Hoosiers. They have a powerhouse newcomer class rich in high school and college transfer talent. They have a homegrown coaching staff that knows how to win and a system that develops players to national and professional acclaim.
High rankings come with it.
"Do we talk about it?" Yeagley says. "No. It's good for media. Internally, we won't talk about it. I don't put any narrative to it."
Narrative focuses on making another championship run. Unlike football, soccer gets only a couple of weeks of preseason training. IU has exhibitions against Bowling Green on Aug. 13 and Louisville on Aug. 17 before an intriguing season opener at Saint Louis, the only team with more national titles (10) on Aug. 23.
Its home opener is Aug. 29 against Notre Dame.
Both contests reflect Yeagley's schedule-tough non-conference approach that might produce some early losses, but toughens the Hoosiers for late-season runs.
What are the keys in these next few weeks?
It starts with blending returning standouts such as goalkeeper JT Harms, defenders Jansen Miller and Alex Barger, forwards Samuel Sarver, Tommy Mihalic and Collins Oduro, and midfielders Jack Wagoner and Patrick McDonald with transfers Quinton Elliott (Louisville), Justin Weiss (Northwestern) and Luke Jeffus (Tulsa) and another strong group of freshmen.
Yeagley says early training focus is on IU's playing style, principles of play, terminology and how the team operates daily.
Evaluation includes intersquad scrimmages as well as the two exhibitions.
"We draw some lines in the sand," Yeagley says. "Here's where we are today. It's a little different than in other falls where we've had less new players. We'll have to do more review with all these new faces.
"Collectively, it's seeing where our depth is, and then seeing who will win the center-back spot and best partnership with Jansen. Another fantastic challenge is filling that right back. Quinton Elliot did a great job this spring. Who else can play there besides Quinton will be another important evaluation."
The best teams are player-led, which usually means senior-led, which means Sarver (an All-American), Mihalic, Miller and Harms must set the tone.
"This program goes by the older players," Yeagley says. "Passing down the knowledge on how we do things is critical. They are the story tellers. They keep it going."
Leadership, Yeagley says, includes how the veterans go about their work and how they handle their roles, which might be different this season.
"Any time older players have a reduced role, how they handle that is incredibly important. I'm not saying that will happen, but if it does, that's an amazing opportunity to teach other players."
Buying into the team-over-individual concept is crucial.
"All your guys want to play," Yeagley says. "That's not going to happen. How do they handle that? Do they teach the young guys how to go about our work? There will be examples, bumps in the road, moments when they need to take the time they were given by older players to help guide or encourage or get tough on a player when it's needed.
"As coaches, we can only do so much. Our players are the ultimate guys in how this happens."
And if it leads to a final top-10 ranking and a ninth national championship, all the better.
