Indiana men’s and women’s soccer continues to roll right along into the postseason. The women are maybe having their best season yet, and the men clinched their third straight Big Ten title without even playing a game.
For the seventeenth time in program history, and third straight year, the No. 5 Indiana men’s soccer team was crowned Big Ten conference champions. This follows the cancellation of Sunday’s match against Maryland as the Terps cited a lack of healthy players available, unrelated to COVID-19 positives.
The three-peat title clinch is the first for IU since claiming nine consecutive championships from 1996 to 2004.
Indiana men’s soccer Head Coach Todd Yeagley speaks of his excitement regarding his team’s run so far in the postseason.
Due to the shortened spring season, every win counts. With the Big Ten Tournament kicking off the postseason, Head Coach Todd Yeagley said that every game is important.
“I felt like this spring we talked about as a team that so many of these games were gonna be crucial to any title run, and an opportunity, to be in the postseason because of the short track season that we were in,” Yeagley said. “We didn’t have an opportunity to drop, or lose a game, and make up for it when you’re only playing up to ten games.”
That mentality proved successful as IU secured a quarterfinal win in the Big Ten Tournament Saturday as they defeated Northwestern 3 nil in Bloomington. They’ll get another chance to face the Terps in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Yeagley speaks about how every game counts and the team’s eagerness to get a chance at a title.
On the other side of the pitch, the number four seeded Indiana women fell at No. 6 Penn State 3-1 in the Big Ten Regional Weekend Finals. The loss came after the cancellation of a matchup against Michigan, due to COVID-19 issues.
With their Big Ten Tournament run coming to a quick end, the team awaits its fate for an NCAA Tournament appearance. Head Coach Erwin van Bennekom told the Indiana Daily Student that he believes his team is in a good place.
“Obviously, a result today would have been nicer,” Coach van Bennekom said. “With the schedule we’ve had and with the wins we have, we should be in the conversation for sure.”
In an unprecedented year, both the men’s and women’s programs found success as they hope to continue their postseason runs.
