It is time. On Sunday evening, Indiana Soccer’s quest for a ninth national title resumes.

After an incredibly exhausting full calendar year for Indiana men’s soccer and its fans, the wait is over. But even with that time away, the country’s most illustrious college soccer program didn’t blink. IU claimed its third-straight Big Ten Double — a feat that deserves significant praise — after defeating Penn State two weeks ago via penalty kicks in the Big Ten Tournament finals.

But anyone who follows the Hoosiers knows what the ultimate goal is each season: a ninth NCAA title.

More history took place Thursday night when St. Francis Brooklyn defeated Milwaukee, 2-1, in overtime to claim the Terriers’ first NCAA Tournament victory since 1978.

Preparing for an opponent on just a few days notice presents yet another challenge for Head Coach Todd Yeagley.

“The staff, we’ve kind of divided and conquered,” Yeagley said. “I’ve had the assistants help with the initial dissection of both teams. So we have tendencies down for both, and we don’t show the team yet until we know who we’re playing.”

What’s more – Indiana will be without an important piece against the Terriers. Freshman center back Joey Maher, who has 11 starts to his name, will not be a part of Sunday’s action due to receiving a red card in the Big Ten Tournament finals.

Though it’s still unclear how Todd Yeagley will handle Maher’s absence, the Hoosiers have some options. Whichever route IU decides to approach the situation, the Hoosiers are still working through some ideas.

“Certainly experimenting with the moves we might do with Joey’s absence due to the red card,” Yeagley said. “He’s obviously a big piece to this first game.”

With the NCAA Tournament field size significantly reduced this year (36 teams) and all games being held within the state of North Carolina, IU will yes, again, face a new set of circumstances.

A lack of home-field advantage might be the biggest difference that stands out. In a normal year, Indiana, the No. 3 seed in this year’s field, would be hosting the majority of their postseason matches at Bill Armstrong Stadium. But as has been the case so often over the past 12 months, this time around is different.

“I think what we have to do is just keep things as consistent and as simple as it needs to be,” Yeagley said, “and not over-exaggerate or overthink, really, that we’re all in a bubble and we’re not playing at home.”

Another totally new experience: the “bubble” format itself, which is similar to what the NCAA implemented for the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

Should Indiana make a deep tournament that lasts into the College Cup, the team will have spent over 14 days inside the tournament bubble.

However, as COVID-19 vaccinations continue to be distributed across the country, restrictions will be slightly more relaxed. Even with IU — and presumably all teams — keeping its circle tight, there will still be opportunities to leave the hotel together.

“The positive for our tournament is that it won’t be as quite locked down,” Yeagley said. “We can leave the hotel. We just have to be really smart with where we go, and it’ll only be our team and our bubble.

When IU last appeared in the College Cup, during the 2018 season, the team’s success was largely due to star goalkeeper Trey Muse and a stellar defensive lineup. The Hoosiers have similar pieces this season, though the loss Spencer Glass’ leadership and experience in the postseason could be a point of concern.

The lack of overall NCAA Tournament experience among IU’s primary starters does suggest some hesitance when discussing the legitimate chances of making a deep run. Of IU’s major contributors, only three players — A.J. Palazzolo, Joe Schmidt, and Thomas Warr — have extensive playing experience in an NCAA Tournament atmosphere.

With all of this said, with a premier goal scorer in Victor Bezerra, a supporting cast in Palazzolo, Schmidt, Ryan Wittenbrink, Herbert Endeley and more, IU seems to be in a great spot.