The Indiana University men’s soccer program has high standards. Really high standards. The kind of standards that you can only realistically expect to achieve when you are both presently and historically one of, if not the best, programs in the country.
So far the Hoosiers are achieving those goals in historic fashion.
Job one was to win the Big Ten regular season and IU did that — and did it in style — securing their first perfect Big Ten record since 2002. Due to league expansion, it was the first time in conference history a team has gone 8-0-0.
Next up was the Big Ten Tournament — an event that has been a challenge in recent seasons for IU.
Indiana was challenged in early round matches against Northwestern and Maryland, with the former contest going to overtime and the latter to penalty kicks.
In the Big Ten finale, IU was dominant in a 3-0 win over Michigan. The Hoosiers had 15 shots to just 6 for the Wolverines, and similarly dominated the shots on goal, 7-1.
The Hoosier goals were scored by Cory Thomas, who tapped in a rebound from a Griffin Dorsey shot, Jeremiah Gutjahr (off a cross from Dorsey), and Spencer Glass off an Austin Panchot assist.
You can see all three goals right here:
WATCH ➡️ Cory Thomas gives the Hoosiers the early lead.#Q49 #GoIU ⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/3UrkgGMrYf
— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) November 11, 2018
WATCH ➡️ Jeremiah Gutjahr heads it home to give Indiana a 2-0 lead.#Q49 #GoIU ⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/Q6ypLOsffc
— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) November 11, 2018
WATCH ➡️ Hoosiers are feeling it. Spencer Glass makes it 3-0.#Q49 #GoIU ⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/o2cjde9jLe
— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) November 11, 2018
IU goalkeeper Trey Muse made one save, registering his Big Ten-leading 10th solo shutout of the season.
The Big Ten Tournament title is the 13th in program history and the first for the team since 2013. Indiana had suffered heartbreaking losses in the annual event in recent years including coming up short in penalty kicks to Wisconsin last year.
The Hoosiers won both the tournament and regular season championships in the same season for the first time since 2006.
Two goals down, one to go. And for Indiana, the big one remains. The eight time national champions are looking to add a ninth star to their logo and continue their decades long run of being a national power.
Indiana sits at 17-2-1 on the season and is likely to be a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. With that comes the added benefit multiple home matches.
The Hoosiers will go into the tournament red hot. IU is unbeaten in the team’s last nine matches. In that streak, the Hoosiers have posted posted six shutouts and have out-scored the team’s opponents, 15-3.
The No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers will await their NCAA Tournament fate on Monday afternoon. The 2018 NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air on NCAA.com at 1:00 p.m. ET.
The quest for nine is about to begin.
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