Indiana men's soccer hungry for season
While the season may be hiatus, the goals remain the same for the Indiana University men’s soccer team. Speaking with members of the media on a Zoom call Wednesday, head coach Todd Yeagley, redshirt junior midfielder Joe Schmidt and redshirt senior defender Spencer Glass touched on a variety of issues, including the postponement of the fall 2020 season. For Yeagley, the time away has given his players an extra motivation.
“There has not been any final word on the Spring. Right now, everything is fluid, and I think that is the word of the year," Yeagley said. "It’s like the ultimate challenge to stay focused on what we know, and, sometimes, all we know is very little. The guys are very motivated to continue to train and move forward. With the season, hopefully on the horizon, it gives them extra motivation."
The motivation is there for a Hoosiers team that finished 15-3-4 last season and lost to UC Santa Barbara 1-0 in double overtime in the NCAA Tournament. Glass, who served as a captain last season, said he and his teammates knew Yeagley would “fight for them,” and now the focus turns to preparing longer in hopes of chasing a title.
“We knew Yeags would fight for us to continue to practice like we have, working towards December and a national championship. Now we work a little harder for May or whenever for the last title," Glass said. "It doesn’t change for us, we are still doing the same things. It could be a little longer, and it was tough to hear, but that mindset of it will be a little longer road to a national title, we are up for it."
Schmidt said the players have passed time golfing, watching movies and fishing, but they have handled the adjustments well and continue to train.
“Definitely been an up-down. I think everyone has been glad to get back on campus. The first day on campus, we were riding a high and a couple hours later, it’s not playing games this fall. We have to be understanding of and trust medical experts,” Schmidt said.
Not having a fall season, and, potentially playing in the spring could be a blessing for the Hoosiers, as Yeagley mentioned a desire to go to a season that features games in both the fall and the spring.
“We are trying to have less compression in one semester. This spring would give us a good view of what it looks like in the spring with the logistics. It would be a good beta test for that, and, ultimately, 2022 our goal is to play half the season in the fall and half in the spring. We would get a 50 percent version of that in the spring,” Yeagley said.
There was to have been legislation voted on in April that would have moved to that system, but due to Covid-19, the vote has been postponed.
Instead of spending a lot of time on the field together, Yeagley said there has been a lot of use of technology.
“All virtual, lot of phone calls, lot of zoom calls. Lot of our video sessions have had challenges, we are getting in and digging deep on some personalities and what guys think is important," Yeagley said. "We’ve had guest speakers, past players giving lessons on what they’ve dealt with. Some of creativity will live on. Nothing replaces face to face and now that they are here, that’s where you create bonds that are lasting. You need to see them and build those relationships. We are doing everything we can to be safe and build those. When they’re at training, that’s most normal they’ve been in five months."
One thing that will help the Hoosiers when they return to the pitch is the addition of $7 million Jerry F. Tardy Center at Armstrong Stadium, which was made possible by a lead gift by Jeff and Margaret Jones. The facility features meeting and team rooms, along with a VIP suite, interactive video displays, an indoor warm-up room with turf, new locker room space and more.
“I am excited for the seniors who will get to use the facility. The smiles on the guys’ faces when they toured the facility for the first time said it all. There has been a lot of disappointment the last four to five months, and we need more days like that,” Yeagley said.
He said that the facility shows the continued commitment from Indiana University due to the success of the soccer program.
“We’ve been able to bring a lot of joy to university and athletic department," Yeagley said. "We are great ambassadors for IU athletics, roles players move into. There’s a lot to be proud of. When you do really good things, you’re rewarded. People say why haven’t you had this 15 years ago, we are grateful for everything we get.
"We feel supported and given things through things we have earned. We have earned everything provided, continue to push this forward and this will make Armstrong Center a place you look around college athletics and say it is a crowning jewel. If we are gold standard for college soccer, we want a facility to mirror that."
Schmidt said the new facility is “absolutely incredible“.
“I never thought I’d experience it while here. Everyone is excited to use it more and more,”
Whenever the season is, the Indiana men's soccer program will be ready.
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