Aaron

Collapse complete. Ask IU football about trying to win with defense only and unable to generate a lick of offense. This team has exact same issue.

As I said this team has come a long way this year. They are still by no means good, but you are seeing improvement from last couple years which is a step in right direction and more than I can say about some of our other bottom feeder programs that look as bad as ever (volleyball is first to come to mind, along with Women's Golf secondarily).

This team has turned into IU Football 2.0. Terrific defense but can't score. One goal in five games is bad. Year started with so much promise but lack of offense is now the undoing. Still believe in what Coach Erwin is doing long term but end of season has been a thud and went from safely in to out of NCAA Tournament.

IU does not have Gerstenberg tonight as she was called up to German National Team camp. The only health goalie right now is Caitlin Arbuckle who is a senior and has appeared in one game. Defense has been stellar all year, but playing top teams with a new person between the pipes is not ideal. That tie against Maryland has dropped IU's RPI in the 40's and on the bubble with only good team lefts. That tie against the Terps is probably going to be so damaging it keeps them out of NCAA Tournament unless they beat the odds and upset someone. Given the lack of offense, I would not be surprised if we lose last three (last two regular season games and Big Ten Tournament) and what was a great season ends on down note. Still believe in Coach Erwin and he has been dealt a really bad hand at end here, but he does need to fine some scorers in the offseason to continue the turnaround. He certainly has made team better since he has been here but still more work to do.

That was not our best game but we got the job done. All of you can sit here and talk about the Big Ten Title and it would be a nice bonus but I am watching NCAA seeding much more carefully. We have three straight conference titles, so if we finish second or third I am not going to be mad. What we don't have is a National Title in almost a decade so I am much more concerned with a good seed in the NCAA's. Just by playing Evansville we were penalized three spots in the RPI and down to 21. That will move up or down in next few days depending on other results, but we need wins over VCU and Maryland and avoid tripping against Wisconsin to get that RPI comfortably into top 15 and at very least get a seed and a bye. Note we often get seeded a little higher than our RPI and with all these road wins probably will again. I would feel better though if we could move it up 5-10 more spots. As for tonight, we did the bare minimum to take care of business. I am glad we are done with these horrible teams as we are not good enough attacking wise to dominate anyone, but have the talent to play with any team in country. As a result we are better off taking our chances with better teams instead of making everyone nervous against these bottom feeders. Our defense has rounded into form finally, mostly due to Celentano being a top goalie again here late in season. We made him work a little harder than needed tonight but nothing to bad. That's now five straight shutouts. Onto a Wisconsin team that was horrible at beginning of year, really good in the middle and then very bad again last couple games. Probably our last three games are back to first to score wins scenario and we really need all of them to solidify our seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

Worst first half we have played this year given the competition. Glad we got the goal on a same set piece play at the top of the box by Bezerra which we have run many times for a score to perfection. Outside of that though we were horrific given who we were playing. First off our final pass was about as bad as I have seen this year and Sarver blew an easy goal late in the half on a long ball where he had the Evansville D beat and lost possession to the goalie with a touch that was to hard. He is so good in space on those long balls where he can out run everyone but he needs to develop his touch a little bit when finishing those. Butler has run that play for years to perfection with speedy forwards and Sarver needs to learn to finish those every time instead of half the time. Also our D forced Celentano to make way to many saves against an anemic offense. Lucky we are playing Evansville because that half beats no one besides Trine. Very possible we get up and play better if it is a better team tonight, but can't play down to your competition and we have very much done that tonight.

Evansville is not good at anything. They don't score hardly as mentioned above and give up well over two goals a game. This better be over early and bench emptied in second half like against Trine. After tonight it gets more interesting with opportunities for huge wins. First we need to take care of Wisconsin who is the most bi-polar team in Big Ten. They started the year horrific, with a loss to Green Bay who has beaten no other team this season besides the Badgers. They then played pretty well and looked like they would be contender in the Big Ten. However, last two games they have reverted to early season form and got dominated last night by a Northwestern team who is the worst in the Big Ten. In other words looks like hopefully we are catching Wiscy at right time. Then it's VCU and Maryland who are legit and probably two of the five hardest games we have this year (along with PSU, Akron and Notre Dame). However, with both teams having RPI's in the 20's this is a huge opportunity to move up our seeding in NCAA Tournament (we don't lose to Evansville, we are making the NCAA's even if we lose last four with our resume). Right now we have an RPI of 18 and are a fringe seeded team which includes a bye and a second round home game. I would like to get that closer to 10 which guarantees that bye and moves us closer to second round home game as well. We are almost always seeded higher than our RPI, due to our history and schedule, so if we can get just get the RPI to somewhere between 10-15 we should get two home games and a top 8 seed (top 20 should get us seeded for one home game and bye). I don't see any way we can get a top 4 seed and home games all the way to college cup though but at least an upset is possible then and maybe you can draw ND or UK as the top 4 team so it is a short drive for Elite 8 if bracket plays to from. They do try to seed regionally.

Good for her. I am not sure what that says about New Zealand from a soccer perspective that a backup player for IU is among the best players in their country. That is not a knock on her or the Hoosiers and this is a great honor, but a back-up college player being called up, says a lot for the state of soccer in that country and it cannot be to good.

More uncompetitive play and more garbage/hype tweets from Coach Aird about how it is a process and how they are playing tough teams. I have news for him: The Big Ten is extremely tough and if you can't fix it and learn to compete with these teams you are not the guy to lead this program. Also, don't lose constantly and get passed by your former team in Maryland. Every year it is worse and this is fourth season. It's enough. We blew this hire and it's hard to turn it around in an awesome Big Ten, but Aird is not going to do it. Period.

This is first time this year where team deserves massive criticism. While it was a scoreless draw, that is absolutely inexcusable for IU against a Maryland team that has given up 10 goals in its last two games and at least one against every Big Ten team not named Nebraska who is a fellow bottom feeder. It has been a solid season and the D is legit, but this is starting to be IU football 2.0 with an above average D and a below average attack. For most of the season this looked like the better of the programs between Men's and Women's Soccer, but now the Men are really coming on and the women are starting to fade. That's what having a championship program does like the men, and the women could learn something from them about playing good soccer at the right time.

VCU is very good this year with an RPI in the 20's, hence why it is a terrific opportunity for a quality win.

NCAA Tourney basically locked up now. Just playing for better seeding and home games now. RPI around 20 and still two more great RPI boosters left in VCU and Maryland.

We were lucky to get a goal in the fashion we did (and leave it to Christian Hackenberg’s brother to hand us a game as Hackenberg’s never seem to live up to the hype), but also played our best game of the year. PSU is far and away the best attack we will face until NCAA Tournament and we shut it down and created plenty of good chances against a stingy Nittany Lion D. A big reason for the turn around is Celentano finally being an elite goalie again last few games. Roman was by no means bad early, but also was not making the amazing saves like he did last couple yrs. To really get where you want to, it will always take 1-2 crazy saves from the goalie each game no matter how good your team is. Celantano was getting the easy ones all yr, but until last 5-6 games was not getting some harder ones as he was in past and that was difference. He needs to keep up the form last few games he had first couple years and we have a chance to go a long way.

Terrific first half of quality soccer at 0-0. PSU did the smartest thing ever a few yrs ago dumping Bob "Park The Bus" Warming who is now the Omaha coach we played a few games ago. Jeff Cook's offensive heavy style is so much more fun to watch and it doesn't make IU or Penn State more likely to win and PSU is much better overall. This PSU attack with Butts and Blowyou is the hardest we will see this yr and so far we are holding our own in a terrific competitive even match. Second Half we have the wind and can hopefully put one home.

If I am Dolson I am pissed that I had two teams showcased back to back on National TV and both were completely embarrassed. It's unacceptable. Those games are not bad to lose, but to be thoroughly noncompetitive is a horrible look for the athletic department. I forgive the Women's Soccer program as that was a fluke and they have been terrific this year and just picked a bad night to play bad. Coach Erwin has done a nice job here and was furious last night. It happens. Volleyball needs a much deeper discussion and probably a coaching change as I have said from beginning this year. We can keep saying give it it time, but every time you do that it does not work out in end. Big Ten is tough, but Aird has shown zero much like Archie. If there was something there it would of shown by now. To lose in three straight sets is forgivable and I expected it, but to never get to 15 points in a set in a conference game means you are not adequately preparing or the team is losing its will to compete through adversity. I would get it if it was 25-20 in a couple sets, but to have that demolition is a much deeper program problem has and says a leadership change is needed if we are ever going to get anywhere. Especially with a new beautiful facility.

3-0 victory. Finally a game with no nail biting and an easy result over a team not named Trine.

Finishing touches. OSU had to press forward and overplayed McDonald who found Redmon in space who dribbled all the way to box and found Bebej for tap in.

Finally get number 2 to breath. Similar to first with Mihalic at top of box but it was Bezerra to Goumballe on break to tuck it in.

Weird half. IU was outshot 7-6 but if you take out the min after the Mihalic goal where OSU had six shots in a row that somehow none went in IU was by far better team and stats would reflect that. No excuse to blow it now playing with a lead and a man up.

Must win. OSU along with NW is worst team in conference. They beat up on some of the best teams in the MAC but can't beat anyone in Big Ten including NW. The last three teams we play in conference are best in Big Ten and this is last chance for a bad RPI loss. Win this and at least split your remaining games and while that is not quite the season you wanted, it will at least put you solidly in tourney. Hopefully Bezerra has confidence and can get us a few goals now down strect now that he is scoring again.

It rained either lightly or moderately part of the game and that played some role, but the number one problem is our decision making when trying to finish attacking sequences. Rain or no rain we should and would of put 2-3 home in regulation if we made the correct final pass on our attacks. We had Omaha out of position more often than not and were in perfect position to score or challenge goalie many times, only to do wrong thing with ball and not finish. Been a problem all year. Glad we got the result and the rain was an irritant, but not the reason it took last minute dramatics to beat a hapless team.

Well nice of Bezerra to finally do what he is capable of. Only one other time recently can I think of a goal that late to win it. It was against Maryland in 2018 by Gutman to win 2-1. Difference is that was Maryland who later beat us in the College Cup that year and won the National Title. Talent wise pound for pound I expect to go to the wire against Maryland. You should NEVER go to the wire against a hapless Omaha team. Glad we got away with it and maybe it will spark team. With that said our decision making when attacking needs to improve by 1000%. If you are going double OT with Omaha you better of taken 25-30 shots and make their goalie and defense have a crazy night. While we clearly had majority of the chances, we didn't make the right decision at the end of attacking sequences more often than not and let Omaha off the hook way to many times. As an aside I do not miss Omaha's retread coach Bob Warming one bit from PSU. It's not because he tore it up at PSU and won, but his style of defense heavy and parking bus led to inconsistency and was unwatchable. Low and behold now that PSU brought in Jeff Cook who brings in more talent and a much more pleasing attacking style, the Nittany Lions are much better and a game against them is far more pleasurable to watch despite being more challenging. Thank god him and Lenehan at NW are gone and every team in the Big Ten is actually trying to score now and are all watchable. Reason these two won less often than others. Terrible way to play soccer. I have no problem with Warming doing it tonight and with Omaha at that level and IU had zero excuse not to break them down earlier given the talent discrepancy. Just don't miss not seeing him every year at PSU and it has zero to do with results since we beat him more often than not. Now another level down to non-D1 Trine and we better win that one at least 5-0 and play everyone.

Nice to go to OT with the nearly 200th ranked team in the nation. I knew this team had issues, but its much worse than I thought. Their decision making in the attack with the ball is the worst I have seen in my time watching team. 2013 was bad because we had the worst D in IU history, but our attacking was not bad. This defense while slipping at times and has been a problem is not that bad. We have had attacks this bad before but the D was a bit better. The combination of both is worst I have seen in 25 years watching team. This teams build up is beyond atrocious and not something I am used to.

First time we clearly have a major talent advantage in every way this year. Problem is we are not doing anything with it. Our passing is leaving a lot to be desired in terms of creating chances (good passing has been a hallmark of IU teams in past but exact opposite this year). We have had plenty of attacks where we have Omaha out of position only to make the wrong decision with the ball on the last pass and not even challenge the goalie. We can be mad at the defense all we want and they have been bad at times, but to me the way we have attacked this year is far more concerning with all the scoring threats this team possesses. Bezerra looks like he would rather not be here and should of gone pro if that is case as in some ways he is a hinderance more than a help this season. Can we get a goal and survive this game? Stay tuned.

In general this is not a well constructed team. We have more attackers than ever, but no true midfielders which is exposing the D as everyone goes forward. Goumballe and Endeley are the closest we have given their ability to dribble up the field, but we have no holding midfielders who are elite passers and can stay back which is exposing the D and not finishing attacks in ways team needs. Its like having 3 elite big men in basketball and no guards. That is basically the problem. Also, our stars look like they would rather not be here. Bezerra has not looked good even healthy and might as well have gone to MLS. Celantano in goal is not all his fault, but he is making mistakes he did not last two years and looking like a decent Colin Webb from mid decade (but taller) rather than an elite goalie like he and Muse were in past years. Not sure if there is a chemistry problem and players are not giving it 100% or not (that is really hard to know) but the number one issue is the roster construction. You had an elite midfield recruit from a couple years ago like Emerson Nieto who cannot get on the field and another in Kyle Folds who is injured. Just like Yeagley used the transfer portal to bring in Sessock to shore up D last year which has mostly worked, he needs to go in there and get some holding mid's for next year and then hope everyone besides Bezerra sticks around. Even if you keep one of Sarver, Mihalic or Wittenbrink around and shore up the mid that is a stronger team. Not necessarily more talented but better constructed which could lead to better results.