Aaron

This is the first loss of the season that felt like every season in the past. IU dominates, is clearly the better team and the other team steals it as always happens in their 1-2 losses each season. What makes this painful is all the struggles prior to today. If we had come in with one loss where we were clearly the better team and today happened it's easy to overlook. The problem is you have either been dominated most of season and found a win you did not deserve, or were flat out the inferior team like in the previous losses. IU is still going to make the NCAA Tournament baring a collapse as RPI was in low 20's before today and being who they are will always get the nod even barely. We have three more wins (I would assume in Omaha, Trine and Evansville) as these are the type of teams we beat even in the darkest years. However, the second half of the Big Ten schedule is daunting and we have a solid VCU team. Get half of those, make the tourney and try to salvage something. Big Ten is far more balanced this year with only NW stinking and Maryland looking elite and everyone else a muddy mess in the middle. Big Ten season this year feels like 2014 for IU where we went 3-0-1 on road and 0-3-1 at home. Right now 2-0 on road and 0-2 at home and playing far better on road in general this year. Problem is most of rest of season is at home (granted three of the games should be walkovers) and we need to pick it up in Bloomington.

Well what else could go wrong this year. IU plays their best overall game of year and actually dominated time of possession and shots and controlled game in way they have not yet this year. Then we forget to mark Michigan's best player and give back the goal late we had in the bag, which has happened far to many times this yr.

The OSU goalie made two unbelievable saves that should of been in the net for IU.

How much more range do you want him to add? He has already drilled several FG's over 50 for IU in his career.

This team seems to be completely the opposite of any other IU team in the past. Generally they dominate and control play but other teams can get fluke goals and win. This time it seems to be IU who is getting pushed around but still winning more often than not with one random goal. Not the ideal way to do things but we certainly are getting quality road wins this year. Now need to perform at home.

I was surprisingly happy they won this game. Some teams like Purdue today they are not physically capable of beating, but if you can beat the teams like MSU towards the middle and bottom half of the Big Ten you might be able to salvage something of this season. Hope Big Ten play wakes them up to the point where they play hard and beat the teams they can and MSU was a great start. Doesn't change the fact that losses to Bowling Green and Chicago State in pre-conference are inexcusable in Aird's fourth yr.

This Big Ten season is going to be ugly. We are .500 with losses to Chicago State and and Western Michigan and this looks like IU's weakest team since mid 2000's. Usually we do well in pre-conference than fall apart in conference with Big Ten being best conference in nation. Since we looked bad in pre-conference not sure how we navigate Big Ten with more than 2-3 wins. No chance we beat anyone but Iowa, Rutgers, Maryland or NW and doubt we get all of those. Every other team is miles ahead of IU.

Michigan State not withstanding, This Women's Soccer team continues to be IU's best program this fall by a large margin. Only them and Men's Golf reaching their expectations. Everyone else really struggling.

We are still 30 in RPI and have plenty of opportunities for good wins (at MSU, at PSU, VCU at Maryland). Key is do not lose at home game to a bottom feeder (OSU, Omaha, Evansville, Wiscy). We have a lot to work on, but if we can get it together, plenty of time for good NCAA Tournament seed (this RPI is not NCAA's 'official', but uses exactly the same formula and will corelate identical): http://rpiupdatemenssoccer.blogspot.com/search/label/RPI Rank

IU wins! Better second half. Still not convinced this ship is not taking on water, but at least we plugged the holes for now. That second goal is what IU needs to be doing a lot more of with all their weapons. NW is still hapless but at least we took care of them in end. I knew NW was in trouble when their coach gave that crazy interview at halftime. If he is going to give his team that vibe in the locker room after playing their best half possible, it is going to deflate their energy and it certainly did. Linke referenced several times he could not believe what he heard. The new NW coach needs to be more positive when his team is ahead or he will never get his program turned around. NW can often stay in games as they did against PSU last game and now tonight, but as long as their coach brings that negative attitude and the program continues to scuffle they won't win much. On to a better, but struggling MSU team Sunday afternoon.

Bezerra just nearly pulled a score from the corner like Patrick Doody did against ND in 2014. Doody as the analyst on TV for this game points it out:). That actually is not the biggest score from corner for IU in last few yrs. Trevor Swartz scored from the corner against MSU in Elite 8 in 2017 to tie game and eventually force PK's in what was most important and best IU soccer game of last decade.

We have the wind now and running NW to death. Finally a perfect build up attack on a break I have been waiting for all year for a goal. Bezerra passes ahead to open space for Wittenbrink forcing goalie out. Endeley kept righting on running down the middle and Witt delivered the perfect pass to Endy for an easy goal. Thats the kind of attacks we should be generating all year with weapons we have.

Sarver just chipped the goalie to tie the game. Second straight game the NW goalie Miskovic has screwed up against us. Last year in Big Ten Tourney he passed a backtap right to Wittenbrink by mistake for a goal. Now he got off his line for no apparent reason allowing the Sarver chip.

Also this NW coach was saying he was not pleased with his team in first half. I am not sure what he saw, but NW played about as well as they are capable of. Maybe he is a Bobby Knight who refuses to give credit for anything to his players to make them better, but very odd. Dean Linke sounded like he couldn't believe what he was hearing from the guy for good reason when interviewing him. Also seems befuddled by IU's play for good reason and he does a lot of our games. Best announcer in soccer to watch and he knows his stuff. Love watching broadcasts with him.

I would just remember that an equally bad team in 2013 went out and won Big Ten Tournament to get in. It might very well take three wins in the Big Ten Tournament to punch our ticket but that avenue is always there. This team looks like it has no chance of doing that, but neither did the 2013 team and they did.

We've fixed nothing. Unlike Rutgers who is improved, this NW team looks just as bad. We however, look worse and as Yeagley said playing with no joy or passion. Nothing has changed. He tried a lineup change and same issues are present. At this point I would bench the entire team and play backups to send a message. If Bezerra wanted to go pro after last year, he should of just done it because he certainly isn't doing anything of substance here and helping team. This is same team as last year but back line is leaking badly (Munie is playing like garbage after two terrific years). Offense is timid and trying to be to unselfish rather than taking first shots available which is an issue. Yeagley knows there is an issue with this team but he can't seem to get through to them and change things. Chemistry is off for whatever reason and so far no button pushed can change it.

Time to open Big Ten play with a healthy team that looks to be rounding into form. Rutgers I would think is a paper tiger. They are undefeated but have not played anyone with so much as a pulse and barely beat a couple. This game will tell us if the Scarlet Knights are for real. One very bad thing for IU is Akron somehow went and lost to Ohio State which is the worst team in Big Ten arguably. With that said game was at OSU and not in atmosphere IU faced. Also Akron dominated the game and took one of those unfortunate soccer losses it looks like from box score. My eyes told me Akron was a legit team and most talented IU has played by far when watching. Soccer is a cruel game but still that is a terrible loss that hurts both teams and is much worse than IU's to Creighton from a talent perspective. Found Coach Embick's interview from Akron after and he called his team out much like Yeagley did after our game against the Blue Jays. Both are great coaches and know when their team's play is inexcusable and both have had a game like that now. We are healthy and should win this game easily if we bring the Akron effort, but I want to see a bit more from this team before crowning them. D has been much better last two games and that needs to continue if we want to be the team we had hoped.

Here are the issues: 1. Munie is trying to attack to much and exposing the backline which is one of the main reasons the D has looked so vulnerable. 2. McDonald should not be playing. He has potential, but is bringing nothing right now and is also exposing the backline. Bebej or Goumballe should have that spot. 3. Bezerra is not quite himself this year so far. He has been robbed of a goal each of last three games but he is still rounding back into form after early season knee injury, so hopefully he will continue to get stronger as season goes on. Fix these three things which very much are fixable and we will be fine. We have the talent but not the chemistry at moment and that needs to change. Shore up what I said above and we should be fine.

What a disaster and we are fragile as heck. After that Bezerra denial we melted to pieces. Rutgers is far better this year, but IU better figure things out and play a lot better. If they do it will be 2015 (which was last lost to Rutgers) where start to season was this bad and a great finish if not its 2013 where we may not even tourney where we struggled all year.

IU finally gets it first halfway decent chance since the save on Bezerra but goalie corals it. We have been dominated since that Bezerra save.

And now Rutgers in the lead. This team looks broken once again on defense. Rutgers is a lot better but IU for the third time this year looks lost.

Once again Rutgers ties it on a bad turnover. Same story as Akron goalie denies IU doubling their lead on a great save and then tie it a few min later. Rutgers has improved a ton this year but IU should still be better than they are.

The Rutgers goalie just denied Bezerra with an incredible save. He's one of the best.

Defense not great late in half but held. Rutgers looks competent for first time in 5-6 years and relatively minimal opportunities either way with three shots each.

By far largest crowd IU has seen on main side this year as bleachers full all the way across from side to side.