Indiana Hoosiers
Overall Rank: #4
Conference Rank: #1 Big Ten 
Indiana Team Page
The projected leader atop the Big Ten is a school you would commonly associate with higher-profile sports like men’s basketball and baseball. Guess what? Indiana has a strong men’s soccer program too, as evidenced by its solid showing of one year ago. Heck, forget about a year ago. Were you aware the Hoosiers have eight national titles in men’s soccer? Last year Indiana won the title as the No. 16 seed in the NCAA tournament, meaning the Hoosiers had a big road ahead of them. Not only did they accomplish the mission, Indiana did it by knocking off North Carolina, Creighton and Georgetown in the final three games.
2012 Record: 16-5-3, 3-2-1
2012 Postseason: NCAA tournament champions (defeated Georgetown, 1-0, in College Cup championship game)
Coach: Todd Yeagley
Strengths:
Some parts of the offense that catapulted Indiana to the national championship are back, including Nikita Kotlov and A.J. Corrado. Corrado ranked among the top players in the nation in assists per game and total assists, and his presence should help galvanize an offense weakened somewhat by graduation losses. Four of the top six scorers are back, also including Jacob Bushue and Femi Hollinger-Janzen. Together the foursome accounted for 15 goals and 22 assists, a big part of Indiana’s scoring.
Weaknesses:
Why is Indiana down at No. 4 after winning the title last year, you ask? It has to do with the absence of two strong cogs to last year’s championship team. Eriq Zavaleta, who blistered defenses to the tune of 18 goals and 40 points, is gone. Fellow graduate Luis Soffner racked up 80 saves in net and guided Indiana to the championship, and he saw action in all 24 games. This means no one has experience in net that is returning for the Hoosiers. In fact, there are only five seniors on the roster. This is a recipe for disaster on most clubs, but Indiana has enough depth to overcome most blows.
Final Projection:
The exit of Soffner and Zavaleta leaves gaping holes on both offense and defense, and it is how well Indiana fills these holes that will tell whether the Hoosiers are contenders or pretenders. Smart money lies on Indiana winning the Big Ten title and making another long trip into the NCAA tournament. The Hoosiers lost 1-0 to North Carolina in an exhibition game earlier this season, and this could be a rematch of the national finals if everything works out the right way. For now Indiana should cruise to the Big Ten championship, but keep an eye on this team throughout the first month or so.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Nikita Kotlov, Senior, MF, 9
Assists: A.J. Corrado, Senior, MF, 12
Shots: Nikita Kotlov, Senior, MF, 55
Saves: None
Madness 2014 MLS Draft Rankings:
#8 Nikita Kotlov
#16 A.J. Corrado
#21 Andrew Oliver
#40 Harrison Petts
#48 Jacob Bushue
Madness 2013 Men’s Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#40 Tommy Thompson
#44 Billy McConnell
#128 Colin Webb
#129 Tanner Thompson
See All Men's Soccer Top 44 Team Previews
