The 2001 Big Ten men’s soccer tournament begins this morning, right here in Madison, at the McClimon Track and Soccer Complex. While every program has different objectives, one goal is the same for each team: to win it. Who has the best chance at taking home the hardware? Here’s the breakdown:
No. 1 Indiana–The Hoosiers come into the tournament as the definitive favorite, as well as the only undefeated team in Big Ten play at 6-0-0. Indiana (12-3-1 overall) will get a bye from today’s opening round action into the semi-finals, and face the winner of the Wisconsin/Michigan game at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Indiana defeated both teams in the Big Ten regular season, Wisconsin 4-0 and Michigan 3-0.
Simply put, Indiana dominated the entire conference this season, as it has in years past, outscoring the opposition 17-1 in six games. Overall, it has outscored opponents 35-6. The Hoosiers are led by junior midfielder Pat Noonan, who has scored 32 points in 16 games this season and is a front-runner for national player of the year honors.
Their defense is just as strong. Senior goalkeeper Colin Rogers has 0.40 goals against average with 11.5 shutouts–both tops in the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers really have no weaknesses. To be upset in this tournament would be a big shocker.
No.2 Penn St.–The Nittany Lions come off a solid season in which they were 4-1-1 in the conference and 12-3-1 overall, identical to Indiana. They open with a 4:00 p.m. contest this afternoon against Northwestern, who they defeated earlier in the season 3-0 at home.
Penn State has been solidly ranked in the Top 25 all season and seems to pose the only real threat to upset Indiana in this tournament.
The Nittany Lions have a main offensive threat in senior midfielder Ricardo Villar, who has scored 28 points this season, but they also have a very deep attack.
Five players have scored at least nine points this season, and 17 players have scored at least a point.
The key to how far Penn State goes in this tournament might be how their goalkeepers are managed. They have two netminders in sophomore Eric Earnhardt and senior Ryan Sickman, who split time and are both very effective. If one on them gets hot, it might be the difference.
No. 3 Michigan State–After starting the season 4-3, the Spartans turned it around by going 6-1-1 in their last eight games to finish 10-4-1 overall, including 3-3-0 in the Big Ten. Their opening game is at 1:30 p.m. today against Ohio State, a team they defeated at home 3-0.
Michigan State has been hot as of late, but is very top heavy, which can be positive or negative. They have five real scoring threats, all of which have double figures in points scored. But they have a big drop-off after that. However, scoring has not been a big problem for Michigan State this season. Its 36 goals are as many as conference frontrunner Indiana.
The Spartans are led in the net by junior goalkeeper Mike Robinson, who has given up a little more than a goal per game this season. As of late, Robinson has picked up his play along with the whole team, giving up only six goals during their 6-1-1 run.
Although Michigan State is clearly not the best team in the conference, they are hot at the right time.
No. 5 Michigan–The Wolverines have had an extremely successful season. Although 9-6-1 overall and 3-3-0 in the Big Ten isn’t earth-shattering, it must be remembered that they are only in their second season of existence in the Big Ten. They open by playing host Wisconsin at 11:00 a.m. this morning. Earlier this season, Michigan defeated the Badgers 2-1 in Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines have been involved in many close games this season, as evidenced by their winning record, yet overall they have been outscored 25-22.
Winning close matches is important in the playoffs, but so is having a veteran team, something Michigan does not have with only three seniors on their roster.
The offense is balanced, but what could end up being their key, like many teams, is the play of the goalkeepers. For most of the season, sophomore Joe Zawacki has started and played admirably. But in last Friday’s upset win against Ohio State, freshman walk-on Bryan Lau recorded a 1-0 shutout, the first of his career.
This tournament could be a great experience for an extremely young team.
No. 6 Ohio State–This is a very hard team to figure out. Which team will show up, the team that started 8-1-2 or the one that lost its last three games and finished the season 2-4? The Buckeyes have been ranked in the top 25 for most of the season and have an overall record of 10-5-2, but they are only 1-4-1 in the Big Ten.
Their biggest loss this season, though, was the death of Connor Senn, a freshman defender who collapsed and died on the field. A tragedy such as that is enough to make most teams fall apart, but OSU has persevered.
The Buckeyes are led on the field by junior midfielder Andy Rosenband and junior forward Justin Cook, who lead the team with five goals apiece. Fifth-year senior Kerry Thompson is a solid goalkeeper who gives up less than a goal per game.
Ohio State has the most question marks of any team in the field. It remains to be seen whether or not it will find the answers.
No. 7 Northwestern–If one word could describe Northwestern’s season, it would either be embarrassing or brutal. The Wildcats did not win a game all season, going 0-6-0 in the Big Ten and 0-12-3 overall. The stats don’t lie; this is just a bad soccer team.
Their leading goal scorer is a defenseman, senior Daniel Doman, with just three goals. Conversely, Wisconsin’s Aaron Lauber scored four goals in one game last week against the Wildcats.
Their goalkeeping situation is not much better. Freshman Ryan Pederson and sophomore Adam Grossman have given up over two goals per game while splitting time. It can hardly be blamed on the goalkeepers, as Northwestern has been outscored 34-11 on the season.
This team is a Cinderella in a tournament if there ever was one.
Round One Predictions:
Indiana has a bye.
Penn State versus Northwestern: This one could get ugly really fast. Penn State won their meeting this year 3-0. This could be worse. Look for Penn State to rest their starters in the second half. Penn State 4, Northwestern 0
Michigan State versus Ohio State: This is the best matchup of the first round. Michigan State defeated Ohio State in their first meeting of the season 3-0 and has a lot of momentum. Ohio State, meanwhile, has lost three in a row to close the season, but is immensely talented. Look for Michigan State, though, to pull out a squeaker. Michigan State 2, Ohio State 1
Wisconsin versus Michigan: Both teams are coming into the tournament playing very good soccer. Michigan won the only meeting of the season 2-1 at home. Look for Wisconsin to utilize the home-field advantage brought by hosting the tournament as well as using the revenge factor to win. Wisconsin 2, Michigan 1
Overall champion: Indiana