So I don't normally post about college soccer, choosing instead to post about the professional teams in Europe and national teams, but I have a soft spot for Indiana University and wanted to congratulate the soccer team on their eighth national championship in soccer today.
What makes their 1-0 victory over Georgetown even more impressive, to me, is their coach. The Yeagley family is iconic in American soccer. Jerry Yeagley is easily the best college soccer coach to have lived in the US. He built the IU soccer program into what it is today, and led them to six national championships.
Now his son, Todd, is the head man in Bloomington, and I'm sure it's very special for him to be able to bring another national championship to the program his father built. Todd took the Hoosiers through a tough Big Ten slate to a 16 seed in the College Cup. Most experts expected Maryland to win this year's NC pretty easily, but the Terps were knocked out by national runners-up Georgetown. Meanwhile, Indiana beat Creighton in a comfortable effort, even showing off some of their future stars. Today's win shows how great of a coaching mind Todd Yeagley is, guiding a 16 seed to a title is no easy task, and to do so by going through top-seeded Notre Dame, a storied program like North Carolina, and then taking down the Hoyas shows just how promising Yeagley Jr.'s Hoosiers will be for years to come.
While Indiana still trails St. Louis for most national championships overall (shout out to hometown hero, Brian McBride), to me there is no question that today's premier program wears Crimson and Cream.
From my couch in Ann Arbor, I'd like to congratulate the 2012 Indiana soccer team on their accomplishment, and a special congratulations to Todd Yeagley and the Yeagley family. Well-deserved!
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