As the chill of winter fades and the first whispers of spring brush through the campus, the IU Indianapolis men’s soccer team is playing a series of exhibition games that will help shape their path to the fall season.
While the spring games do not hold the pressure of championship aspirations, Coach Sid Van Druenen is using these exhibition matches to experiment with different lineups and foster team cohesion, all while building the confidence needed to make a push for a strong finish come autumn. For the players, these matches provide a chance to showcase their abilities in a competitive environment, further proving they are ready to step up and contribute to the team’s success.
All eight matches are played on the weekends, with their preparation mirroring what they would do in the fall. When planning for the spring, the goal for Coach Van Druenen and his staff is to play the best competition possible instead of beating their opponents easily. The spring games are where out-of-the box thinking can be used to try the things that one would not attempt during the regular season.
“[It’s] still an opportunity to compete and we try to simulate spring as best as we can to what fall could potentially be,” Van Druenen said.
While the focus of the fall season is winning, the spring is all about developing and testing things out. The Jaguars find themselves in a unique position where none of their current players have graduated or transferred. Therefore, the players’ abilities can be further refined, with a focus on improving the weaknesses they had last fall. Coach Van Druenen hopes that his players not only elevate their skills, but be able to learn as much as possible about themselves. His hope then ties in with the pillars of the program: family, trust, ambition and intensity.
Family is about the integration of the team and making sure everyone feels welcomed and gets along. Trust is being “100% bought in” and believing in the process, as well as trusting each other and the coaching staff. Ambition allows the team to have high goals, which in turn creates high expectations. Intensity raises the bar and pushes the team to perform with high energy.
“We believe in this group and the guys joining us in the fall,” Van Druenen said.
Jago Thompson-Roberts, as team captain, has a responsibility to ensure his teammates are improving both their individual performance and the team’s overall play. It’s about fostering an environment where players challenge each other while maintaining healthy competition. This is accomplished through social events off the field where the environment is more relaxed, therefore allowing each player a chance to see a different side of their teammates that isn’t visible during competitive settings. He mentions that the exciting part about the spring is that the players can work on certain aspects of their game without any pressure to perform successful results.
“You can expect us to give everything on the field…the bare minimum that we ask of each other is to go out and compete and work really hard…you will get guys who will commit to trying to be successful,” Thompson-Roberts said.
The team looks to play in the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament, which would require them to first win their conference. This goal has been within reach for the past two years, as they have played in both the semifinal and final. The first step toward achieving that goal is to make the most of the spring games through experimenting with various tactics and formations that can lead them to the tournament. The Jaguars have four more exhibition matches–the last two being played on April 26th at Michael A. Carroll Stadium starting at 4 P.M.
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