FORT WAYNE, INDIANA – If last weekend in Fort Wayne, Indiana was any indication, this year could be a banner season for Big Ten Men’s Soccer.

The ShinDigZ National Soccer Festival at Hefner Stadium served as a preseason gathering for all 7 Big Ten men’s programs. Matched against top opposition from around the country, the Big Ten teams look to be fielding a strong lineup of talent, more than capable of making strong challenges for national honors. We’re projecting 6 of the teams to make the postseason NCAA Tournament field. As always, time will tell, but it does look like a strong field.

Indiana looked good under new coach Todd Yeagley. Shaking off a setback the previous weekend where the Hoosiers were defeated by Andy Fleming’s Xavier Musketeers, Indiana showed some pretty good soccer, especially in the 2nd half, to beat John Kerr’s Duke Blue Devils 2-1. Will Bruin was active up front, holding the ball and doing a lot of running. If the big forward from St. Louis will maintain that sort of work rate for IU during the season, the Hoosiers could be very formidable.

Andy Adlard looked good in a combination midfielder forward role, while freshmen Harrison Petts (central midfield) and Nikita Kotlov (wing) from the 2-time USSF Academy national champion Indiana United team look to have already blended into the college game. A backline of Daniel Kelly, Caleb Kostanski, Tommy Meyer and Luke Estridge was solid. Depth could be an issue for this team.

Tim Lenahan’s Northwestern Wildcats also look good moving into the season despite a setback to Butler in Fort Wayne. Leading scorer Matt Eliason is back along with talented midfielder Piero Bellizzi and power forward Oliver Kupe, plus midfielders Jack Hillgard, Kyle Schickel and Lucas Swertloff and defender Cody Stanley.

Ohio State is the coaches’ pick to win the title. Forwards Konrad Warzycha and Chris Hegngi lead the offense with Sam Scales influential in the midfield. Matt Lampson is strong for the Buckeyes at goalkeeper. The team looked good against Notre Dame despite a 2 -0 setback in Fort Wayne. At times it looked like only the final ball was keeping them from a better result.

Damon Rensing’s Michigan State Spartans took a 1-0 victory over Duke on Sunday of the festival. Avery Steinlage is back in goal for MSU, shepherding a bruising defense. Rubin Bega and Jeff Ricondo lead the offensive attack.

Bob Warming replaces Barry Gorman at the helm in State College and the Penn State Nittany Lions hope to hit the ground running. Forwards Corey Hertzog and freshman Jordan Tyler look to be a good scoring combination already, as they combined for both goals in the team’s 2-1 win over Louisville Friday night. Matheus Braga is back pulling the strings in midfield while Andres Casais and Patrick Krispin lead the defense.

At Michigan, Steve Burns’ Wolverines were looking to get the ball down and play vs. Evansville in a 1-1 draw Saturday. Adam Shaw is strong and skilled in central midfield with Hamoody Saad operating out on the wing and Justin Meram showing some culture in the front line. Adam Grinwis is a top-level goalkeeper, with the ability to pull of a highlight-reel save.

John Trask is the new coach at Wisconsin, and the former UIC mentor will want to revitalize the Badgers, who struggled last year in conference play. Ryan Vint is a strong goalkeeper who hopefully won’t be tested too often this season. The team will have to improve on 15 goals scored from last season, and may end up looking to a large incoming class to lead the way in that department.