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Image credit: Indiana University Athletic Department

Eight overtimes. Can you even imagine? After playing a regulation soccer game — 90 minutes — in Ft. Lauderdale heat and humidity, can you imagine playing in one overtime, let alone eight?  Well, that’s what used to happen in college soccer. And in 1982, the Indiana Hoosiers prevailed after 159 minutes to win their first NCAA championship.

It wasn’t a surprise to those who knew the program. The Hoosiers were loaded with talent. But why on Earth was a team from the middle of Indiana so good?

So many questions, and yet one answer — Jerry Yeagley. He came to Indiana. He had a vision. He looked for the pieces. He put the puzzle together. In his 10th season at the helm, the Hoosiers finally won the title. They were the unquestioned No. 1 team in the nation.

“Certainly the first championship got the monkey off our back,” Yeagley said. “Winning in ’82 was the special feeling that I’ll never forget. Once you win a championship, you want more. You get driven. It’s not an end in itself.”

When Yeagley joined Indiana in 1963, he was hired to teach and coach the club soccer team. But in his mind this team would be so much more. The club players soon decided they too wanted more. They had a taste of success.

They were offered a trip to the postseason. But as a club team, they were on their own. Some university support could only help this program. So after years of stating its case, IU was granted NCAA status effective in 1973.

It didn’t take long before they were noticed. Indiana made its first postseason appearance one year later. And in 1976, they played in the final. The 18-0-1 team dropped a 1-0 decision to San Francisco. In 1978 and 1980, they returned to the final, again falling short to San Francisco each time.

But in 1982, all the pieces came together and the rest was history.

IU began the season on a sour note, losing three of their first four games in overtime. To top it all off, the last loss was a 3-2 overtime decision to rival San Francisco. At that point, the Hoosiers pulled themselves together. They vowed to not lose again. So — in true champion fashion — they didn’t.

“After we lost the game against San Francisco, I said we weren’t going to lose any more,” Paul DiBernardo said. “I felt the team was capable of winning it all.”

It started with a 4-2 win over Stanford. That match marked the last time a team would score more than one goal against the Hoosiers. From that point on, IU allowed four goals in the regular season while posting 12 shutouts. Heading into NCAA Tournament action, the Hoosiers (17-3-1) were confident and focused. IU shut out Evansville (1-0), Philadelphia Textile (2-0) and SIU-Edwardsville (1-0) en route to the championship match.

IU and Duke took the pitch at Ft. Lauderdale’s Lockhart Stadium ready for what would soon become a classic standoff. With the match tied 1-1, the Hoosiers took advantage of a set piece. John Stollmeyer made a run on a free kick. Gregg Thompson blasted the ball on target, which bounced once and went into the net, giving IU the 2-1 win at the 159:16 mark.

The 1982 championship started it all. IU won again in 1983, 1988, 1998, 1999 and 2003. The 2003 season was Yeagley’s last. He ended his career with a 544-1-45 record in 31 seasons and six NCAA championships. IU has since won two more titles for a total of eight. Indiana is the winningest program in the NCAA. In 47 seasons, the Hoosiers boast a 767-181-102 record.

And now you can watch a film about a little club team from Indiana blossoming into a perennial contender. On Tuesday, May 5 at 5 p.m. ET, the Big Ten Network is premiering “Worth the Wait.” It documents the Hoosiers’ climb to national prominence.

It wasn’t easy. But it was definitely worth the wait for so many.

Editor’s note: The quotes in this story come from Kathryn’s book, “The Kickin’ Hoosiers,” published in 2004.

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

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Photo credit: Sybil Liberty

The Portland Timbers recently welcomed new Designated Player Brian Fernandez, a young Argentinian footballer who came from the Liga MX and scored in his first game with the Timbers, into MLS after being the second-best striker of the Mexican tournament.

During the Clausura 2019, Fernandez reached 12 goals in 14 games played with Necaxa. His age (24) and offensive instinct seduced the Timbers so much that they paid handsomely for his services. Transfermarkt.com lists Fernandez’s transfer fee at $10.26 million, a club record. Other reports suggested that the transfer fee the Timbers paid Necaxa came in just a shade below that.

The Timbers paid a club record transfer fee to acquire Fernandez. Several reports out of Mexico indicated that the fee was in the $10-12 million range. It’s my impression that the fee was less than the range being reported, but still definitely a club record #RCTID #MLS

— Jamie Goldberg (@Jamiebgoldberg) May 6, 2019

However, Fernandez struggled at the very beginning of his professional path. He was a nomad without an apparent course until he arrived at Chilean club Union La Calera. Six months in Chile were enough to get a ticket to Mexico. Although, during his first semester, Fernandez barely responded to Necaxa’s expectations, and that’s when the club directed him into therapy.

According to a source with direct knowledge of the situation, Fernandez started attending graphology sessions to improve his psychological state. Graphology is a science that analyzes the handwriting of a person to illustrate personality traits.

Fernandez’s 2018 graphology therapy results, which were written in Spanish and translated to English by Soc Takes after being obtained from a source, defined Fernandez as “someone humble; polite with his coworkers and friends and family, an honest man who knows how to shine in his job.” But at the same time, “conflicted, stubborn if he doesn’t get what he desires, and easily frightened at the moment to decide due to his impulsiveness.”

As a worker, Fernandez “executes in the best way possible, he is a good leader but shy in a new crowd. He adapts with time, but he can discourage himself and come to a halt.”

Psychologically, Fernandez’s description showed him as “affective, guided by moral values, loyal, and willing to sacrifice him before any other.”

It was clear that Fernandez worked with the flaws of his diagnosis. He was already competent to play in the Liga MX when he arrived. Fernandez defeated his fears and his frustration. And as the report’s conclusion demonstrated, he grew up by “solving problems from his past and healing his feelings.”

Fernandez followed the five concepts that graphology showed him: acting, deciding, organizing, security and bravery. The possible positive effects of the sessions seemed to reflect on the pitch. In his first tournament in Mexico, Fernandez scored just four goals. But in the second tournament, he got 12 and sent Necaxa to the playoffs.

Portland signed a player who’s dealt with his past ghosts. His mind and soul are in the right place now, and his career is in the right direction. Fernandez is someone who enjoys love gestures and the people of Portland will show him plenty. That means that he won’t betray the fan base; he’ll pay them with goals. How much his success has to do with the five graphology concepts he fulfilled is impossible to say, but his post-therapy performance has certainly trumped his form prior to the sessions.

Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

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