DeKALB | Ask NIU men’s soccer coach Steve Simmons and he’ll tell you his team is on the verge.

“The stuff going on now is great,” NIU coach Steve Simmons said in reference to a MAC Title and back-to-back raucous-home crowds. “This tremendous opportunity, the cusp of something great; it’s sitting there just staring at us in the face.”

Wednesday’s second round NCAA tournament game at 7 p.m. at Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. between NIU (15-5-2) and Indiana (14-4-2) is an opportunity to further evolve as a program.

“I take pride in being part of building a tradition,” senior midfielder Justin McGrane, whose overtime goal beat Loyola 1-0 on Saturday and advanced NIU, said. “Each win is another milestone; we want a foundation where winning is expected year after year.”

Seven-time National Champion IU is 45-4 in playoff matches played on the pitch of Jerry Yeagley Field. The Hoosiers have more College Cup appearances than any school in the 33 years they have played Division I soccer.

“The big difference is come tournament time, they are a program that knows how to turn it on,” Simmons said. “Except for Loyola, we are untested. For us, it is an opportunity to see where we measure up.”

Both squads enter the match on a hot streak having won their respective conference tournaments.

A pair of underclassmen has emerged to lead, IU in scoring. Sophomore midfielder Brian Ackley has 17 points and freshman forward Darren Yeagle has 16 points. Sophomore goal keeper Chay Cain is 12-2-2 in the net.

Marcus McCarty has 27 points to lead an NIU offense that has outscored opponents 30-14. The junior forward has been in form with his freshman counterpart Luis De La Cerda. In a three-game span since being paired as starters, the duo has produced three goals and three assists.

Sophomore goal keeper Joe Zimka has three-straight shutouts and has allowed only two goals in fourteen games.

“We will continue to be stingy defensively,” Simmons said. “We’ll try to produce more on the attacking side. I thought we were probably all a bit uptight Saturday and that reflected in some average play.”