Nate Mitchell remembers getting done with a practice and then heading to the soccer showcase to see Indiana compete against some of the best teams in the country.
Now, the South Side product is a member of the Hoosiers. He'll be the one with family and friends in the stands watching this weekend as IU participates in the ShindigZ National Soccer Festival at Hefner Field. The Hoosiers face Duke at 8:10 p.m. today and Denver at noon Sunday.
Mitchell hasn't seen playing time in regular-season action in his first two years with IU. But that hasn't made the junior question his decision to attend the school at all.
"It's the perfect school for me," said the business major, who earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2009. "That's why I still enjoy going to school here and coming to practice. We've got a great group of guys and team chemistry is going to be better this year. Everyone is a lot closer.
"Playing time isn't the biggest focus. We just want to win games and win another championship."
He is one of four goalkeepers on Indiana's roster.
The group includes Luis Soffner, who started 20 matches last year; Taylor Reeves, who was named the Nebraska Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year; and another freshman in Ryan Bristol.
"It's a big group and that's helped push everybody," Mitchell said. "With so many people pushing for spots, the four guys, it makes every rep you take in practice, you have to make sure you are focused, getting set and doing things the coaches want to see.
"We have a lot of competition. For the most part, they've said whoever demonstrates that they have the presences and the ability to take the team where we want to go will be the starter."
Mitchell joked that his interest in goalkeeping is tied to his aversion to running.
"One time we had a game and we didn't have a goalie and I jumped into the pipes and it was something that I loved," he said. "The thrill of making that big save when your team needs it, there's no other feeling in the world. Some people love scoring goals. For me, it's being there at the right time when my team needs me to make a save. I really thrive on that."
A three-time All-SAC honorable-mention pick, Mitchell said he learned many valuable lessons while playing soccer in Fort Wayne.
"The work ethic. I worked with a lot of good coaches in the youth system there," he said.
"They really showed me the work ethic you have to put in to make it to the next level. Once you get to this level, you can't just get by on skill or talent. It's the little details."
Mitchell said first-year coach Todd Yeagley has also stressed those details.
"The practices have been intense. We've been working a lot on defensive intensity," Mitchell said. "Fitness is pretty important this year. In terms of the time that I've been here, fitness and intensity have picked up. It's made soccer so much more enjoyable.
"You can see the results on the field when we are playing against each other. Hopefully that will carry over into these exhibition games and into the season."
