When the first United Soccer Coaches poll was released in August, the Maryland men’s soccer team found itself unranked to start a season for the first time since 2001.

The Terps flirted with national attention early, receiving votes toward the top 25. But shortfalls quickly evaporated those in mid-September, and now the team sits at 4-4-3 on the year.

This Maryland team isn’t the same caliber of past years’ squads, the ones that appeared to be College Cup contenders on a yearly basis. That realization has given the Terps a new outlook with five games left to be played in the regular season.

Maryland’s no longer the team to beat in most matchups, but it will try to foster a newfound underdog mentality on Friday against No. 4 Indiana, last year’s College Cup runner-up.

“I want us to feel like underdogs because I want to go there and I want to compete,” midfielder Amar Sejdic said. “It’s a good mentality to have overall. It humbles you in a way and motivates you to work more.”

[Read more: Maryland men’s soccer is outplaying teams, but it’s not turning into results]

Sejdic, a senior, has hardly known the program as an underdog during his college career. Maryland came one game short of an NCAA semifinal in 2015 before completing an undefeated regular season as the No. 1 team in the country the following year.

Maryland climbed to as high as No. 3 in the rankings in 2017, but the season came crashing to an end with no wins in the last six games. Since the Terps’ former heights, coach Sasho Cirovski feels they’ve lost their edge.

“When you play this game, you need to have an underdog mentality in every game,” he said. “One thing our team has lost a little bit … is having a little bit of that chip on our shoulder in every game, even when we are ranked No. 1 and we are the leading contender for the national championship.”

[Read more: Maryland men’s soccer’s scoreless draws show the strength of its defense]

So the coach was pleased to hear that Sejdic, one of his captains, is viewing the Terps as a potential dark horse against the Hoosiers. Cirovski said great competitors thrive when they have a point to prove.

Cirovski learned after last season’s scoreless draw how solid the Hoosiers are built. For the first time in more than a decade, then-No. 4 Maryland was held without a shot on goal.

Indiana could very well be the best team in the country, and it seems primed for another College Cup run. Forward Eric Matzelevich, who played 61 minutes against the Hoosiers as a freshman last season, admitted how difficult they were to break down.

“They were a very good team,” Matzelevich recalled. “We’re expecting that again this year. Looking at them, in film they’re a really good squad, top five in the country right now. We’re expecting to go there and have a tough battle, but we’re definitely up for it.”

Unlike some of his teammates, Sejdic was less able to recall specific details from last year’s tough offensive performance against Indiana. He’s since moved on, now ready for the next physical game against the conference foe.

For the first time since the Terps joined the Big Ten in 2014, the Hoosiers are the clear favorite to win what has become the conference’s annual marquee matchup. But while Sejdic understands it’ll be far from another top-five showdown, he believes that can give his team an advantage.

“If they do look at our record and they don’t give us the respect that they should on Friday, then it’ll catch up to them,” Sejdic said. “Our mentality right now is that we have to go in there, put in the work and the rest of the fundamental talent that we have on the team will come out on its own.”