Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Ohio State
Peterson Notches Pair as IU Moves on to Title Game
11/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 11, 2005
Box Score
EVANSTON, Ill. - On the strength of two first-half Jacob Peterson goals, the two-time defending national champion Indiana men's soccer team moved on to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament with a 3-0 victory over Ohio State. It marks the 11th time in the 15-year history of the Big Ten Tournament that Indiana has advanced to the finals. The Hoosiers improved their mark to 13-1-6 on the year, while Ohio State fell to 11-7-2.
"We did a good job of coming out and matching Ohio State's intensity, which is something we did not do the first time we played them" Indiana head coach Mike Freitag said. "We possessed the ball very well and moved it around a lot. I was proud of the boys because they played great soccer today on both sides of the ball. I was especially proud of the way the guys played defensively. We did not allow Ohio State any dangerous chances."
Peterson's pair of goals pushed his career total to 30. The two-goal game pushed him past current assistant coach Todd Yeagley into 18th on the Hoosier career list. He also moved into 25th on IU's career points list with 69 during his three-year career.
"I thought this was possibly the best game Jacob has played in an Indiana uniform," Freitag said. "He played much better than just scoring two goals. He played well defensively, made good runs and really helped us move the ball around."
In the seventh minute, senior midfielder Brian Plotkin produced a dangerous chance inside the Buckeye penalty area. He sent a line-drive cross from 35 yards out on the left side, finding Peterson for a sharp header from eight yards out. The header was pushed high and out on an athletic save by Ohio State goalkeeper Ray Burse, Jr.
Three minutes later, junior John Michael Hayden ripped a shot from the outside of the 18-yard box. The shot was deflected by the defense before being smothered by Burse.
Peterson notched his first goal of the match in the 14th minute. Junior midfielder Josh Tudela fed the ball into the right side of the penalty area to Peterson. The first team All-Big Ten selection slotted the ball to the far post past a diving Burse for his 11th marker of the season. The assist was Tudela's fifth on the campaign.
A little over a minute later, freshman forward Lee Nguyen nearly made it 2-0. From 18 yards out, he hit a shot to the far post that was blocked by Burse. The rebounded spilled back to Nguyen, but he lifted the second attempt just high over the crossbar.
Peterson made it 2-0 with just under 18 minutes remaining in the opening half. With Ohio State pressing forward, Plotkin gained possession on the Hoosiers' side of midfield. The Big Ten Player of the Year fed Peterson forward setting up a one-on-one with Burse. With the OSU goalkeeper coming out, Peterson slid the ball into the center of the goal. The assist was Plotkin's 10th of the season and moved him into a tie for ninth on the Hoosier career assists list with 34. It was Peterson's third multi-goal game of the season. He had a hat trick against Boston University on Sept. 11 before he scored two goals in the second half against Wisconsin on Nov. 14.
Hayden narrowly missed a goal in the opening minutes of the second half. He stole the ball off a header that was intended for the Ohio State goalkeeper in the 52nd minute. With Burse coming out, Hayden faked one way and sent a shot to the left post that went wide.
Less than a minute later, the Buckeyes had their first scoring chance of the match. OSU back Jim Fisher had possession along the right flank and sent a pass back to the top of the 18 to forward Xavier Balc. Balc one-timed a shot just wide of the left post.
In the 70th minute, Ohio State narrowly missed closing the gap to one. Midfielder David Traeger had possession on the left side of the 18. He cut back to the corner of the box and sent a bending shot toward the top corner of the far post. The ball caromed off the crossbar and wide.
Ohio State had its third quality chance of the second half off a free kick in the 81st minute. Balc took the attempt from 30 yards out on the left side and sent a hard shot toward the middle of the goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Munroe was there to deny the chance as he punched the ball out. It was the only save Munroe would be forced to make in registering his 10th shutout of the season.
The Hoosiers iced it at the 82:28 mark on Tudela's sixth goal of the season. Redshirt freshman Kevin Noschang broke free down the left side and drew a defender 20 yards from goal. He slotted the ball to Tudela in the penalty area on the right side. The Evansville, Ind., native took a touch forward and then pushed the ball past the on-rushing Buckeye goalkeeper for the score. The assist was the fourth of the campaign for Noschang.
With the win, the Hoosiers advance to the Big Ten Tournament title game on Sunday, Nov. 13. Indiana will face Big Ten regular season champion Penn State, who was a 2-0 winner over Michigan State in the other semifinal, at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised live on College Sports Television (CSTV). The two teams have met five times in the Big Ten Championship Game with the Hoosiers walking away with the title on every occasion. The last time the two teams met in the title game, IU won 4-1 in penalty kicks in Bloomington.
