Indiana University
Notre Dame
Hoosiers Fall in Heartbreaker
11/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 22, 2005
Box Score
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The two-time defending national champion and No. 3 seeded Indiana men's soccer team dropped a heartbreaking second round NCAA Tournament match to Notre Dame, 2-0. The Hoosiers and Irish battled each other and the dropping mercury as the temperature dipped near freezing for the entire game. IU closes 2005 with a 13-3-6 record while Notre Dame improves to 12-7-3.
The Hoosiers opened the match with a fury as in the first six minutes IU pounded four shots at the Notre Dame net, but were unable to tally a goal. The Hoosiers outshot the Irish 9-6 en route to a scoreless draw at the break.
In the fourth minute, freshman forward Lee Nguyen took a threaded pass from junior midfielder Josh Tudela on the left side. The 2005 Big Ten Freshman of the Year had a pair of touches placing the ball on his right foot. The Richardson, Texas native fired a shot toward the far corner, but Irish goalkeeper Chris Cahill denied the shot for a corner kick.
On the ensuing corner, Nguyen gathered the ball and fired a shot toward Cahill, but Cahill was used all of his 6-6 frame to push the ball wide of the net.
Freshman Brad Ring had a pair of opportunities in the sixth minute as IU continued to pour on the pressure. Ring corralled a corner kick at the top of the 18 and fired a low shot, but the defense blocked the shot.
As the Irish gained possession after the blocked shot, Ring pick-pocketed the Irish defender and dribbled up the left side of the 18 toward the six where he sent a cross through two defenders in the six. Ambersley was able to one touch the pass, but pushed the ball just wide of the right post.
The Hoosiers relented slightly, but had another strong opportunity in the 20th minute. Junior forward Jacob Peterson gathered the ball at the midfield stripe. The Portage, Mich., native got on a streaking run through the offensive third and fired a shot from the top of the 20 yards out only to see the attempt go wide of the far post.
Notre Dame's first chance came in the 25th minute on a free kick by junior midfielder Greg Dalby from 22 yards out. The ball was sent from left to right in the 18-yard box where senior back Ben Crouse got on the end of the ball with a header across the goal mouth, but sophomore goalkeeper Chris Munroe made the diving save.
The Hoosiers continued to pressure in the 27th minute when Nguyen dished to a streaking Peterson on the right side of the offensive third. Peterson dribbled and fired a shot from 18 yards out but the ball sailed high over the crossbar.
The 35th minute saw junior midfielder John Michael Hayden dish off to Peterson who back heeled a pass to senior midfielder Brian Plotkin at the top of the 18. The Lisle, Ill., native and 2005 Big Ten Player of the Year fired a shot, but, again, Cahill was there to deny the chance.
One minute later senior midfielder Jordan Chirico found Plotkin cutting toward the goal. Plotkin passed off to Nguyen who was cutting down the right side of the 18. Nguyen switched feet and fired a shot, but it sailed high over the bar.
The second stanza saw the Hoosiers continue to pressure, but was a more defensive-minded half. In the 54th minute, IU thought it had a tally when Nguyen bent an inswinging corner toward the goalmouth. Sophomore back Greg Stevning, who was playing through illness, got a head on the ball and had Cahill beaten at the far post. However, the Irish defense was able to clear the ball off the line rendering it harmless.
A minute and a half later on the counterattack, Notre Dame posted the game's first marker. Junior midfielder Ian Etherington sent a cross from the right side to the top of six-yard box where senior forward Justin McGeeney got a head on the ball pushing it to the far post into the net. It was his fifth marker of the season.
IU tried to answer in the 60th as Plotkin had a solid opportunity for the equalizer. Nguyen took a pass from Peterson off a throw-in and juked the defender. He crossed the ball to the far post where Plotkin knocked a header toward the post, but Cahill was there to deny the chance.
The 61:43 mark saw the game's final goal as sophomore forward Joe Lapira took a long pass from Crouse in the middle of the offensive third. Lapira chipped a hopeful ball over the outstretched arms of Munroe. The ball carried toward net. Sophomore back Greg Stevning tried to keep the ball out of the net by bicycling the ball backward, but it crossed the line before he hit it into the side netting.
The Hoosiers had some help late as Lapira, in the 81st minute, gathered a failed clearance at the top of the six. He fired a shot over the arms of Munroe, but the post denied a second tally.
Indiana tried to put on more pressure with Notre Dame sinking back defending a two-goal lead. In the 86th minute, Nguyen sent in a corner kick to a jam-packed box. The ball passed Cahill and bounced a couple of times before Peterson got on the end of it. The shot was heading toward net, but an Irish defender cleared it off the line to deny the scoring chance.
The loss was the Hoosiers' first during the NCAA Tournament at Armstrong Stadium since 1995. During that season, IU fell, 1-0, to Butler. The Fighting Irish will face Clemson in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 27.
