Indiana University
Kentucky
No. 14 Indiana, Kentucky Play to 1-1 Tie
10/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 29, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana University senior Kevin Noschang set an new NCAA record with a goal just six seconds into the match but the Kentucky Wildcats came back to tie things up in the 22nd minute and that is how the game would end, in a 1-1 deadlock Wednesday night at Jerry Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium.
Indiana and Kentucky now have identical 9-4-3 records on the season.
"That was a wide-open game," said head coach Mike Freitag. "We started out well and I thought we had a good first 10 minutes, but then we made a mistake on a play and allowed them to get back in it with a score.
"In the second half and overtime, I thought we were the better team, though (Kentucky) had their chances. Overall I am pleased with how we played, even though we did not get the result we wanted."
Fans barely had a chance to get back in their seats after the National Anthem before Noschang's fourth goal of the season put the Hoosiers on top, 1-0. Andy Adlard played the ball up to Noschang, and a mistake by the UK defender allowed him to shoot around goalkeeper Dan Williams for the score.
"For the last two matches we have made the decision to start off the bat on the attack," Noschang said. "Andy hit the ball into the corner and I was able to one-time it in."
This is the second time this season that the Hoosiers have scored less than 12 seconds into the match. Against Butler on Oct. 7, Daniel Kelly scored a goal after just 11 seconds had elapsed.
As Kentucky fought back from the 1-0 deficit, the Hoosiers were able to withstand the pressure until 21:23 when Chad Hagerty was able to snag the ball and make an open run to the net. Instead of taking the shot himself, he dished off to Marco Dos Santos on his right who shot past a helpless Chay Cain in goal for the score.
Despite the goal, the Indiana defense held strong, including Ofori Sarkodie who chased down a streaking Michael Strong and kicked the ball over the touch line to prevent a shot attempt. In the second half, a shot from Tyler Burns was cleared out by Kevin Alston on a goal-saving block.
"I have to commend our backs," Freitag said. "I thought they played very well tonight. They found themselves in some one-on-one situations and defended well.
The Wildcats had an 8-3 lead in shot attempts in the first half but the Hoosiers came out strong in the second period, allowing just four shots while taking 10 of their own. With just over four minutes remaining in regulation, Eric Alexander unleashed a shot from the left side that began to curl in toward the net, but Williams managed to get his hands on the ball.
There was a flurry of activity in front of the Kentucky net with just seconds left on the clock, beginning with a shot from Neil Wilmarth that was blocked. The ball rebounded out to Alston and with just a second left on the clock he put forward a shot that was kicked out by a UK defender for the game-saving stop.
Indiana's attack continued in both overtime periods, outshooting Kentucky, 7-2. It was nearly déjà vu for Indiana in the 95th minute when UK was called for a foul just inches outside the penalty area. Just three days earlier, Adlard took a shot from just outside the box that hit the back of the net for a 3-2 win at Ohio State. This time the ball was positioned on the left side, but like Sunday the goalkeeper had a hard time reading the shot. The curling ball was just about to sneak under the cross bar when Williams got a hand on it and punched it over for the save.
In the second overtime, Lee Hagedorn sent in a shot that deflected off Adlard's back but again resulted in a save by Williams. Noschang had a chance for his second score of the night with a header off service from Alexander, but sent his attempt high. Just over a minute later Noschang made another run at the net but the shot resulted in Williams' seventh save of the evening.
Noschang led the Hoosiers with four shot attempts, followed by three each from Alexander, Adlard and Hagedorn. Cain recorded four saves over 110 minutes in goal.
The Hoosiers were forced to adjust their lineup right before kickoff when team captain Brad Ring was pulled due to injury. John Mellencamp moved into his spot in the midfield, with Hagedorn moving up to the right wing and Tommy Meyer getting the start on the back line.
Indiana has just two regular-season matches remaining, both Big Ten battles. The Hoosiers travel to Penn State on Nov. 1 and close out the regular season at home against Northwestern on Nov. 7.
