Indiana University Athletics
Soccer Falls to Penn State (11-15-02)
11/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 13, 2002
State College, Pa. - In the Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament in State College, Pa., top-seeded Indiana fell to tourney host and No. 4 seed Penn State, 2-1, after a shootout. With the score knotted at 1-1 through two overtime periods, the Nittany Lions converted four penalty kicks to Indiana's two to take the win and move on to Sunday's championship game. The Hoosiers, who lost to a conference team for the first time since in the 2000 Big Ten Tournament, dropped to 14-3-2 on the season.
"I would like to congratulate Penn State," Indiana head coach Jerry Yeagley said. "It was the type of game we always have in Happy Valley, coming down to just one goal or penalty kicks like it did tonight. Their goalkeeper was the hero and he made the difference. Tonight was the best I can remember us playing here at Penn State, in terms of creating chances and giving ourselves opportunities to score. Our finishing was not as sharp as it has been. If you let a team as good as Penn State hang around, they'll find a way to win."
Indiana broke into the scoring column in the 16th minute of the match. Sophomore Mike Ambersley's shot from the 18-yard box on the left side looped high and into the back left section of the net. The goal marked Ambersley's second of the season and brought his season point total to six.
With just over five minutes remaining in the first half, the Hoosiers nearly made it 2-0. Senior Michael Bock rifled a shot from the right side at about the 18-yard mark, but it nailed the cross bar and ricocheted directly down.
The Hoosiers out-shot the Nittany Lions, 8-2, and took the 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
First-team All-Big Ten goalkeeper Jay Nolly was forced to be more active in the second stanza. In the 62nd minute, Penn State's Chad Severs sent a header toward the goal, but Nolly collected the save.
Thirteen minutes later, Severs took another header shot, this time diving, and scored. Severs took Kenji Treschuk's cross and put it in the back left corner of the net to even the score at one goal apiece.
Back and forth, each team threatened to take the lead. Nolly made another big save in the 77th minute on a shot by PSU's Gabe Berbstein.
In the 82nd minute, Indiana's Pat Noonan launched a shot from left to right, but Nittany Lion goalkeeper Ryan Sickman barely got his hands on it to make the stop.
With 48 seconds showing on the clock, Penn State had a throw in on the far side of the field. Treschuk threw the ball in and Bernstein headed into the goal, but the goal was waived off because Treschuk stepped on the line on the throw-in.
In the both overtime periods, Indiana controlled the field. IU took a total of seven shots while holding Penn State to none. In fact, in a span of four minutes in the first extra period, the Hoosiers recorded four shots on goal with Sickman saving all of them.
In the shootout, senior John Swann was the first to shoot. His shot was saved by Sickman. Penn State Brent Jacquette made the Nittany Lions' first attempt. Then, Ambersley missed for the Hoosiers before Severs buried his shot into the top right corner.
With Penn State leading 2-0, IU junior Vijay Dias scored past Sickman. Brian Devlin followed up by scoring his shot to the left. Nolly barely got a hand on it but it, but the ball rolled in to give Penn State the 3-1 advantage.
Big Ten Freshman of the Year Brian Plotkin was next to shoot for the Hoosiers. Plotkin nailed his attempt, pulling IU within, 3-2.
The Nittany Lions need just one of their last two attempts to be good, in order to put Indiana away. Jorma Makipaa sealed the deal as he scored his shot to the left side of the net.
In 1996, the last time the Big Ten Tournament was held at Penn State, the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions went to a shootout in semifinal action. IU took the win by outshooting PSU, 3-2. Indiana went on to win the tourney championship that year. The Hoosiers' all-time record in tournament play now stands at 18-3.
"I am proud of our team," Yeagley said. "We should hold our heads up high. It's better for us to lose one now than in the NCAA Tournament."
The Hoosiers will now await the announcement of their pairing in the NCAA Tournament. The bracket will be released on Monday, Nov. 18. The Selection Show is set for 4:30 p.m. (Bloomington time) and will be broadcast on ESPNEWS. ESPNEWS can be found on DirecTV at channel 207 and on Dish Network Channel 142. Satellite coordinates are not available.
