Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Defeat Notre Dame, 1-0 (11-27-02)
11/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Bloomington, Ind. - The fifth-ranked Indiana men's soccer team picked up a 1-0 win over No. 21 Notre Dame in second round NCAA action at Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. The victory moved the Hoosiers to 15-3-2 on the season and to 40-3 all-time in NCAA matches at Armstrong Stadium. Notre Dame ended its season at 12-6-3.
"The first thing that I told our team in the locker room was that the one element that has won championships for us in the past was our defense, so having a shutout tonight was pleasing," Indiana head coach Jerry Yeagley said. "I thought that Notre Dame put up a great fight and they are a very good team. I credit them for putting a lot of our guys under pressure."
Notre Dame came out firing early, logging the first three shots of the match. But Indiana came back to take the next seven heading into halftime. But neither scored and the score deadlocked at zero.
In the second half, Indiana picked up right where it left off. About five minutes in, senior Ryan Mack fired a shot on a breakaway that sailed wide right. Five minutes later, though, the Hoosiers would take the lead.
Sophomore Ned Grabavoy, who returned to the field for IU for the first time in three games, played a nice ball on the run to freshman Brian Plotkin. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year booted the ball right and into the back of the net for his first goal of the season at 51:03. Plotkin's season point total now stands at eight.
"The goal helped us break the game open," Plotkin said. "Throughout the season I have been struggling with my shot. It was only a matter of time though. Tonight it felt good to help out the team."
In the 63rd minute of play, Notre Dame was dealt a blow as Justin Ratcliffe received a red card for a tripping foul, forcing them to play with 10 players the rest of the way. The Fighting Irish fought valiantly the rest of the way but were unable to overcome the Hoosiers and the deficit.
"I thought tonight's game was a very competitive one, but obviously we are disappointed. Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark said. "In the first half I thought we had some really good chances. Unfortunately, the ejection in the second half was tough for us. But, when we went a man down, I felt our team put forth a tremendous effort."
IU sophomore goalkeeper Jay Nolly recorded his eighth shutout tonight. Nolly was solid from start to finish and collected a pair of saves in the match.
With the win, IU kept its record unbeaten at home this season and avenged its last home setback. Notre Dame defeated Indiana in the last meeting between the two teams on Oct. 17, 2001, in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers will now move on to the third round of the NCAA Tournament to take on No. 7 seed University of Connecticut. The Huskies were 4-0 winners over Penn in second round action in Storrs, Conn. Game time is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1 in Storrs at Monroe Stadium.
"I think the guys are looking forward to proving themselves to everyone," Yeagley said. "You want to play the best. You want to be challenged by the best and many say that UCONN is the best individually-talented team in the country. We're looking forward to this challenge."
