Indiana University Athletics
IPFW Soccer Showcase Preview (08-22-02)
8/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 22, 2002
Bloomington, Ind. - The Indiana University men's soccer team will open the exhibition portion of its 2002 season this weekend with a pair of games in the IPFW Soccer Showcase. The Hoosiers are set to play Kentucky on Friday, Aug. 23, at 6:30 p.m. and Virginia on Sunday, Aug. 25, at Noon at the Hefner Soccer Fields. The event, which is in its third season, features six collegiate men's teams (Michigan State, Oakland and IPFW) and six women's college teams.
The Hoosiers have been ranked preseason No. 1 by College Soccer News. Indiana returns 17 letterwinners and six starters from the 2001 squad that played in the national championship game.
Senior national player-of-the-year candidates Pat Noonan and Ryan Mack headline this season's Indiana squad. Noonan led the Hoosiers with 16 goals and 12 assists on his way to Big Ten Player of the Year and NSCAA first-team All-America honors a season ago. Mack, who was forced to redshirt the 2001 season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament, was named Big Ten Player of the Year and third-team All-America in 2000. Mack returns for his senior season in 2002.
Senior co-captain John Swann (along with Noonan) and senior Phil Presser will anchor Indiana's defense. Swann and Presser, who will initially play the sweeper position, were starters and first-team All-Big Ten selections a year ago.
"We are excited and anxious to get a look at the team," head coach Jerry Yeagley said. "We'll be doing a bit of evaluation and using a number of people, but we will be out there competing to win. We are playing two of the best teams in the country, so it should tell us a lot."
Yeagley owns a career record of 512-94-38 (.825) and the highest winning percentage among all active coaches. He has taken his teams to 15 College Cups, including the last five (1997-2001), and won five national titles. Yeagley needs 33 more wins to become college soccer's all-time winningest coach.
Kentucky, who finished the 2001 season with a 14-6-1 record, earned a No. 27 ranking in College Soccer News' poll. The Wildcats return 15 letterwinners and seven starters from a team that fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Ian Collins enters his eighth season at Kentucky's head coach. Indiana defeated the Wildcats in the last meeting between the two teams, 1-0, on Sept. 1, 2001, in Bloomington. The Hoosiers own the advantage in the all-time series, 14-1-0.
Virginia, which is tied with Indiana for the second-most NCAA Championships (5) in history, comes into the season ranked fourth in the College Soccer News Poll. The Cavaliers return seven starters and 14 letterwinners from a squad that compiled a 17-2-1 record in 2001 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Head coach George Gelnovatch is beginning his sixth season at UVA. The two teams last met on Sept. 10, 2000, with Indiana winning 2-1. The Hoosiers lead the all-time series, 4-2-1.
During this opening exhibition weekend, the Hoosiers will be without sophomores Mike Ambersley and Ned Grabavoy. The pair is currently in Europe representing the United States in an U-20 international tournament and will return Aug. 30. Ambersley (6 goals, 6 assists) was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season. Grabavoy came to Indiana as the National High School Player of the Year but was sidelined until midseason with an injury.
IU opens the regular season by hosting the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic Aug. 30-31 at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers will take on Rutgers in opening round action Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. and then Clemson at 8 p.m. on Aug. 31. Butler is also participating in the Classic.
