Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers To Travel to Michigan (10-03-03)
10/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana men's soccer team (2-3-4, 0-0-1 Big Ten) takes to the road for the first of a string of three Big Ten Conference matches against the Michigan Wolverines ( on Sunday, Oct. 5. Kickoff for the match is set for 1 p.m. (Central time) at the U-M's Soccer Field. The Wolverines enter Sunday's tilt, which serves as their Big Ten opener, with a 7-3-0 record. Indiana will face the nation's leading goal scorer in junior Mychal Turpin. Turpin's 11 goals are the most by any player in the country this season and his 23 points rank tied for the lead with Cleveland State's Stephen Ademolu.
About the Hoosiers
The Hoosiers will be looking for their first victory in three matches when they take the field on Sunday. On Thursday night, IU played to a 1-1 tie with Butler. In the match, sophomore forward Trey Meek (Corona Del Mar, Calif./Newport Harbor) scored his first goal of the season against the Bulldogs, tying the game just before halftime. Meek appeared to have scored the game winner in the second half, but after hitting the back of the net, he was called offsides.
Junior co-captain Ned Grabavoy's (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way) 10 points (4 goals, 2 assists) continue to pace the Hoosiers while sophomore midifielder Brian Plotkin (Lisle, Ill./Naperville North) is next in line with seven points (2 goals, 3 assists). Ten different Hoosiers have cracked scoring column, including seven who have tallied goals.
The Hoosier defense and junior goalie Jay Nolly (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield) have recorded two shutouts this season. Nolly sports an 0.89 goals-against average and has collected 22 saves on the year.
The Opponent
Michigan: The Wolverines come into Sunday's match with a 7-3-0 record and riding the momentumn of a 1-0 victory over No. 17 Oakland this past Tuesday. U-M also defeated No. 22 Loyola Marymount earlier this season.
Mychal Turpin has converted 11 of the Wolverines' 21 goals this season. Knox Cameron is second on the team with 14 points (4 goals, 6 assists) while Mike White ranks third with 11 points (4 goals, 3 assists).
Peter Dzubay has started eight of Michigan's 10 matches in goal and owns an 0.55 goals-against average to go with three shutouts.
Head coach Steve Burns is 34-27-3 in his fourth season at Michigan. Burns guided the program to varsity status in 2000 after seven seasons of directing the club team.
The Indiana-Michigan Series
Indiana holds a 4-0 advantage all-time against Michigan, but two of those matches have gone to overtime. Current senior Vijay Dias tallied the game-winning goal in the 99th minute of play to defeat the Wolverines, 2-1, in the last meeting, Oct. 6, 2002, in Bloomington.
The two teams also went to extra sessions in the semifinals of the 2001 Big Ten Tournament before IU broke through for the 1-0 victory in the third overtime.
All-Time Results vs. Michigan
Indiana 7, Michigan 0 Oct. 8, 2000 Bloomington
Indiana 3, Michigan 0 Oct. 7, 2001 Ann Arbor
Indiana 1, Michgian 0 (3OT) Nov. 9, 2001 Madison, Wis.
Indiana 2, Michigan 1 (OT) Oct. 6, 2002 Bloomington
The Big Ten Unbeaten Streak
Though Indiana tied its match against Michigan State for the first time since 1996, on Sept. 21, the Hoosiers still maintain a 40-match unbeaten streak in Big Ten Conference regular season play. The last time Indiana dropped a regular season conference match to a Big Ten opponent was on Oct. 13, 1995, at Wisconsin. The last time the Hoosiers tied in the Big Ten regular season was on Oct. 4, 1996, when IU tied Penn State, 1-1.
Big Ten Success
Since the inception of Big Ten men's soccer in 1991, the Hoosiers have dominated play. Indiana's all-time record in league regular season play stands at 57-4-3. IU has won nine Big Ten reglular season titles, including the last seven. The Hoosiers have also captured nine Big Ten tournament championships, the last one coming in 2001.
Not So "Meek"
Sophomore forward Trey Meek had a breakout game on Thursday against Butler. The Coronoa Del Mar, Calif., product, scored his first goal of the season and the second of his career against the Bulldogs. Althought the Hoosiers were unable to break the 1-1 tie in the second half, Meek applied pressure, forcing the Butler goalkeeper to make saves on all four of his additional shots. Head coach Jerry Yeagley praised Meek for his play after the match, noting "it was the best he had played."
Packing Them In
The Indiana soccer team is never short on fan support and the 2002 season was no different. IU finished second nationally in attendance, averaging 2,195 fans at each of its eight home matches played at Bill Armstrong Stadium. UConn led the country with an average of 2,519 fans at each of its 11 home matches, while Wake Forest ranked third with an average of 2,066 over 11 home dates.
More on Attendance
In 2003, Indiana's total attendance on four home dates is 9,549 for an average of 2,387 at each game. Overall, including neutral site games and road games, 21,006 fans have watched the Hoosiers play this season.
Indiana the Coaches' Pick to Win the Big Ten
The Hoosiers are the Big Ten coaches' choice to win the 2003 conference title. The preseason poll was the first of its kind for Big Ten soccer. Since the inception of men's soccer in the Big Ten in 1991, IU has captured nine regular season championships and nine tournament titles. Here's a look at the predicted order of finish for league teams:
Big Ten Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Indiana
2. Penn State
3. Michigan
4. Ohio State
Michigan State
6. Wisconsin
7. Northwestern
(Coaches were not allowed to rank their own team)
