Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers To Host Penn State (11-07-03)
11/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana (10-3-4, 4-0-1 Big Ten) is set to battle Penn State (7-9-0, 1-4-0 Big Ten) on Saturday, Nov. 8, in its final Big Ten and regular season match. Start time for the match, which was postponed in progress on Sept. 26, is 7 p.m. After a three-match hiatus from Big Ten Conference action, the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions wrap up the league season on Saturday night. IU will honor its seniors prior to kickoff.
Fill `the Bill'
Saturday's match has been dubbed "Fill the Bill," in an effort to fill Bill Armstrong Stadium with Hoosier fans for head coach Jerry Yeagley's final regular season home match.
A billboard, courtesy of Hoosier Outdoor Advertising, will be on hand at Armstrong Stadium for fans to sign thanking Coach Yeagley for his 31 Years of Excellence at the helm of Indiana Soccer. In addition, The Indiana Daily Student is giving away 1,500 copies of its insert that commemorates Coach Yeagley's 31 seasons at IU.
And it All Comes Down to This...
The match will also define the final Big Ten Conference regular season standings, and thus the seeding for next week's Big Ten Championship Tournament in Bloomington. The IU-Penn State match is the only conference match remaining. Michigan currently leads the standings with IU in second. If Indiana wins on Saturday, it will overtake the top spot and win its eighth straight regular season title. If the Hoosiers fall to Penn State, Michigan will capture the regular season crown. The regular season champ also earns the No. 1 seed and first round bye in the conference tournament.
About the Hoosiers
Indiana extended its streak to eight straight wins with a pair of shutout victories last week. On Oct. 29, the Hoosiers earned a 2-0 road victory over Conference-USA leader Louisville. Then, IU returned to Bloomington and snapped Mid-American Confernece Champion Kentucky's five-game winning streak with a 1-0 shutout.
The Hoosier defense has been impressive down the stretch, playing shutout soccer in six of its last seven matches. IU has eight shutouts, which equals its total in 21 matches last season.
Junior and National Player of the Year candidate Ned Grabavoy continues to lead the IU attack. The co-captain has registered 27 points (10 goals, 7 assists). Sophomore midfielder Brian Plotkin is next in line with 14 points on four goals and six assists.
Junior goalkeeper Jay Nolly has been rock solid in goal and his goals-against average (GAA) dropped to 0.61, the10th-best nationally, with last week's shutouts. Nolly has 46 saves to go with his eight shutouts. Overall the Hoosier defense is No. 8 in the country in GAA and ranks tied for 20th in shutout percentage.
A Look at the Nittany Lions
Penn State, who won the 2002 Big Ten Conference Tournament Championship, own a 7-9-0 record entering Saturday's match with Indiana. Penn State fell at Villanova, 2-0, in its last outing on Wednesday night. PSU is 1-4-0 in Big Ten Conference play, with its lone victory coming over Northwestern on Oct. 2.
The duo of junior Chad Severs and sophomore Brian Devlin leads the Nittany Lions in scoring with 13 points. Severs has scored a team-best five goals and has three assists, while Devlin has four goals and five helpers. Freshman Simon Omekanda has a team-high six assists and three goals for 12 points.
Freshman goalie Matt Novchich sports a 1.30 goals-against average and has a 7-5-0 record for Penn State. Novchich has made 41 saves and notched two shutouts.
Head coach Barry Gorman is in his 16th season at Penn State. He owns a 217-112-20 record with the Nittany Lions.
The All-Time Series With Penn State
The Hoosiers hold a commanding 21-6-2 lead in the all-time series with Penn State and are 11-1-0 at home against the Nittany Lions. In addition, Indiana has won 10 of the last 11 meetings between the teams.
The Hoosiers and Nittany Lions split a pair of meetings in the 2002 season. IU defeated Penn State, 1-0, in overtime during the regular season at State College. Ned Grabavoy's penalty kick in the 105th minute gave the Hoosiers the win, despite playing a man down after Phil Presser received a red card.
In the Big Ten Tournament in State College, the host Nittany Lions got the win in the second round. With the score tied 1-1 after 110 minutes of play, the match went to a shootout to determine who would advance to the conference championship game. Penn State converted four kicks to Indiana's two for the win.
Hoosiers in the Polls
Soccer America tabbed the Hoosiers No. 9. IU is No. 12 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Poll and and No. 11 in the College Soccer News Poll. In addition, IU is No. 2 in the NSCAA's Great Lakes Region Poll, trailing only Notre Dame.
The Nation's Hottest Team?
The Indiana Hoosiers are one of the hottest teams in the country right now. IU is unbeaten in its last 10 matches and has won eight straight, the second-longest streak in the nation (as of 11/6). Only defending national champion UCLA, which has won 12 straight games, boasts a longer winning streak than Indiana.
A Tale of Two Seasons
After its first nine games, Indiana had sputtered to a 2-3-4 record and its worst start in program history. With half of the Hoosiers' schedule behind them and second half remaining, head coach Jerry Yeagley had some instructions for his players. While this team was off to the worst start in school history, its goal should be to accomplish the best turnaround in school history. Since then, the Hoosiers have racked up eight straight wins and run their record from 2-3-4 to 10-3-4. Indiana has only tonight's match with Penn State remaining on the regular season schedule.
In the Last Eight Mathces...
• The Hoosiers have out-scored opponents, 17-2
• IU has more than doubled its opponents in shots attempted, 128-62
• Leading scorer Ned Grabavoy has piled up 17 of his 27 points
• Freshman Jacob Peterson, IU's third-leading scorer, has scored nine of his 11 points • The Cream and Crimson defense has posted six shutouts
A Chance at the Record
Jerry Yeagley's 537 wins are the second-most in Division I history, and though it may be tough, there is a possibility he could overtake the leader, Stephen Negoesco, who piled up 544 wins in 39 seasons at San Francisco. The Hoosiers have two regular season matches remaining. If IU is the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, it would play a maximum of two matches. If the Hoosiers are the No. 2 seed, they could play as many as three matches. In the NCAA Tournament, advancing all the way to the NCAA title game could yield the opportunity to play as many as six matches.
The Big Ten Unbeaten Streak
The Hoosiers maintain a 44-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 Sept. 21, 2003, when IU tied Michigan State, 1-1, in Bloomington. A win over the Nittany Lions would cap the eighth straight season IU has swept throught league play without a loss.
Big Ten Success
Since the inception of Big Ten men's soccer in 1991, the Hoosiers have dominated. Indiana's current all-time record in league regular season play stands at 61-4-3 (.919). IU has won nine Big Ten regular season titles, including the last seven. The Hoosiers have also captured nine Big Ten tournament championships, the last one coming in 2001.
IU-Penn State Match, Part 1
Indiana and Penn State started play on Friday, Sept. 26, but severe weather in the Bloomington area forced the game to be suspended in the 67th minute with the Hoosiers leading, 2-0. Since the game had not been played for the required 70 minutes for it to become official, officials waited more than two hours for the weather to clear before the game called was called off. By NCAA rules, a suspended game that is not resumed on the same day is considered "no contest."
Nolly Nabs Third Big Ten Weekly Honor
Junior goalie Jay Nolly picked up his third Big Ten Defenisive Player of the Week on Monday. Nolly posted a pair of shutouts as Indiana went on the road to defeat Louisville, 2-0, on Oct. 29, and followed with a victory over No. 24 Kentucky on Nov. 2 in Bloomington. A native of Littleton, Colo., Nolly collected eight saves in the two matches and now has eight shutouts to his credit in 2003, including six in the Hoosiers' last seven matches. Wisconsin goalkeeper Eric Hanson shared the award with Nolly.
Dias Honored by College Soccer News
Senior Vijay Dias, a midfielder, was named to College Soccer News' National Team of the Week after he scored the game-winning goal for IU against No. 24 Kentucky. IU avenged an exhibition loss it suffered to Kentucky on Aug. 22 and captured its eighth-straight win. The senior, three-year starter has scored five points on two goals and assist this season.
Moor Regognized By Soccer America
Sophomore Drew Moor was one of three defenders selected to Soccer America's National Team of the Week. He was honored for his efforts in helping the Hoosier defense obtain back-to-back shutouts. Moor, who earned Southern Conference Freshman-of-the-Year honors last season while at Furman, has started every game he has played in this season at IU.
Sweet Home Armstrong Stadium
Indiana has always been tough to beat at home as evidenced by its all-time record of 212-24-16 at Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers are currently in the midst of a 21-match unbeaten streak at their home stadium. In 2002, IU finished undefeated at Armstrong with a 6-0-2 record. The Hoosiers' last loss at Armstrong Stadium came on Oct. 17, 2001, when Notre Dame defeated Indiana, 1-0. IU has a 15-0-6 record since that time.
Coach Yeagley's Final Season
At the conclusion of the 2003 season, the curtain will close on the career of the architect of Indiana soccer, Jerry Yeagley. Yeagley is in his 31st year at the helm of a program he ran for 10 years as a club team before guiding it to varsity status in 1973. During this past offseason, Yeagley announced that the 2003 campaign would be his last before retiring.
A five-time National Coach of the Year and Division I soccer's winningest active coach, Yeagley's record of success in college soccer is unmatched:
• Five National Titles
• 15 College Cup Appearances
• 27 NCAA Tournament Appearances
• 63 NCAA Tournament Victories
• A Winning Percentage of over .800
• A .741 NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage
• Nine Big Ten Tournament Titles
• Nine Big Ten Regular Season Championships
• Seven-time Big Ten Coach of the Year
All of these numbers represent the most of any school in the country in the time that Indiana has played soccer as a varsity sport.
