Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Head to IPFW Showcase (08-20-03)
8/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana men's soccer team will play two exhibition matches this weekend in the fourth annual IPFW Soccer Showcase, an event that features some of the nation's best men's and women's college soccer teams. The Hoosiers will play the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. and then play Rutgers on Sunday, Aug. 24, at 11 a.m. Both matches will be played at the Hefner Soccer Complex in Ft. Wayne, Ind.
In addition to Indiana, Kentucky and Rutgers, the Michigan State, Dayton at host IPFW men's teams will participate in the Showcase.
About the Hoosiers
Indiana returns 11 letterwinners and five starters from last season's team that went 15-4-2, won the Big Ten regular season title with a 6-0-0 record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Junior All-American Ned Grabavoy is back to lead Indiana's scoring attack while first-team All-Big Ten honorees junior goalkeeper Jay Nolly and junior defensive midfielder Danny O'Rourke will anchor a Hoosier defensive unit that ranked in the top 20 in the country last season. A trio of seniors in midfielder Vijay Dias, defender/midfielder Drew Shinabarger and defender David Prall will provide valuable experience to a young squad. Brian Plotkin, the 2002 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, also returns in the midfield.
Indiana returned to campus on Aug. 12 and began preseason training sessions on Aug. 13. In the two preseason polls that have been released, IU is ranked No. 7 (NSCAA) and No. 10 (College Soccer News).
Quoting Coach Yeagley
"We are looking forward to this event. We feel it's the best (preseason tournament) of its kind. We're certainly proud that it's in our state and IPFW and Ft. Wayne do a great job with it. We're going there to play two traditionally good programs in Rutgers and Kentucky in front of big crowds. We will know something about where we stand after the weekend."
"We use these games for evaluation purposes and we'll play a lot more players than we regularly would, but we are also going there to win."
At the 2002 IPFW Soccer Showcase...
The Hoosiers emerged from the 2002 IPFW Soccer Showcase with a tie and a victory. In its first match, IU finished in a 1-1 tie with Kentucky. The Hoosiers' lone goal was scored by midfielder Vijay Dias. Indiana staged a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Virginia in its second match. All-American Pat Noonan proved to be the hero, netting all three of the Hoosiers' goals.
Trio of Hoosiers Going Home
Three Indiana Hoosiers will return to their native Ft. Wayne, Ind., this weekend. Senior Drew Shinabarger is a graduate of Homestead High School. Sophomore Pat Yates attended Snider High School. Freshman Kyle Schwartz prepped at Canterbury, closing out his career in 2002.
Yeagley's Final Season
A the conclusion of the 2003 season, the curtain will close on the career of the architect of Indiana soccer, head coach Jerry Yeagley. Yeagley begins 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 seven-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Yeagley's record of success is in college soccer is unmatched:
• Five National Titles
• 15 College Cup Appearances
• 27 NCAA Tournament Appearances
• 63 NCAA Tournament Victories
• An .823 Overall Winning Percentage
• A .741 NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage
• Nine Big Ten Tournament Titles
• Nine Big Ten Regular Season Championships
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. Additionally, Yeagley ranks second all-time in coaching victories with 527 in 30 seasons. Stephen Negoesco, who coached at San Franscisco for 39 seasons, is the leader with 544, leaving Yeagley just 18 wins shy of overtaking the record as the 2003 season begins.
Hoosiers Abroad
Indiana has two players that have missed all or part of preseason training due to commitments for United States National teams. Incoming freshman Jacob Peterson is in the midst of a stint with the United States U-17 team in FIFA World Championship in Lahti, Finland. The U.S. is scheduled to close out pool play on Wednesday, Aug. 20, with a match against Spain. The team has already defeated the other two Group D teams, the Korean Republic, 6-1, (Aug. 14) and Sierra Leone, 2-1 (Aug. 17). Peterson has missed all of preseason camp but will join the team upon his return. Should the U.S. continue to win, it could play in Findland up to Aug. 30.
Indiana's Drew Moor, who transferred to IU after his freshman season at Furman, was selected to the U.S. U-20 team that will play in the L'Alcudia International Tournament in Spain from Aug. 19 to 27. The U.S. will open pool play on Aug. 21 against Egypt. Moor reported to Indiana's preseason camp on Aug. 12 and worked out with the team until his departure.
In the Preseason Polls
Indiana sports a top 10 ranking in both the National Soccer Coaches Association and College Soccer News Preseason Polls. In the NSCAA poll, the Hoosier hold down the No. 7 position. In the CSN poll, IU is 10th.
Recruiting Class Ranked
Indiana's 2003 recruiting class has been highly regarded by national soccer publications. College Soccer News ranked the Hoosiers' class as the sixth-best nationally while Soccer America picked IU seventh. Indiana's freshman class includes: The Hoosiers' incoming highly-ranked recruiting class includes nine players. They are: Kyle Brabender (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory), Julian Dieterle (Elgin, Ill./Larkin HS), Christopher Munroe (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central HS), Jacob Peterson (Portage, Mich./IMG Academy/Edison High School), Kevin Robson (St. Peters, Mo./Chaminade HS), Greg Stevning (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central), Charley Traylor (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) and Jed Zayner (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) combine to form the Hoosiers' fall class. Kyle Schwartz (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Canterbury) committed to the Hoosiers in the spring.
Indiana Hosts adidas/IU Credit Union Classic to Kickoff 2003 Season
The 21st annual adidas/IU Credit Union Classic, the nation's premier regular season college soccer tournament, gets underway Friday, Aug. 29, at 5 p.m. when Notre Dame and UAB square off at Armstrong Stadium. Indiana will kick off its season against California at 7:30 p.m. Saturday's action commences at 5:30 when Notre Dame meets Cal, followed by Indiana and UAB at 7:30 p.m.
California returns nine starters and 28 letterwinners from a team that finished second to defending national champion UCLA in the Pac-10 a season ago. Juniors Mike Munoz (19 points - 8g, 3a) and Carl Acosta (17 points - 8g, 1 a) will lead the Bears' attack. IU is 3-1 all-time against Cal, but the Bears won the last meeting in 2000. The Golden Bears are coached by Kevin Grimes.
UAB, which is coached by former Hoosier player and assistant coach Mike Getman, will make its first appearance in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. The Blazers' two leading returning scorers are senior midfielders Marin Pusek (11 points - 2g, 7a) and Mikey Spitzer (10 points - 3g, 4a). Indiana and UAB have met once back in 1996. The match resulted in a 1-1 tie.
Notre Dame rounds out the Classic field and head coach Bobby Clark's Fighting Irish will enter the season highly-ranked. UND played its final match of the 2002 season at Armstrong Stadium, as IU won a second round NCAA match 1-0. Though the Hoosiers and Irish won't meet in the Classic, the two teams will play a regular season match in South Bend on Sept. 18.
2003 adidas/IU Credit Union Classic Schedule of Games
Friday, Aug. 29
Notre Dame vs. Alabama-Birmingham at 5 p.m.
Indiana vs. California at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 30
Notre Dame vs. California at 5:00 p.m.
Indiana vs. Alabama-Birmingham at 7:30 p.m.
