Indiana University Athletics
IU to Host Penn State (09-24-03)
9/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana (2-3-3, 0-0-1 Big Ten) takes on No. 15 Penn State (5-3-0) on Friday, Sept. 26, in Bloomington at Bill Armstrong Stadium. A traditional conference rivalry, the matchup features the two teams that were picked to finish atop the Big Ten standings in the preseason coaches poll in the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions. The match is part of a soccer doubleheader. The Hoosier women's team plays Ohio State at 5 p.m. and the men's match will follow at 7:30 p.m.
The first 400 fans to enter the game will receive a free water bottle from Taylor Imprinted Sportswear. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and can be purchased at the gate. IU students are admitted free with a student ID.
In addition, live updates during the game will be available at Indiana's offical athletic web site, IUHOOSIERS.COM.
About the Hoosiers
Against Penn State, Indiana is looking to rebound after a loss and a tie last week. The Hoosiers dropped a heartbreaker in double overtime at Notre Dame on Thursday and then tied Michigan State, 1-1, in their Big Ten opener on Sunday.
Junior Ned Grabavoy (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way) leads Indiana with 10 points on four goals and two assists this season and sophomore Brian Plotkin (Lisle, Ill./Naperville North) is second with seven points on two goals and three assists. Four other players have scored goals for the Hoosiers, including freshman Jacob Peterson (Portage, Mich./IMG Academy), who tallied his first career score to secure a 1-1 tie with the Spartans on Sunday.
Junior goalkeeper Jay Nolly (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield) owns an 0.91 goals-against average on the season. He has two shutouts and has collected 19 saves.
The Hoosiers appear in only one of the four national soccer polls this week, coming in at No. 24 in the College Soccer News poll.
The Opponent
Penn State comes into Friday's match with a national ranking as high as No. 15 and a 5-3-0 record. The Nittany Lions will open their Big Ten schedule against the Hoosiers.
Junior Chad Severs leads the Nittany Lions in scoring with 10 points on four goals and two assists. Freshman Simon Omekanda is next with nine points on three goals and three assists. Freshman Matt Novchich has played the majority of the team's minutes in goal. He has a 1.11 goal-against average and 22 saves.
A veteran crew, Penn State returns 14 lettermen and seven starters from last season's NCAA Quarterfinal team. The team has scored 13 goals this season and given up 13 to opponents. The Nittany Lions have also out-shot opponents, 107-100.
Head coach Barry Gorman is in his 16th season at Penn State. Gorman owns a 214-106-20 record at PSU.
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 attempts to Indiana's two for the win.
The Hoosiers' record this season (2-3-3) does not accurately reflect its advantage on the stat sheet. Not only has Indiana scored more goals (10 to 8) than its opponents, the team has also soundly out-shot opponents, 113 to 83. IU is averaging 14.1 shots per game to 10.4 for opponents. The Hoosiers' 113 shots in nine matches ranks second among Big Ten teams this season. Wisconsin ranks first with 152 shots over nine games.
In addition, Indiana's 1.00 goal-against average ranks tied for second with Michigan State among League teams. The Hoosier defense has also protected goalkeeper Jay Nolly, forcing him to make an average of 2.75 saves per game, tied for the least amount in the conference.
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.
With only five juniors and three seniors on the roster this season, several underclassmen are seeing extensive action for Indiana. In every one of the Hoosiers' eight games, at least five underclassmen who are true freshmen, redshirt freshmen or sophomores who did not start a year ago have been in the starting lineup. With junior goalkeeper Jay Nolly returning, all of those players are starting in the field. In fact, of 80 possible starts by field players, 50 are by new starters.
Junior Ned Grabavoy and sophomore Brian Plotkin have led the Hoosiers offensively this season and their numbers rank among the best in the Big Ten Conference. Grabavoy averages 3.38 shots per game and Plotkin averages 3.12 attempts, which are fourth and sixth, respectively, among league players. Grabavoy's season total of points is tied for fifth in the Big Ten and his four goals rank tied for fourth. Plotkin has dished out three assists and that mark is tied for second in the conference.
Peterson has played in all eight matches for Indiana, including making five starts, and has attempted 13 shots. Just 17-years old, he joined the Hoosiers after two years of training with the U-17 National team at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
• Both of the Hoosiers' victories this season have come against teams from the state of California, the Cal Bears and the Fresno State Bulldgos
• Indiana has played four overtime matches this season and has an 0-2-2 record when going to extra periods.
• Nine Hoosier players have scored at least one point this season. Six of those players have converted at least one goal.
• Jay Nolly, Brian Plotkin, Jed Zayner and Julian Dieterle are the only players to start all eight of Indiana's matches. Drew Moor (six) and Vijay Dias (five) have started every match they have appeared in.
• After missing three games due to an injury, Vijay Dias returned to the starting lineup against Michigan State on Sunday. • The most ties the Hoosiers have had in a season is four (in 1992, 1986 and 1983). Just as the Hoosiers do in 2003, IU had three ties in 1996.
The Indiana-Penn State Series
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.
Statistically Speaking
Making It Count
Though Indiana owns a distinct advantage in most every statistical category, the Hoosiers have had trouble putting the ball in the back of the net. IU is creating chances but just not capitalizing. The Hoosiers have placed 43 of their 113 shots on goal for a .381 percentage. By comparison, Indiana opponents have a .361 SOG percentage.
The Big Ten Unbeaten Streak
Though Indiana tied its match against Michigan State for the first time since 1996, on Sunday, 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
Young Guns
Grabavoy and Plotkin Rank Among Big Ten Leaders
Peterson Breaks Through
Hoosier freshman forward Jacob Peterson stepped up and tallied his first career goal against Michigan State on Sunday. Trailing 1-0 entering the final 10 minutes of the game, Indiana head coach Jerry Yeagley inserted Peterson into the lineup to give the Hoosiers a boost. Peterson would produce in the 82nd minute. The Portage, Mich., native, shook a defender and chipped the ball from the left side into the right corner over the Michigan State keeper.
Taking On the Nation's Best
Head coach Jerry Yeagley's scheduling philosophy has always been to play the best, anytime, anywhere. This week, seven teams on the Hoosiers' 2003 schedule are ranked in at least two of the four national soccer polls. The Hoosiers have already played No. 7 UAB, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 14 Akron, No. 18 California and No. 16 UConn. Indiana meets No. 15 Penn State this Friday and will face third-ranked Saint Louis on Oct. 24 in Bloomington. (Rankings listed are the highest)
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 three home dates is 8,175 for an average of 2,450 at each game. Overall, including neutral site games and road games, 19,602 fans have watched the Hoosiers play this season.
Corner Kicks
