Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Ohio State
Hoosiers Fit to be Tied Against Buckeyes
10/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 23, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - In a gritty match with a combined 51 fouls, the two-time defending national champion Indiana men's soccer team was held to a 2-2 draw by Ohio State on Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium. The draw pushes the Hoosiers' record to 9-1-5 overall and 2-1-3 in Big Ten play while Ohio State moves to 8-6-2 on the year and 1-2-1 in conference affairs.
"I was disappointed in our performance," Indiana head men's soccer coach Mike Freitag said. "Even though we jumped on top 2-0 in the first half, I felt like we were not playing the way we should. We played better the final minutes of regulation and overtime, but I don't understand why we came out the way we did. We have to learn to play the entire 90 minutes and not choose when to pick it up."
Indiana was able to get on the scoreboard first at the 7:43 mark. Senior midfielder Brian Plotkin broke free on the left side and sent a cross to the far side of the six-yard box where it found the head of senior midfielder Jordan Chirico. The Conesus, N.Y., native headed the ball across the goal mouth in front of OSU goalkeeper Ray Burse, Jr. and through two defenders where junior forward Jacob Peterson fired a header past Burse and into the left side of the net. The goal was the Portage, Mich., native's team-leading eighth on the season. The assists were Plotkin's eighth and Chirico's fifth of the campaign.
The Hoosiers only needed 15 more minutes to open a 2-0 advantage. Junior back Jed Zayner began the scoring chance with a run on the right side of the 18-yard box that led to a corner kick. On the subsequent corner, Plotkin, a Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy candidate, sent an inswinging corner into the six-yard box were Zayner was able to get a step on his marker and fire a header past the outstretched arms of Burse. The tally was the Orland Park, Ill., native's first career goal while the assist was Plotkin's team-leading ninth and second game of the season with two helpers.
Peterson almost notched a second goal at the 29:33 mark. Plotkin laid off a short free kick to senior forward Mike Ambersley on the right side at the top of the 18. The Ballwin, Mo., native slid the ball out to Peterson who sent in an off-balance bending shot toward the far post past the Ohio State goalkeeper, but onto the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
Ohio State almost got one back in the 39th minute when a Buckeye midfielder got on a long run through the midfield to the right side of the 18. The attempt was stifled by a strong challenge by Zayner negating the opportunity.
One minute later the Hoosiers almost widened their advantage when Plotkin threaded a pass to freshman forward Lee Nguyen through the Buckeye midfield. Nguyen put on a pair of moves, but the OSU defense poked the ball away stifling the attempt.
OSU opened the second half with the first scoring chance. On a corner kick heading toward the far post back Kyle Veris placed a header into open space in the middle of the 18 where Reid Traeger sent in a shot that was blocked by the IU defense.
The Hoosiers responded in the 54th minute with a scoring chance of their own. Peterson found junior midfielder Josh Tudela at the top of the 18 where he dribbled a couple of steps into space and blasted a shot with Burse making the save.
Ohio State drew within a goal in the 60th minute off a restart. Buckeye forward Xavier Balc sent a free kick into the six that found the head of Traeger, who sent a header just inside the right post.
After 20 minutes of back and forth possession the Buckeyes earned the equalizer in the 84th minute. It was again Balc on a free kick from 25 yards out. He sent another cross into the box, but the ball found a Hoosier defender's head, in an attempt to clear the ball high, and into the net past sophomore goalkeeper Chris Munroe. The teams would finish regulation deadlocked and head to extra time.
The first overtime saw the Hoosiers have the first scoring chance when Peterson found Nguyen. The Richardson, Texas, native found Plotkin, who sent a shot in from nine yards out toward the near post on the right side. The OSU goalkeeper Burse parried the ball up over the bar for a corner. The chance was the only true chance for both teams in the first extra frame.
OSU opened the second extra frame with the first chance in the 102nd minute. Forward Kevin Nugent broke free into the box off a grounder. Nugent carried the ball into the six on the left side where Munroe met him and took the ball away only to see the ball get back into Nugent's possession. Nugent tried to send the ball back into the 18, but the Hoosier defense cleared the ball out of danger. For the match, Munroe finished with five saves.
The Hoosiers took over in the second half of the final frame. In the 104th minute, Nguyen sent a pass to junior midfielder John Michael Hayden. Hayden found a streaking Ambersley up the right side. The Ballwin, Mo., native sent a low grounder toward the net, but just wide of the far post.
With a sense of urgency IU carried possession of the ball throughout the final two minutes of the game. In the 109th minute, Peterson took a low cross from Ambersley in the six, but could not get a toe on the pass allowing the ball to drift wide and out for a goal kick.
The Hoosiers' fifth draw of the season matched the school-record set by the 2003 edition of the Hoosiers who, ironically, were able to put everything together in a miraculous run to the national championship in the final season of Jerry Yeagley's storied career.
Indiana will hit the road for a pair of contests against nationally-renowned programs. IU will travel to South Bend, Ind., to take on Notre Dame on Wednesday, October 26 with kickoff at 6 p.m. The match will be televised live on ESPNU. The Hoosiers will then travel to College Park, Md., for a high-profile tilt against the nationally-ranked Terrapins of Maryland on Sunday, October 30, with kickoff at 8 p.m. Indiana then closes out the regular season on Thursday, Nov. 3, with a contest against the No. 1 ranked Akron on Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium. Kickoff for the match is slated for 7 p.m.
