Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Set for National Semifinal Rematch
10/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 28, 2005
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The two-time defending national champion Indiana men's soccer team will meet the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, Oct. 29, in a clash of top-five programs. The Hoosiers enter the affair ranked fifth nationally, while Maryland is third. Both teams enter with an eight-match unbeaten streak. The Hoosiers are 6-0-2 in their last eight, while the Terps have won eight straight. The game will be televised on CN8: The Comcast Network. Game time is slated for 8 p.m. EDT at Ludwig Field. Maryland officials are expecting to threaten the Ludwig Field attendance record of 6,143 (vs. UCLA in 2003).
Hoosier News and Notes
- Indiana is ranked No. 2 in the Great Lakes Region according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
- The Hoosiers are averaging 3,065 fans per match at Armstrong Stadium. Indiana has drawn 21,453 total fans in seven home matches this season.
- Junior forward Jacob Peterson currently ranks among the Hoosier top 25 in two career categories. He is 21st on the career goals list with 26 during his three-year career. Peterson needs one goal to move into a tie for 20th. He is 18th with 167 career shots. The Portage, Mich., native needs three more attempts to move into 17th.
- Senior midfielder Brian Plotkin ranks among the IU all-time top 25 in three categories. He is tied for 10th in assists with 33 career helpers. With one more assist, he will move into a tie for ninth place with Ryan Mack. Plotkin ranks eighth on IU's career shots list with 252, trailing seventh-place Aleksey Korol by nine. The Lisle, Ill., native moved into 23rd place on the Hoosiers' career points list, following his pair of assists against Ohio State. Plotkin has 73 career points as a Hoosier.
- Plotkin ranks 13th nationally in assists per game. He leads the Hoosiers with nine assists in 16 matches.
- Senior Mike Ambersley ranks among IU's top 25 in career shots. He is tied for 23rd with 148 career attempts. He trails Matt Fundenberger, who is 22nd, by 14 shots.
- Peterson recorded his second career hat trick and 48th in Hoosier annals. Against Boston University on Sept. 11, he notched the first three goals of the match in a 5-0 victory. Peterson became the 10th Hoosier in school history to record multiple hat tricks in a career.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Munroe ranks 17th nationally in goals against average (GAA) as of Oct. 16. He has a GAA of 0.61. Munroe had a career-best seven saves in a victory over then-No. 25 Cal State-Northridge on Sept. 16.
- As a team (as of Oct. 23), Indiana ranked seventh nationally in shutout percentage, blanking 10 of 16 opponents. The Hoosier defense also ranks 12th in the country in goals against average at 0.58. IU ranks fifth nationally in goals per game with 2.81 per contest.
- With its 3-0 victory at Notre Dame on Oct. 26, Indiana upped its streak of consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins to 19. In fact, the Hoosiers have had 10 or more victories in 32 of their 33 seasons as a varsity program.
Scouting Maryland
Maryland enters the match as one of the hottest teams in America. The Terrapins are on a eight-match winning streak following a 4-0 victory over NJIT on Wednesday. Maryland is 13-3 on the year and sits atop the Atlantic Coast Conference at 6-1. The Terps are a perfect 9-0 at Ludwig Field.
The Hoosiers and Terrapins have a pair of common opponents in Penn State and Wake Forest. Both teams are 1-1 against the pair, with victories over the Demon Deacons and losses to Penn State.
Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy candidate Jason Garey leads Maryland and ranks second nationally with 16 goals on the season. He also has 36 points, which ranks in the top five nationally. The Terps have five double-digit scorers, including Garey. Sophomore midfielder Stephen King has 25 points on nine goals and seven assists. Freshman forward Robbie Rogers has 12 points(5g, 2a), while sophomore froward Maurice Edu (3g, 4a) and junior midfielder A.J. Godbolt (0g, 10a) round out the double-digit scorers with 10 apiece. Freshman Chris Seitz and senior Craig Salvati have each started eight matches in goal for Maryland. Seitz has a goals against average of 0.48 with 25 saves and four shutouts. He also has an 8-1-0 overall record, including a perfect 5-0 mark in ACC play. Salvati has a goals against average of 0.78 with 21 saves, three shutouts and a record of 5-3-0
The Hoosier-Terrapin battle will be a rematch of the epic College Cup semifinal from a season ago that saw a John Michael Hayden header send the Hoosiers to a 3-2 double-overtime win. In the match, Maryland got on the board first on a goal from Garey. IU responded with a pair of goals. One on a free kick from Brian Plotkin and the other on a bending shot from 18 yards out by Mike Ambersley. Edu evened it with a header late in the second half before Hayden's heroics. The Hoosiers are 3-0 all-time against Maryland, including a 2-1 victory in College Park in 2000.
Senior Leaders
The senior trio of Brian Plotkin, Mike Ambersley and Jordan Chirico have been an integral part of the Hoosier success during their careers in Bloomington. The threesome is doing its best to make its final season in Bloomington a magical one. The trio has been picking it up as of late. The examples being set by the elder statesmen are being followed as the Hoosiers' are unbeaten in their last eight matches (6-0-2).
On Oct. 19 against Butler, all three seniors tallied a goal and an assist in the 6-0 victory. Ambersley found Plotkin with a header for the game-winner against the Bulldogs. Not long after, Plotkin found Chirico for a header on the back post. Chirico notched an assist and Ambersley scored a goal in the four-goal, second-half barrage against Butler.
Chirico has notched a goal and an assist against both Wisconsin and Butler. He has a career best nine points on the season with two goals and five assist. Ambersley has been a model of consistency whether it be in the midfield or up front as a forward. The Ballwin, Mo., native has already surrpassed his point and goal totals from a season ago with 15 points and five goals this season.
Plotkin has been the leader of the Hoosiers this season. He tops the squad in points (23), assists (9) and game-winners (3). In each of the last four matches, the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy candidate has notched a point for the Hoosiers.
Hoosiers on TV
Indiana has its final regular-season television appearance this week. The Hoosiers' Saturday affair with Maryland will be shown on CN8: The Comcast Network. In total, the Hoosiers will be on television on four different occasions during the 2005 regular season. The Hoosiers were on Fox Soccer Channel on Sept. 30, Comcast Local in Michigan on Oct. 9 and ESPNU on Oct. 26.
The Hoosiers took part in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) College Soccer Game of the Week television package. The Hoosiers' Sept. 30 tilt with Big Ten rival Penn State on Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium was part of the live FSC eight-game Friday night package. Over the past eight years, the Hoosiers are 14-4-1 on television, playing games on FSC, CSTV, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports Net, Comcast Local and CN8: The Comcast Net.
Indiana History on Television
Comcast Local - 1-0-0
Oct. 9, 2005 - Indiana def. Michigan, 2-0, in Ann Arbor
Fox Soccer Channel - 0-1-0
Sept. 30, 2005 - Penn State def. Indiana, 2-1 in OT, in Bloomington
CN8:The Comcast Net - 1-0-0
Oct. 1, 2004 - Indiana def. Penn State, 2-0, in University Park
CSTV - 2-0-1
Sept. 15, 2004 - Indiana def. Notre Dame, 2-0, in Bloomington
Nov. 16, 2003 - Indiana tied Penn State, 1-1, at the Big Ten Tournament
Oct. 24, 2003 - Indiana def. Saint Louis, 2-1, in Bloomington
ESPN - 4-2-0
Dec. 12, 2004 - Indiana def. UCSB, 3-2, in PKs at the College Cup
Dec. 11, 2004 - Indiana def. Maryland, 3-2, in 2OT at the College Cup
Dec. 16, 2001 - North Carolina def. Indiana, 2-0, at the College Cup
Dec. 9, 2000 - Creighton def. Indiana, 2-1, in 3OT at the College Cup
Dec. 12, 1999 - Indiana def. Santa Clara, 1-0, at the College Cup
Dec. 13, 1998 - Indiana def. Stanford, 3-1, at the College Cup
ESPN2 - 5-0-0
Dec. 14, 2003 - Indiana def. St. John's, 2-1, at the College Cup
Dec. 13, 2003 - Indiana def. Santa Clara, 1-0, in 2OT at the College Cup
Dec. 15, 2001 - Indiana def. St. John's, 2-1, in 2OT at the College Cup
Dec. 11, 1999 - Indiana def. UCLA, 3-2, in 4OT at the College Cup
Dec. 11, 1998 - Indiana def. Santa Clara, 4-0, at the College Cup
ESPNU - 1-0-0
Oct. 26, 2005 - Indiana def. Notre Dame, 3-0, in South Bend
Fox Sports Net - 0-1-0
Dec. 12, 1997 - UCLA def. Indiana, 1-0, in 3OT at the College Cup
Freshman Impact
Freshman forward Lee Nguyen has made quite an impact in his maiden season with the Hoosiers. The Under-20 U.S. National Team player is tied for second on the squad with 18 points on five goals and eight assists. Nguyen has scored two game-winners and assisted on a pair of clinchers.
After failing to register a point in the Hoosiers' opening four matches of the season, Nguyen broke out with a goal and an assist in both matches of the Diadora Oregon State Classic against then-No. 25 Cal State-Northridge and the host Beavers. Starting with an assist against IUPUI on Oct. 2, the Richardson, Texas, native went six straight matches with at least an assist. He failed to register a point in the Hoosiers' home affair against Ohio State, but notched the game-winner on a beautiful bending free kick to the upper right corner of the goal in a 3-0 victory at Notre Dame on Oct. 26.
Veteran Firsts
Sophomore midfielder Charley Traylor and junior back Jed Zayner have each notched their first career goal in the Hoosiers' last two affairs. In IU's 3-0 victory over Notre Dame on Oct. 26, Traylor notched his first career goal, while Zayner scored his against Ohio State on Oct. 23.
Traylor has displayed his versatility over his first two seasons. He started 10 matches wide in the midfield as a redshirt freshman a season ago, and has started part of the 2005 season on the backline. In the 65th minute against the Irish, the Indianapolis, Ind., native headed home a cross from senior Mike Ambersley to put the Hoosiers on top, 3-0. Traylor has a history over magical touches as a Hoosier. His first career point came in the 3-2 double-overtime national semifinal victory over Maryland last season when he assisted with Danny O'Rourke on John Michael Hayden's game-winning header.
Zayner notched his first career goal off a header in the first half against Ohio State. The Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy candidate headed home a Brian Plotkin corner kick in the 23rd minute. While Zayner has four career assists, it was the first marker of his career. He is known more for his defensive prowess over his three-year career, helping a Hoosier defense shutout 32 opponents with a goals against average of 0.62.
