Indiana University Athletics
Plotkin, Nguyen Take Home Big Ten Hardware
11/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 10, 2005
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EVANSTON, Ill. - Senior midfielder Brian Plotkin and freshman forward Lee Nguyen joined some impressive company on Thursday night, joining the lists of Hoosiers to earn Big Ten Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors, respectively. In total, the Hoosiers had three players named first team All-Big Ten, three others selected as second team honorees and a pair of All-Freshman Team choices.
Plotkin joined a list that includes five other Hoosiers. It marked the ninth occasion in the 15-year history of the Big Ten Conference that an IU player earned the Player of the Year accolade. The Lisle, Ill., native joins the likes of Brian Maisonneuve (1993 and 1994), Lazo Alavanja (1997 and 1998), Aleksey Korol (1999), Ryan Mack (2000) and Pat Noonan (2001 and 2002) to earn the honor. Along with earning the Player of the Year, Plotkin was the only player that was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection.
"I am proud of Brian, and he is deserving of this honor," Indiana head coach Mike Freitag said. "He has been one of the top players in this conference for the last few years. I have said it all season, and I still believe that he is one of the top players in the country. He is a special player and does so much for our team."
The Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy candidate led the conference in scoring with 25 points. He also topped the Big Ten in game-winning goals while ranking second in goals (8) and assists (9). For his Hoosier career, Plotkin ranks 10th in career assists with 33, eighth in career shots with 259 and 23rd in career points with 75.
Nguyen became the eighth IU rookie to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. He joined a group that includes current assistant coach Todd Yeagley (1991), Lazo Alavanja (1995), Dema Kovalenko (1996), Nick Garcia (1997), senior Mike Ambersley (2001), Plotkin (2002) and junior Jed Zayner (2003) in earning the honor. Nguyen also was the lone Big Ten freshman to earn first team all-league honors.
"We knew Lee was a special player coming in," Freitag said. "He has lived up to our expectations. We believe that Lee is the top freshman in the nation, and I am happy to see him get this award. He continues to put our team in good situations offensively."
Against Wisconsin earlier in the day on Thursday, Nguyen assisted on the Hoosiers' game-winning goal by senior midfielder Jordan Chirico in the first half. It was Nguyen's conference-leading 12th assist of the season. The number also marked the IU freshman record, eclipsing the mark of 11 previously held by Yeagley. On the season, Nguyen ranks second on the team in points with 22 on five goals and 12 assists.
Junior forward Jacob Peterson joined Plotkin and Nguyen on the All-Big Ten first team. It marks the second straight season Peterson was a first team honoree after he earned the distinction in 2004. As a freshman in 2003, the Portage, Mich., native was a second team selection.
Peterson leads the Hoosiers and the Big Ten in goals with 10 on the season. In fact, the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy candidate scored his 10th of the season in the final minute of a 2-0 victory over Wisconsin in the opening round of the Big Ten Championships. Peterson is tied with Nguyen for second on the team in points with 22.
Junior midfielder Josh Tudela and classmate back Jed Zayner were second team selections. Zayner also was a second team choice a season ago in the back. He was named the Hoosiers' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Tudela has been a constant in the midfield for the Hoosiers all season long. He has had a career year with 14 points on five goals and four assists. His goals and assists totals rank among the top 10 in the conference. The Evansville, Ind., native earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10 after scoring three goals in a pair of IU victories over Louisville and Michigan.
Zayner, a Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy candidate, organizes a Hoosier defense that tops the Big Ten in both shutouts and goals against average. The Orland Park, Ill., native is a mainstay in a stingy Hoosier defense that ranks sixth nationally in shutout percentage (12 of 19 opponents) and ranks 15th in the country in goals against average at 0.64 from his center back position. Against Ohio State on Oct. 26, Zayner scored his first career goal, heading in a corner kick during the first half.
Nguyen and freshman midfielder Brad Ring were named to the All-Freshman Team. Nguyen was one of seven unanimous All-Freshman Team selections. Ring was one of four midfielders named to the rookie squad. The Rockford, Ill., native has been a valuable contributor off the bench for the Hoosiers. He has played in 17 matches, while making two starts. He started in the defensive midfield position for the Hoosiers in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament in place of Plotkin, who was forced to sit out due to accumulated yellow cards. Ring scored his first career goal for the Hoosiers on a 40-yard bomb in a 5-0 victory over then-No. 25 Cal State-Northridge on Sept. 16.
The Hoosiers return to action on Friday, Nov. 11, in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships. IU will face second-seeded Ohio State at 2:15 p.m. CT at the Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex in Evanston, Ill. The other semifinal will be top-seed Penn State and fourth-seeded Michigan State at 11:45 a.m. CT on Friday. The Big Ten title game will be played at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 13, and will be televised live on College Sports Television (CSTV).
