Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Host Top-Ranked Akron on Senior Night
11/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 2, 2005
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The two-time defending national champion Indiana men's soccer team caps the 2005 regular season with senior night against No. 1 Akron. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. on Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium. The senior trio of Mike Ambersley, Jordan Chirico and Brian Plotkin will be recognized for their contributions to the Hoosiers tradition.
The No. 5 Hoosiers are unbeaten in their last nine match with a 6-0-3 mark. Indiana also is coming off the first three-goal comeback in school history. IU scored three second-half goals to erase a 3-0 halftime deficit at No. 3 Maryland on Saturday, Oct. 29.
The first 500 fans in attendance will receive an IU adidas stocking hat. Chartwells Concessions stands will sell popcorn for only a $1, while supplies last.
Hoosier News and Notes
- Indiana is ranked No. 2 in the Great Lakes Region according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Akron holds down the top spot in the Great Lakes region.
- IU is unbeaten in its last nine matches this season. During that stretch, the Hoosiers are 6-0-3.
- 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 tied for 20th on the career goals list with 27 during his three-year career. Peterson needs one goal to move into a tie for 19th. He is 18th with 169 career shots. The Portage, Mich., native needs one more attempt 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 254, trailing seventh-place Aleksey Korol by seven. 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.
- Senior Mike Ambersley ranks among IU's top 25 in career shots. He is 23rd with 153 career attempts. He trails Matt Fundenberger, who is 22nd, by nine 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.
- Freshman Lee Nguyen ranks 12th nationally in assists per game (0.59). He has 10 assists in 17 matches this season.
- As a team (as of Oct. 30), Indiana ranked 11th nationally in shutout percentage, blanking 10 of 16 opponents. The Hoosier defense also ranks 19th in the country in goals against average at 0.71. IU ranks third nationally in goals per game with 2.82 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 Akron
Akron enters the affair as the consensus No. 1 team in the nation. The Zips are 16-0-1 on the season with the lone tie coming at St. John's, 2-2, on Oct. 12. Akron has already won the Mid-American Conference regular season title with a perfect 5-0 record. The Zips are one of the top teams in the country in scoring goals and preventing their opponent from scoring. Akron is first in the nation in goals per game at 3.18 per contest and rank third in goals against average at 0.41.
The Zips are coming off a weekend that saw them pick up a pair of 1-0 victories. Akron defeated Michigan in overtime before beating Kentucky.
The Zips have five players with double-digit points. They are led by senior forward Ross McKenzie who has 37 points on 15 goals and seven assists. McKenzie's numbers rank among the top in the nation. He is fifth in points per game (2.18) and in goals per game at (0.88). Junior midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic is not far behind with 30 points on 12 goals and six assists. Freshman forward Geir Nyheim, freshman midfielder Matt Tutich and senior midfielder Amico DiFranco round out the double-digit scorers for Akron with 19 point (8g, 3a), 13 points (6g, 1a) and 10 points (4g, 2a), respectively.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Evan Bush has seen almost every minute of action in net for the Zips. He has stated all 17 matches making 42 saves. Bush has a goals against average of 0.41 and 11 shutouts. His goals against average ranks third nationally.
Indiana is 22-3-1 all-time against Akron. The Hoosiers had a 10-match winning streak snapped against Akron the last time the two teams met. The Zips defeated IU, 1-0, in overtime at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament in 2003.
Senior Accomplishments
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 Hoosiers have gone 61-12-14 over the last four seasons with a pair of national championships.
The threesome is doing its best to make its final season in Bloomington a magical one. The examples being set by the elder statesmen are being followed as the Hoosiers' are unbeaten in their last nine matches (6-0-3).
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 notched a goal and an assist against both Wisconsin and Butler this season. He has a career best nine points on the year with two goals and five assist. The five helpers rank him sixth in the Big Ten Conference. It total, Chirico has 75 career games played and 36 starts for the Hoosiers. He has 19 career points on six goals and seven assists. Last season, the Conesus, N.Y., native scored what proved to be the game-winner against Tulsa in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Ambersley has been a model of consistency whether it is in the midfield or up front as a forward. The Ballwin, Mo., native has already surpassed his point and goal totals from a season ago with 15 points and five goals this season. He ranks ninth in the Big Ten in points, seventh in goals and sixth in assists. The former Big Ten Freshman of the Year has started 76 of his 82 games played in the cream and crimson. The Ballwin, Mo., native has 51 career points on 16 goals and 19 assists.
Plotkin has been the leader of the Hoosiers this season. He tops the squad in points (23) and game-winners (3). The Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy candidate leads the conference in points, while ranking second in assists (9) and third in goals (7). Twice this season, Plotkin has been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. He is tied for 10th on the Hoosiers' career assists list 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 254. 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.
Nguyen Earns Honors
Freshman forward Lee Nguyen was named College Soccer News National Player of the Week, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and IU Athlete of the Week following his performances against Notre Dame (Oct. 26) and Maryland (Oct. 29). The Richardson, Texas, native notched the game-winner against the Irish, while spearheading the first three-goal comeback in school history against Maryland.
Against Notre Dame, Nguyen bent in a beautiful free kick from 25 yards out for the game-winner. After senior midfielder Brian Plotkin drew the foul to set up the play, Nguyen sent the shot from the left side into the upper right corner, leaving 6-6 Irish goalkeeper Chris Cahill with no chance to stop it. It was Nguyen's second game-winner of the season and fifth goal during his rookie campaign.
In College Park, Md., Nguyen led the Hoosiers to one of the most improbable of comebacks, as IU scored three goals in the final 17 minutes to forge a 3-3 tie with the third-ranked Terrapins. He had two official assists, but had a hand in all three Hoosier tallies.
With precious seconds coming off, it looked as though the Indiana comeback attempt would fall painstakingly short. Nguyen sent a corner kick to the far side of the six-yard box where sophomore back Greg Stevning headed home the equalizer with just five second remaining.
Nguyen became the first Hoosier since Ned Grabavoy on Oct. 13, 2003, to be named College Soccer News National Player of the Week. It is the second Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award of the season for Nguyen. He also earned the honor on Sept. 19.
Maryland Comeback
The Hoosiers pulled one of greatest comebacks in school history again the Maryland Terrapin on Saturday, Oct. 29. Trailing 3-0 in the second half, Indiana reeled off three goals in the final 17 minutes of regulation culminating in a goal from sophomore back Greg Stevning with five seconds remaining to forge to 3-3 tie with the third-ranked Terps. It marked the first time in school history the Hoosiers had overcome a three-goal deficit.
Indiana drew within two at 3-1 in the 74th minute when freshman Lee Nguyen found junior Jacob Peterson on the back post. Nguyen beat a defender on the right flank and dribbled into the penalty area. He sent a cross that ended up on the back post where Peterson hammered it home.
Nguyen again wreaked havoc on the Terrapin defense, closing the gap to 3-2 less than two minutes later. In similar fashion to the opening Hoosier marker, Nguyen found space in the right side of the 18. He sent a centering cross that appeared to be intended for senior midfielder Mike Ambersley, who like Peterson on the first IU goal, was on the back post. Instead of finding Ambersley, the ball deflected off a Maryland defender and rolled just inside the left post.
With precious seconds coming off, it looked as though the Indiana comeback attempt would fall painstakingly short. After a throw-in by freshman Brad Ring was cleared out for a corner kick, the Hoosiers scrambled to get the opportunity off. Junior midfielder John Michael Hayden placed the ball down, and Nguyen took the corner after sprinting from the far side of the field. His cross to the left corner of the six found the head of Stevning, who headed the ball on net. The shot was nearly cleared by the Maryland defense, but the ball caromed off the crossbar, down and in.
Freshman Record?
Freshman forward Lee Nguyen is one assist away from equaling the freshmen record of 11 set by current assistant coach Todd Yeagley during the 1991 season. With his two assists against Maryland, Nguyen moved his season total to 10. That number not only leads the Hoosiers but tops the Big Ten Conference. Nguyen also ranks 12th nationally in assists per game at 0.59 per contest.
