Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Set for Weekend Pair
9/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 28, 2005
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The two-time defending national champion Indiana men's soccer team will host Penn State on Friday, Sept. 30, as part of the Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) College Soccer Game of the Week. The Hoosier-Nittany Lion affair is slated for 7 p.m. on Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium. On Sunday, Oct. 2, No. 5 IU will step outside of conference play to face IUPUI in Bloomington. Game time for that match is slated for 2:30 p.m. Both matches will be part of an IU soccer men's and women's doubleheader.
The FSC Game of the Week will be the first television appearance of the 2005 campaign for the Hoosiers. Indiana is 12-3-1 all-time on television, including a 7-0-1 mark in its last eight appearances. The first 2,000 fans attending the Hoosiers' tussle with Penn State will receive an IU Soccer poster compliments of adidas. The match will also serve as youth soccer night.
Hoosier News and Notes
- Indiana is currently riding a 12-match unbeaten streak dating back to last season. The Hoosiers finished the 2004 season by winning five straight matches to claim the national championship. In 2005, IU is 4-0-3 in its opening seven matches. IU had a 23-match unbeaten streak that stretched from the final 18 matches of the 2003 season and the first five of the 2004 season.
- Indiana is ranked No. 2 in the Great Lakes Region according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
- The Hoosiers are 23-6-3 all-time against Penn State, including a 12-1-1 mark at Armstrong Stadium.
- IU is 5-0 all-time against IUPUI with all five matches coming at Armstrong Stadium.
- With a 0-0 tie against Michigan State on Sept. 25, the Hoosiers improved to 13-0-2 in Big Ten Conference openers.
- Junior forward Jacob Peterson currently ranks among the Hoosier top 25 in two career categories. He is tied for 23rd on the career goals list with 23 during his three-year career. Peterson needs two goals to move into a tie for 21st. He also is 22nd with 150 career shots. The Portage, Mich., native needs 12 more attempts to move into 21st.
- Senior midfielder Brian Plotkin ranks among the IU all-time top 25 in two categories as well. He is tied for 14th in assists with 28 career helpers. With his next assist, he will move into a tie for 13th place with Herb Haller. Plotkin ranks 11th on IU's career shots list with 227, trailing 10th place Angelo DiBernardo by an attempt.
- Senior Mike Ambersley ranks among IU's top 25 in career shots. He is 25th with 130 career attempts and trails 24th place Chad Deering by seven shots.
- Peterson recorded his second career hat trick and 48th in the 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 ninth nationally in goals against average (GAA) at 0.41. He had a career-best seven saves in a victory over Cal State-Northridge on Sept. 16.
- As a team, Indiana ranks ninth nationally in goals per game with 2.57 per contest. IU is fourth in shutout percentage, having blanked five of seven opponents. Indiana is sixth in goals against average (0.39).
- Indiana is averaging 3,279 fans per match at Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers have drawn 9,838 total fans in three home matches this season. Despite heavy rain throughout the day on Sept. 25 against Michigan State, 1,410 Hoosier faithful came out to support IU.
Scouting Penn State
The Nittany Lions have struggled through the early part of the season with a record of 2-5-2. Penn State has found it difficult to find the back of the net in the early going, scoring only five goals through its first nine affairs.
Freshman forward Jason Yeisley leads PSU in scoring with six points on two goals and two assists. Junior forward Simon Omekanda also has two goals for Penn State. Sophomore goalkeeper Conrad Taylor has every decision in net for the Nittany Lions. He has a goals against average of 0.84 with 24 saves and three shutouts.
Penn State has faced some difficult opponents through the first part of its schedule, including matches with then-No. 8 and now top-ranked New Mexico (a 2-0 loss), then-No. 17 UCLA (a 1-0 loss) and then-No. 6 Maryland (a 1-0 victory). Against the Terps, Simon Omekanda scored in the second minute of play as PSU pulled off the upset. The Nittany Lions also have a victory over Cal State-Fullerton, 2-0.
Most recently, the Nittany Lions tied St. Bonaventure, 1-1, on Sept. 27. PSU also fell in overtime, 1-0, to George Mason on Sept. 24.
The IU/Penn State match figures to be a good one, as the last five clashes between the two schools were decided by one goal or less. IU is 3-1-1 in its last five matches against the Nittany Lions with the lone tie coming in the Big Ten Tournament Championship match in 2003. Indiana claimed the title 4-1 on penalty kicks. IU holds the all-time advantage over Penn State at 23-6-3, including a 12-1-1 mark in Bloomington. The Hoosiers are 12-1-1 in last 14 matches against the Nittany Lions.
Scouting IUPUI
IUPUI sits at 2-5-1 heading into the weekend with a 0-1 record in the Mid-Continent Conference. The Jaguars are riding a four-match losing streak going into their conference affair with Oral Roberts on Friday, Sept. 30.
The Jaguars own victories over Winthrop, 1-0, and Marian College, 3-0, on the young season. Their lone tie came at the IPFW Classic against Niagara, 2-2. All five Jaguar losses have come by one goal. Those defeats include falling to Western Illinois (2-1), Northwestern (2-1), Detroit-Mercy (3-2), Butler (1-0) and Bellarmine (3-2).
IUPUI is led by junior midfielder Vangel Nacovski. He has 11 points on four goals and three assists during the 2005 campaign. Sophomore midfielder Chris Wey ranks second on the team with seven points on three goals and an assist. Junior goalkeeper Peter Brasovan has played every minute in goal for the Jaguars. He has 38 saves in eight matches and a goals against average of 1.55.
Indiana is 5-0 all-time against IUPUI. The two teams have played in Bloomington each of the last five seasons. In 2004, IU dominated the Jaguars, 4-0, including a 36-0 advantage on shots.
Big Ten Rankings
A number of Hoosiers rank among the top 10 in the Big Ten Conference in different categories. In fact, IU leads the Big Ten in every major team category through the first four weeks of the regular season. Here is a look at how the Hoosiers fare in the conference rankings:
All Game Rankings
Indiana
1st in Goal (18)
1st in Points (51)
1st in Assists (15)
1st in Shots (131)
1st in Goals Allowed (3)
1st in Shutouts (4)
Mike Ambersley
T-3rd in Assists (3)
John Michael Hayden
T-9th in Goals (2)
T-9th in Shots (16)
Chris Munroe
2nd in GAA (0.41)
T-2nd in Shutouts (4)
7th in Saves (16)
Lee Nguyen
2nd in Shots (27)
T-7th in Assists (2)
T-9th in Points (6)
T-9th in Goals (2)
Kevin Noschang
T-7th in Assists (2)
Jacob Peterson
1st in Goals (5)
T-2nd in Points (10)
T-6th in Shots (19)
Brian Plotkin
1st in Points (12)
T-1st in Assists (4)
T-1st in Game-Winning Goals (2)
T-2nd in Goals (4)
T-3rd in Shots (23)
Josh Tudela
T-7th in Assists (2)
T-9th in Points (6)
T-9th in Goals (2
Freshmen Firsts
A quartet of Hoosier freshmen have registered their first collegiate points. True freshmen Lee Nguyen and Brad Ring along with redshirt freshmen Billy Weaver and Kevin Noschang have found the scoring column for the first time in their Hoosier careers.
Nguyen notched his first collegiate point, registering an assist on the eventual game-winner against Cal State-Northridge on Sept. 16. He also scored his first goal in the match. Ring followed suit by scoring his first goal on a bullet from 35 yards in the 68th minute against the Matadors.
Noschang and Weaver notched their first collegiate points at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. Noschang assisted on the equalizer in the early stages of the second half against Saint Louis on Sept. 9. Weaver scored his first career goal, putting in his own rebound in the second half against Boston University on Sept. 11.
4,000-plus Back-to-Back Home Attendance
The Hoosiers racked up two straight home games with back-to-back attendance of over 4,000 during the 2005 adidas/IU Credit Union Classic on Sept. 2 and 4. It marked the third time in school history that the Hoosiers had back-to-back home matches of over 4,000 and it was the fourth highest two-match total in the school annals. It is also the third-largest two-day total crowd in adidas/IU Credit Union Classic history. Here are the top two-match attended totals in school history:
Back-to-Back Game Total Attendance
1. 1987 - 10500 - Sept. 4 vs. South Carolina (4500) and Sept. 5 vs. SMU (6000)
2. 1988 - 8465 - Dec. 3 vs. Portland (3297) and Dec. 4 vs. Howard (5168) *
3. 1995 - 8444 - Sept. 2 vs. N.C. State (4307) and Sept. 3 vs. Boston University (4137)
4. 2005 - 8428 - Sept. 2 vs. Wake Forest (4272) and Sept. 4 vs. SMU (4156)
* - was the 1988 NCAA College Cup held in Bloomington
Hoosiers on FSC
Indiana will be part of 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 will be televised live on FSC as part of the eight-game Friday night package. Over the past eight years, the Hoosiers are 12-3-1 on television, playing games on CSTV, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports Net and CN8: The Comcast Net.
"Indiana University Soccer is excited to be a part of the Fox Soccer Channel and NSCAA television package," Indiana head coach Mike Frietag said. "College soccer is a great product, and we are happy that it is going to be on television. This opportunity will give people a chance to see the quality of soccer that the college ranks has to offer. They also will see the number of talented players."
The Indiana/Penn State matchup will be the third College Soccer Game of the Week telecast on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. CT. The 2004 game between the conference foes was broadcast on CN8: The Comcast Net, which IU won, 2-1, in Happy Valley.
The match up figures to be a good one, with four of the last five clashes between the two schools being decided by one goal. IU is 3-1-1 in its last five matches against the Nittany Lions with the lone tie coming in the Big Ten Tournament Championship match in 2003. Indiana claimed the title 4-1 on penalty kicks.
Sean Wheelock, a veteran of Major League Soccer broadcasts and other MLS programming, including the MLS SuperDraft, will serve as the primary announcer for each game.
The NSCAA and Fox Soccer Channel have hired Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Cultural Videos Communications to handle the live production of all eight games. Cultural Videos' executive producer David Bolton will serve as producer/director for all of the college soccer on Fox Soccer Channel broadcasts.
Indiana History on Television
Dec. 12, 2004 - ESPN - Indiana def. UCSB, 3-2, in PKs at the College Cup
Dec. 11, 2004 - ESPN - Indiana def. Maryland, 3-2, in 2OT at the College Cup
Oct. 1, 2004 - CN8: The Comcast Net - Indiana def. Penn State, 2-0, in University Park
Sept. 15, 2004 - CSTV - Indiana def. Notre Dame, 2-0, in Bloomington
Dec. 14, 2003 - ESPN2 - Indiana def. St. John's, 2-1, at the College Cup
Dec. 13, 2003 - ESPN2 - Indiana def. Santa Clara, 1-0, in 2OT at the College Cup
Nov. 16, 2003 - CSTV - Indiana tied Penn State, 1-1, at the Big Ten Tournament
Oct. 24, 2003 - CSTV - Indiana def. Saint Louis, 2-1, in Bloomington
Dec. 16, 2001 - ESPN - North Carolina def. Indiana, 2-0, at the College Cup
Dec. 15, 2001 - ESPN2 - Indiana def. St. John's, 2-1, in 2OT at the College Cup
Dec. 9, 2000 - ESPN - Creighton def. Indiana, 2-1, in 3OT at the College Cup
Dec. 12, 1999 - ESPN - Indiana def. Santa Clara, 1-0, at the College Cup
Dec. 11, 1999 - ESPN2 - Indiana def. UCLA, 3-2, in 4OT at the College Cup
Dec. 13, 1998 - ESPN - Indiana def. Stanford, 3-1, at the College Cup
Dec. 11, 1998 - ESPN2 - Indiana def. Santa Clara, 4-0, at the College Cup
Dec. 12, 1997 - Fox Sports Net - UCLA def. Indiana, 1-0, in 3OT at the College Cup
