Indiana University Athletics
No. 9 Indiana To Meet Ohio State on Saturday
10/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 13, 2006
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The 9th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers (9-3-2, 2-0-1 Big Ten) will look to remain the only undefeated team in the Big Ten Conference on Saturday, Oct. 14 as they take on Ohio State.
Hoosier News and Notes
o The Hoosiers are on a seven-game unbeaten streak after defeating in-state rival IUPUI 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 10. Sophomore Kevin Noschang scored the game-winner and had an assist on the night, while senior Josh Tudela also had a goal and an assist in the game.
o With two goals last week, freshman Eric Alexander earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors, was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week on Oct. 9, and was on the Soccer America Team of the Week on Oct. 11.
o Sophomore goalkeeper Chay Cain was honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9, and was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week. He made 10 saves last week for the Hoosiers.
o The Hoosiers are currently first in the Big Ten standings. They remain the only unbeaten team in the conference.
o Indiana is currently ranked at No. 10 by the National Coaches Association of America, and No. 9 by Soccer America. The Hoosiers are ranked second in the Great Lakes Region behind No. 1 Notre Dame.
Scouting Ohio State
o Ohio State (7-5-2, 2-1-0 Big Ten) is on a four-game winning streak, which has included wins over No. 21 Akron (1-0) on Sept. 26, Penn State (2-1) on Oct. 1, No. 22 Wisconsin (2-0) on Oct. 8 and most recently Louisville (1-0) on Oct. 11.
o The key to the game for the Hoosiers will be shutting down Xavier Balc, who leads the Big Ten with 19 points on the year (6 goals, 7 assists). No other Buckeye has more than five points this season. Ryan Kustos has five points (2 goals, 1 assist), while Tim Gabel has scored twice for four points.
o Led by goalkeeper Casey Latchem, Ohio State is holding opponents to 0.84 goals per game. He has 51 saves on the year. Dustin Kirby, Tim Gabel, Eric Brunner and Jim Fisher also play key roles for the defense.
o The Hoosiers hold a 31-1-1 all-time record against the Buckeyes. Last season, the two teams played to a 2-2 draw in the regular season, but Indiana defeated Ohio State 3-0 in the Big Ten Tournament. The one Indiana loss in the series came in 2000 (1-0).
Coach's Corner
Head coach Mike Freitag previews the team's upcoming game with Ohio State.
Ohio State is a team that is hitting its stride. They played a difficult schedule early on, and they're now battle ready for Big Ten play. They had a big win against Wisconsin in their last conference game, and now they're looking to set a trap for the Hoosiers. We are looking forward to the game. They are trying to have their biggest crowd of the year on Saturday, but we like that kind of atmosphere. We expect a very challenging game. It's going to be an important game in determining the final Big Ten standings.
Xavier Balc is a talented player who has the ability to score goals, and we'll have to keep a close eye on him. If you give him time and space, he can do some damage to your team.
Our last game might have been a defining moment in our season. At the end of regulation, you could see the fire in their eyes, how they weren't about to let us lose that game. I felt really good about that. I think we are doing some really good things on the playing field. Although we still miss Darren Yeagle, several players have stepped up to score goals in recent games, including Eric Alexander, Kevin Noschang and Josh Tudela. This is a team, and we're going to do it by committee. It's going to be a team success. Everyone is going to contribute.
Recapping the IUPUI Game
o Sophomore Kevin Noschang scored just 1:38 into overtime as Indiana overcame a late IUPUI rally to down the Jaguars on Oct. 10, 3-2.
o After IUPUI's Vangel Nacovski scored twice in the final five minutes of regulation to force the extra period, the Hoosiers came out with renewed focus and quickly put the game away. Freshman Lee Hagedorn took a pass from Josh Tudela and fronted up his defender before laying it off to Noschang, who blasted a shot into the upper right 90 from about 15 yards out.
o The Hoosiers drew first blood in the contest, with Tudela getting Indiana on the board in the 15th minute. Tudela's strike came from the top of the 18, and found the lower right corner of the goal.
o Brian Ackley pushed Indiana's lead to 2-0 in the 54th minute, taking a Noschang cross and putting it home top shelf from about six yards out for his fifth goal of the season.
Outshooting Opponents
o The Hoosiers are averaging 15.2 shots per game, while their opponents are averaging just 9.1 shots per game.
o On four occasions this year, Indiana has held its opponents to six shots or fewer. The team outshot No. 8 Creighton 22-6, UAB 19-5, No. 2 Connecticut 17-3, and Kentucky 15-6.
o No. 2 Connecticut was held without a shot until the 74th minute of the game.
o Kentucky came into the game ranked third in the nation in scoring offense (3.11 goals per game).
The Corner Café
o Indiana holds an 91-49 advantage in corner kicks against opponents this season, and has had the advantage in 11 of 14 games this season.
o The Hoosiers have totaled two goals this year directly off corner kicks.
Overtime Is Our Time
o Of 14 games this season, eight have gone into overtime. Indiana is 5-1-2 in overtime games. The lone loss was a 5-4 loss to Notre Dame on Sept. 3. The latest that the Hoosiers have scored in a game that they won was against Michigan State on Oct. 1, as Darren Yeagle netted the game-winner 106:48 into the game. The fastest overtime goal came against IUPUI, 1:38 into overtime, by Kevin Noschang.
Alexander The Great
o Freshman midfielder Eric Alexander made a name for himself last week with his first and second career goals. He scored his first goal of the year against Louisville on Oct. 4, and tallied the only goal of the game vs. Northwestern on Oct. 7.
o Alexander was named as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9, earned a spot on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week on Oct. 9 and the Soccer America Team of the Week on Oct. 11.
Cain is Able...
o Sophomore goalkeeper Chay Cain has recorded four shutouts this season, and has 29 saves on the year. Cain recorded his first back-to-back shutouts against Louisville (2-0) on Oct. 4, and Northwestern (1-0) on Oct. 7.
o Cain was honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9, and was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week.
o Backed by a strong defense, he has a goals allowed average of 0.68, which is good for 20th in the country.
...With A Solid Supporting Cast
o The Indiana defense has been an integral part of keeping opponents off the board this season. Led by senior Julian Dieterle, juniors Charley Traylor and Greg Stevning, and freshman Ofori Sarkodie, the four players have kept other teams from getting many quality chances.
o Included in those victories were shutouts against Maryland (in exhibition), Kentucky, Akron and Northwestern. Kentucky (which came into the game averaging 3.11 goals per game) was held to just six shots.
Giving Them Tude'
o Senior midfielder Josh Tudela has been an important leader for the team this season. Although he has just two goals and an assist on the year, he has set up a number of goals several passes before the score. In addition, he has been strong on defense at center midfield.
o Tudela is a candidate for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, given to the Division I Player of the Year.
Youth Reigns
o Freshman Darren Yeagle is tied for first on the team with 11 points on the year (five goals, one assist). His last goal came against Michigan State on Oct. 1.
o Sophomore Brian Ackley has five goals on the year, and is third on the team with ten points.
o Freshman Eric Alexander has two goals and three assists on the year.
o Sophomore Brad Ring has scored twice, while sophomore John Mellencamp has two assists.
Can I Help You?
o Senior Kevin Robson leads the team with five assists on the year, while senior John Michael Hayden has three.
o Robson had an assist against Northwestern, one vs. Kentucky, two assists against Tulsa, and an assist against No. 2 Connecticut. He is ranked third in the Big Ten in assists.
o Hayden had assists against No. 8 Creighton, UAB and No. 15 Notre Dame.
Running Roby
o Senior Kevin Robson has three goals on the year and is tied for the team lead with 11 points. He scored two goals against Michigan on Sept. 24, and had an assist against Kentucky on Sept. 27, with another assist against Northwestern on Oct. 7.
o He earned Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week accolades for his efforts against No. 21 Akron and Michigan.
Smiley Scores
o Freshman Darren Yeagle (nicknamed Smiley by his teammates) is tied for the team lead with 11 points on the year (five goals, one assist).
o He was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Kentucky on Sept. 27 and Michigan State on Oct. 1. Against Michigan State, he scored the game-winning goal in the 107th minute, and was taken out in the box to earn the Hoosiers a penalty kick that tied the game in the 63rd minute.
Awards for Ackley
o Sophomore Brian Ackley has stepped up to be a force at forward for the Hoosiers. He has five goals on the season. Ackley also scored goals in each of the Hoosiers' exhibition games, against No. 1 Maryland and UIC.
o For his efforts during the first week of the season, he was named the Offensive MVP of the Mike Berticelli Tournament, College Soccer News Player of the Week, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and to the Soccer America Team of the Week.
Freshman Phenoms
o Darren Yeagle has started in 11 of the first 14 games for Indiana. Yeagle scored his first career goal against No. 2 Connecticut on Sept. 1. He currently is tied for the team lead with 11 points (five goals, one assist).
o Eric Alexander has started the last seven games, and has two goals and three assists on the year.
o Kevin Alston started in 11 of Indiana's first 14 games. Ofori Sarkodie has five starts on the year.
o Freshman Lee Hagedorn has also seen playing time.
Hoosiers Take On Ranked Teams
o The Hoosiers regularly play one of the toughest schedules in the nation. In its first 11 games this season, Indiana has played five teams ranked by the NSCAA, plus a ranked opponent in the preseason.
o Indiana has taken on No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. The Hoosiers defeated No. 1 Maryland 1-0 in exhibition action, tied No. 2 Connecticut 1-1, and fell to No. 3 Southern Methodist 1-0.
o Illinois-Chicago was not ranked in the preseason, but the team has moved into the top-25 with its play to start the year. Indiana defeated UIC 1-0 in exhibition play.
o Saint Louis, although not ranked the week it played the Hoosiers, was ranked 20th the next week. In addition, Kentucky has been ranked as high as No. 13 this year, and Northwestern was ranked at No. 14 earlier in the season. Michigan State was ranked as high as No. 13 by Soccer America, and the publication also had Ohio State ranked at No. 20 in their preseason poll.
o UAB has also been ranked in the top 25 this year. Indiana defeated UAB 2-1 in its second game of the season.
o The other three ranked teams that Indiana played were No. 8 Creighton, No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 21 Akron.
Hoosiers Lead Nation in Attendance
o The Hoosiers are one of college soccer's most watched teams year in and year out. This season, Indiana is averaging 2,663 fans per contest after seven home games.
o Last year, Indiana finished second in the nation in average attendance, pulling in 3,112 fans per game.
o During the 2003 campaign, IU led the nation in total attendance with a total of 28,778 attending Armstrong Stadium for 13 home affairs. Indiana averaged 2,214 for home matches, which ranked third nationally. In 2004, the Hoosiers averaged 2,385, leading the nation.
o The Hoosiers have a history of drawing large crowds. Indiana ranked among the top three in average attendance in 2001 and 2002. Also in 2001, the Hoosiers ranked third in total attendance with 25,630 visiting Armstrong Stadium. In 2001, the Hoosiers averaged 2,330 over their 11 games. The following season, the Hoosiers averaged 2,195, which was second nationally.
Indiana Selected To Win Big Ten Title
o Indiana edged out Penn State as the favorite to win the Big Ten men's soccer title as voted on by the conference coaches and announced by the Big Ten office Monday, Aug. 21.
o Penn State, which defeated Indiana both times the two teams met this year, was chosen to finish second. The poll is rounded out by Ohio State at No. 3, followed by Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan and Northwestern.
o The Hoosiers have won nine of the last 10 regular season titles, and 11 Big Ten Tournament titles.
