Indiana University Athletics
No. 9 Indiana Travels to Indianapolis To Face Butler
10/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 23, 2006
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 9 Indiana men's soccer team closes out its non-conference schedule on Tuesday, Oct. 24 against Butler. The game will be played at the Butler Bowl in Indianapolis at 4 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 27, the Hoosiers will close out the regular season against Wisconsin, in a battle for the Big Ten regular season championship.
Hoosier News and Notes
• The Hoosiers saw a six-game winning streak snapped on Friday, Oct. 20, with a 1-0 loss to Big Ten rival Penn State. Indiana is tied for first in the Big Ten standings with Wisconsin. The Hoosiers face the Badgers on Friday, Oct. 27, in a battle for the Big Ten regular season championship.
• After starting the season 3-3-1, Indiana has since gone 7-1-1 in its last nine games. Comparisons have been made to the 2003 season, when the Hoosiers started the year 2-3-4, but won 15 of their last 16 games en route to the NCAA Championship.
• Of the 24 goals that Indiana has scored this season, 16 of them have come from players that are of freshman or sophomore standing, led by freshman Darren Yeagle and sophomore Brian Ackley. Both players have five goals on the year.
• Seven players who have either freshman or sophomore standing have played their way into the starting lineup in the second half of the season. Sophomores John Mellencamp, Chay Cain and Brian Ackley, and freshmen Darren Yeagle, Eric Alexander, Kevin Alston and Ofori Sarkodie have all been regular faces in the starting lineup.
• Indiana is currently ranked No. 9 in the National Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll, released Oct. 16, and No. 7 in the Soccer America poll, released Oct. 23 . The Hoosiers are ranked second in the Great Lakes Region behind No. 1 Notre Dame.
Scouting Butler
• Butler is 6-9-2 on the year. The Bulldogs are on a two-game winning streak after upsetting No. 17 Illinois-Chicago 1-0 on Oct. 15, then defeating IUPUI 3-1 on Oct. 18.
• The Bulldogs are led in scoring by Frank Patano, who has seven goals and one assist on the year. John DeVae has scored five goals with one assist.
• Butler is led on defense by Aaron Thompson, Austin Evans and Paul Mongillo. Frank Peabody has started all 17 games in goal, making 52 saves.
• Indiana holds a 15-1-1 record all-time against Butler. Last year, the Hoosiers defeated the Bulldogs 6-0 in Bloomington. Seniors Kevin Robson and John Michael Hayden each scored goals in the win. Indiana's lone loss in the series came in the 1995 NCAA Tournament, a 1-0 defeat.
Recapping the Penn State Game
• In a hard-fought, physical contest, Indiana saw its six-game winning streak snapped with a 1-0 loss to Big Ten rival Penn State in University Park on Friday evening, Oct. 20. Although the Hoosiers outshot the Nittany Lions 9-5 in the game, and 5-1 in the second half, Indiana was unable to net the equalizer.
• Penn State scored just 1:59 into the contest. Jeff Chambers centered a corner kick to David Gray, who netted his second goal of the season off a header.
• Indiana's best chance to score came in the 40th minute, as Brad Ring centered a cross to Eric Alexander, and Alexander's shot was saved by Penn State goaltender Conrad Taylor.
• The loss marked the third straight game that Indiana has fallen to Penn State, dating back to last season.
Coach's Corner
Head coach Mike Freitag previews the team's upcoming game with in-state rival Butler.
Butler is one of those local battles that's always a tough match. I saw them play recently against Illinois-Chicago, and they won that game. They're a very confident team, and it shows that they can step up and beat a ranked team. Coach Kelly Findley had his team pumped and ready to play against UIC, and they were the better team that day. I know he'll be have the Bulldogs organized and pumped and ready to try to make a statement against the Hoosiers.
I feel really good about the Hoosiers right now, even after a tough loss to the Nittany Lions. I liked the way that we played, especially in the second half. If we continue to play like that we'll take care of business. We're not looking past Butler, although we have a big game against Wisconsin down the road. We'll take it one game at a time, and we're going to try to tame the Bulldogs first.
Spreading the Wealth
• The Hoosiers have seen 10 different players score goals this season, while 10 different players have at least one assist on the year.
• Led by freshman Darren Yeagle and sophomore Brian Ackley with five goals each, seven players have two or more goals this season.
• Four players have three or more assists on the year, led by senior Kevin Robson, who has five.
Outshooting Opponents
• The Hoosiers are averaging 14.6 shots per game, while their opponents are averaging just 9.6 shots per game.
• On five 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, Kentucky 15-6, and Penn State 9-5.
• No. 2 Connecticut was held without a shot until the 74th minute of the game.
• Kentucky came into the game ranked third in the nation in scoring offense (3.11 goals per game).
The Corner Café
• Indiana holds a 101-63 advantage in corner kicks against opponents this season, and has had the advantage in 12 of 16 games.
• The Hoosiers have totaled two goals this year directly off corner kicks.
Overtime Is Our Time
• Of 16 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
• Freshman midfielder Eric Alexander has made a name for himself with his first and second career goals this season. 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.
• Alexander was named as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9, and 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.
• ESPNSoccernet recognized several players and teams on Oct. 15 for their performances this season, and Alexander was recognized as the best freshman.
Cain is Able...
• Sophomore goalkeeper Chay Cain has recorded five shutouts this season, and has 36 saves on the year. Cain had three straight shutouts from Oct. 4 through Oct. 14, which came against Louisville (2-0) on Oct. 4, Northwestern (1-0) on Oct. 7, and Ohio State (1-0) on Oct. 14. Only once this season has he allowed more than one goal, in a 2-2 tie against Michigan on Sept. 24.
• Cain was honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9. He has been named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week two consecutive weeks, on Oct. 9 and Oct. 16.
• Backed by a strong defense, he has a goals against average of 0.69, which is good for 20th in the country.
...With A Solid Supporting Cast
• 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.
• Included in those victories were shutouts against Maryland (in exhibition), Creighton, Kentucky, Akron, Northwestern and Ohio State. Kentucky (which came into the game averaging 3.11 goals per game) was held to just six shots.
Giving Them Tude'
• 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.
• Tudela is a candidate for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, given to the Division I Player of the Year.
Youth Reigns
• 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. He sat out four games in early October due to illness.
• Sophomore Brian Ackley has five goals on the year, and is third on the team with 10 points.
• Freshman Eric Alexander has two goals and three assists on the year.
• Sophomore Brad Ring has scored twice, while sophomore John Mellencamp has three assists and freshman Lee Hagedorn has one assist.
Can I Help You?
• Senior Kevin Robson leads the team with five assists on the year, while senior John Michael Hayden, sophomore John Mellencamp and freshman Eric Alexander each have three.
• Robson is currently ranked third in the Big Ten in assists.
Running Roby
• 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.
• Robson leads the team with five assists, and is currently ranked third in the conference in the category.
• He earned Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week accolades for his efforts against No. 21 Akron and Michigan.
Smiley Scores
• Freshman Darren Yeagle (nicknamed Smiley by his teammates) is tied for the team lead with 11 points on the year (five goals, one assist). He has recently missed four games due to illness, but returned to the pitch against Penn State on Oct. 20.
• 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
• Sophomore Brian Ackley has stepped up to be a force at forward for the Hoosiers. He is tied for the team lead with five goals on the season. Ackley also scored goals in each of the Hoosiers' exhibition games, against No. 1 Maryland and UIC.
• 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
• Darren Yeagle has started in 11 of the first 16 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.
• Eric Alexander has started the last eight games, and has two goals and three assists on the year.
• Kevin Alston has started in 12 of Indiana's first 15 games. Ofori Sarkodie has six starts on the year.
• Freshman Lee Hagedorn has also seen playing time, netting his first career assist against IUPUI.
Hoosiers Take On Ranked Teams
• The Hoosiers regularly play one of the toughest schedules in the nation. In its first 11 games this season, Indiana played five teams ranked by the NSCAA, plus a ranked opponent in the preseason.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• UAB has also been ranked in the top 25 this year. Indiana defeated UAB 2-1 in its second game of the season. In addition, Penn State was ranked 13th in the preseason poll.
• The other three ranked teams that Indiana played were No. 8 Creighton, No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 21 Akron.
