Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Set for Battle with No. 13 Penn State
10/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 7, 2006
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Setting the Scene
The Hoosiers play host to No. 13 Penn State Sunday at noon EDT with first place in the Big Ten on the line. The Nittany Lions enter today's game with a 8-3-2 overall record and a 4-1-0 record in Big Ten play, while the Hoosiers enter with an 8-2-3 record and a 4-0-0 mark in conference play. Indiana is in the midst of a 11-game unbeaten streak, having gon8-0-3 since the beginning of September.
The All-Time Series
Indiana and Penn State have gone head-to-head 15 times, with the Nittany Lions going 14-1-0 all time. The lone Hoosier victory came during the 1996 team's march to the Big Ten Tournament title in Columbus, Ohio. Since then, Penn State has won 11 in a row against the Hoosiers, including a 2-0 victory in University Park last season. PSU has not visited Bloomington since 2003, when the Lions took a close 2-1 decision.
Scouting The Nittany Lions
Penn State defeated Purdue in West Lafayette on Friday, 2-0, outshooting the Boilermakers 18-6 in the game and 13-0 in the first half. The Nittany Lions improved their record to 8-3-2 on the season, and are tied with Indiana and Illinois at the top of the Big Ten standings with 12 points (4-1-0). PSU is led by Aubrey Aden-Buie, who has eight goals and 18 points on the season, and Katie Schoepfer, who has six goals and 16 points on the year.
Last Time Out
The Hoosiers staved off a hard-fought effort from Evansville to earn a 1-0 victory at Black Beauty Field on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Lindsay McCarthy scored the game's only goal in the 18th minute, and Stacey Van Boxmeer earned her fifth shutout of the season. McCarthy put the Hoosiers on the board at 17:57 off a cross from Carrie DeFreece. DeFreece crossed a ball to the front, where it deflected to McCarthy, who spun and knocked a right-footed shot just inside the near post for her second goal of the season.
Media Information
Indiana Athletic Media Relations Staff Assistant Matt Brady is the primary media relations contact for the women's soccer team. He can be reached at his office (812-856-0215), via cell phone (413-222-2788) or e-mail (mlbrady@indiana.edu).
Babcock Gains Recognition
Junior defender Jenna Babcock earned her first-career Big Ten honor on Monday, Oct. 2, being named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week. Babcock, who was also named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Team of the Week and the SoccerBuzz.com Elite Team of the Week, has been the leader of a Hoosier defense that has allowed just five goals in its last 10 games. Over the weekend, IU held Michigan and Michigan State to an aggregate 13 shots and one goal. The Hoosiers are tied for the conference lead with eight goals allowed.
Outside the Box
Junior keeper Stacey Van Boxmeer picked up her fifth shutout of the season on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at Evansville. That total ties her for sixth on IU's single-season list with Shaunna Daugherty's 2002 season. The junior has seven career shutouts, which places her tied for fourth on the all-time list with Lauren Fabbro and Monica Cox. Indiana has six shutouts as a team this year, which is just two shy of the team record of eight, set in 1993 and matched in 1998.
Jersey Girl
Junior midfielder Lindsay McCarthy potted her second goal of the season in the Hoosiers' 1-0 win over Evansville on Oct. 4. The Galloway, N.J., native had an opportunity to make it a two-goal game, but keeper Whitney Raeon made a point-blank save midway through the second half to keep the score 1-0. McCarthy now has eight career goals, the third-most among active Hoosiers.
Using Her Head
Christie Kotynski has had a stellar season for the Hoosiers in the air this season, netting three goals, all on headers. Kotynski has also shown a flair for the clutch, as two of her three tallies have gone for game-tying goals and her goal against Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 1, was the game-winner. All three of Kotynski's goals have come in the final 16 minutes of regulation, and all three have been the final goal of the game.
Hey Arnold!
Freshman Kristin Arnold entered Sunday's contest against Michigan as one of the team's leaders in shots, but she had yet to score a point in her IU career. The Beavercreek, Ohio, native responded with a goal and an assist in IU's 2-1 win over Michigan for her first three career points. Arnold became the fifth IU freshman to register points on the season, joining Christie Kotynski (three goals), Liz Holby (one goal), Taylor Fallon (one assist) and Kelly Lawrence (one assist).
DeFreece Strikes Again
Carrie DeFreece scored her fourth goal of the season in IU's 1-0 win over Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 29. DeFreece has scored all four of her goals of the season in shutout victories, and has netted three game-winning goals for the Hoosiers. The Olathe, Kan., native now has seven goals in her Indiana career to go along with five career assists.
Earning Brownie Points
Senior Ali Brown doubled her career goals output on Sept. 24 with her first career multi-goal game. The midfielder netted both of IU's goals in the contest, and both came off free kicks. She also added the lone assist on Lauren Lamping's goal against Minnesota on Sept. 22. Brown now has four goals and 10 assists in her Hoosier career. The senior joined classmate Carrie DeFreece as the only Hoosiers with multi-goal games this season. Brown was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com and SoccerBuzz.com National Teams of the Week for her performance on the weekend.
Senioritis
The Hoosiers have seen significant contributions from their senior class this season. The top three scorers on the team (Lauren Lamping, Carrie DeFreece and Ali Brown) are all seniors, while Megan Pipkens and Lauren Dieter have combined for two assists on the season. The senior class is the second-smallest on the Hoosiers (there are two sophomores on the team), but the party of five has represented more than half of IU's points on the season.
Scoring by class:
Seniors: 8-10-26 (52 %)
Juniors: 5-1-11 (22 %)
Sophomores: 0-0-0
Freshmen: 5-3-13 (26 %)
Going Streaking
With the Hoosiers' 1-0 victory over Evansville, Indiana extended its unbeaten streak to 11 games, the second-longest in school history. Indiana won 14 games in a row between Oct. 3, 1993, and Sept. 14, 1994. During the 11-game streak, IU has outscored its opponents 17-7, and has scored the game's first goal in nine of the 11 contests. The Hoosiers wrapped up an undefeated September (6-0-3) with their 1-0 win over Michigan State on Sept. 29, marking the first time in program history that IU has gone unbeaten in a full month. The Hoosiers are also 4-0-0 in the Big Ten for the first time in school history, with the previous best Big Ten start being a 3-1-0 mark to begin the 1998 season, when the Hoosiers took the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In the Polls
Indiana's 11-game unbeaten streak has vaulted the Hoosiers into the Great Lakes regional rankings by both the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) and SoccerBuzz.com. The Hoosiers are ranked sixth in the Soccer Buzz poll, and have climbed to No. 4 in the NSCAA polls, ahead of Big Ten rival Purdue by a slim margin. The Hoosiers are also receiving votes in both the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz national polls, the first time since 2003 that IU has garnered national recognition.
LL Cool Shot
Lauren Lamping's goal against Minnesota on Sept. 22 was her second of the season and her career. Lamping has added four assists this season, which leads the team. Lamping has posted career-highs in goals, assists and points this year. She has also been a starter on the defense in all 11 contests and has been a crucial part of a defense that has allowed just five goals in its last 11 games.
Watching the Milestones
Against Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 29, the Hoosiers recorded the 125th win in the history of the program, with Stacey Van Boxmeer registering the victory. The Hoosiers also reached the 600-save mark in Big Ten play in program history. Additionally, Ali Brown's first-half goal against Ohio State on Sept. 24 represented the 350th point in IU history during Big Ten play. IU is just one score away from reaching 400 goals as a program and is just three away from reaching 125 goals in Big Ten play.
Keepink `em Blank
When Charlotte scored with just 20 seconds to play in the first half of the Hoosiers' 1-1 tie with the 49ers on Sept. 15, it stopped the second-longest shutout streak in IU history. Heading into the game, the Hoosiers had run off three straight shutouts, the seventh time in program history that Indiana has recorded three or more shutouts in a row and the first since Oct. 3-10, 2003, when IU shut out Iowa (1-0), Marshall (4-0) and Michigan (0-0).
Longest scoreless streaks:
808:34 Oct. 2-31, 1993
404:57 Sept. 1, 2006-Sept. 15, 2006
366:39 Sept. 28-Oct. 12, 2003
329:38 Sept. 1-18, 1998
Climbing the Ladder
Several other Hoosiers are approaching individual milestones, including senior forward Megan Pipkens. Pipkens is tied for sixth on the Hoosiers' list in career assists (12) and is eighth in career shots (119). The Holt, Mich., native is tied with Kris Fosdick for sixth and is one behind Carrie Watts on the all-time assists list. The senior is just two assists behind Emily Hotz, who is fourth in IU history.
Right behind Pipkens on the career assists list is her classmate, Ali Brown. Brown's assist against Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 1, was the 11th in her career, which ties her for eighth on the school's all-time list.
Stacey Van Boxmeer's 107 career saves and her 14 career wins are fifth-most in IU history. The junior needs one wins and 26 saves to move past Lauren Fabbro into fourth on both lists. With her shutout of Evansville, she moved slightly ahead of Fabbro in goals against average (1.089 to 1.094) for third on the all-time list.
Shot Down
Against Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 29, each team registered five shots, marking the first time this season that the Hoosiers have not outshot an opponent. Indiana now has 215 shots on the year, 16.5 per game, which is third-most in the Big Ten behind Purdue (273) and Penn State (228). IU has allowed just 106 shots on the season, which the lowest total in the conference this season. Indiana has more than double the number of shots that its opponents have, a total of 109 shots more than the opposition.
Home Sweet Home
The Hoosiers have played five games this season on Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium, and so far the results have been very strong for IU. Indiana has won all five contests, scoring 10 goals, and had not allowed a goal until OSU's Lara Dickenmann scored in the 46th minute on Sept. 24. The five-game home win streak is the longest for the Hoosiers since 1998, when IU went a perfect 8-0-0 at Armstrong on the way to a berth in the NCAA Tournament. In 2005, the Hoosiers were 5-3-1 at Armstrong Stadium and outscored their opponents 15-10 at the venue.
