Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers to Begin Big Ten Play Against Michigan
9/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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Sept. 22, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana Hoosiers begin the Big Ten schedule against Michigan on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. The contest follows the women's soccer game against Ohio State at Noon.
Hoosier News and Notes
• Indiana defeated No. 21 Akron 2-0 in its last game on Sept. 20. Sophomore Brad Ring and freshman Darren Yeagle each scored a goal in the contest.
• The Michigan game marks the Big Ten opener for Indiana.
• After being ranked at No. 9 last week, the Hoosiers dropped out of the NSCAA coaches poll. Indiana is ranked 20th by Soccer America.
Scouting Michigan
• Michigan is 5-4-0 overall. The team defeated Oakland 3-0 in its last game.
• Perica Marosevic leads the Wolverines with five goals and one assist on the year. Jake Stacey has two goals with two assists. Michael Holody and Brian Popeney also have two goals and an assist each.
• On defense, Michigan is led by Kevin Hall, Michael O'Reilly and Kevin Savitskie. Patrick Sperry has made 35 saves in goal.
• Indiana leads the all-time series with Michigan 9-0. Last year the Hoosiers won 2-0 in Ann Arbor.
Hoosiers on Television
• Indiana is scheduled to have two regular season games air on television, beginning with the game vs. Saint Louis, which aired on CSTV on Sept 15.
• The Hoosiers are also scheduled to play Penn State on Fox Soccer Channel on Oct. 20.
• In the past nine years, Indiana is 14-6-2 on television.
Outshooting Opponents
• The Hoosiers are averaging 14.9 shots per game, while their opponents are averaging just 8.1 shots per game.
• On three occasions this year, Indiana has held its opponents to six shots or less. The team outshot No. 8 Creighton 22-6, UAB 19-5 and No. 2 Connecticut 17-3.
• No. 2 Connecticut was held without a shot until the 74th minute of the game.
The Corner Café
• Indiana holds a 54-24 advantage in corner kicks against opponents this season.
• The Hoosiers have totaled two goals this year directly off corner kicks.
Youth Reigns
• Freshman Darren Yeagle leads the team with nine points (4 goals, 1 assist). His last goal came against No. 21 Akron in the 75th minute.
• Sophomore Brian Ackley has three goals on the year, while sophomore Brad Ring has scored twice.
Can I Help You?
• Seniors John Michael Hayden and Kevin Robson each have three assists on the season.
• Hayden had assists against No. 8 Creighton, UAB and No. 15 Notre Dame.
• Robson had two assists against Tulsa, as well as an assist against No. 2 Connecticut.
Coach's Corner
Head coach Mike Freitag discusses his thoughts on the start of Big Ten play against Michigan.
The Big Ten conference just gets tougher and tougher. Those games are going to be a very important part of our season. Some of the teams may not have the records they would like, but I know every team in the Big Ten will be very competitive. Everyone knows each other so well from each year, and they're always rough and tumble games. We hope to start things off right against Michigan.
The Akron game was good in the sense that players did things the right way, and the guys felt good about doing things the right way. After the game was over, I told the team to remember the feeling of what you did during the game, both mentally and physically. Think about how hard you worked, how much you focused. At the end of each game, you should be tired mentally and physically, and they felt that after playing Akron. The guys are feeling good and gaining confidence in themselves and each other each day.
Recapping the Akron Game
• Indiana defeated No. 21 Akron 2-0 behind goals from Brad Ring and Darren Yeagle on Sept. 20.
• Ring put the Hoosiers on the board in the 18th minute. Ring ran down the left sideline and attempted a cross in to Yeagle and Eric Alexander. The cross was deflected by an Akron player and bounced back towards Alexander. Alexander, making his first career start, passed the ball back to a wide-open Ring, who buried it in the upper right corner of the net.
• Yeagle added an insurance goal in the 75th minute. Surrounded by the Akron defense, Yeagle gained possession of an errant header and sprinted towards the goal. He fired a shot from 20 yards out into the lower right corner of the goal.
• Akron's Pablo Moreira's header just over the goal in the 50th minute was the closest the Zips came to a goal.
Freshman Phenoms
• Darren Yeagle has started in all eight games for Indiana. Yeagle scored his first career goal against No. 2 Connecticut on Sept. 1. He currently leads the team with nine points (4 goals, 1 assist).
• Kevin Alston started in seven of Indiana's first eight games, while Eric Alexander earned his first start of the season against No. 21 Akron.
• Other freshmen who have seen playing time are Lee Hagedorn and Ofori Sarkodie.
Hoosiers Take On Ranked Teams
• The Hoosiers regularly play one of the toughest schedules in the nation. In its first eight games this season, Indiana has played five ranked opponents, 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 they played the Hoosiers, was ranked 20th the next week.
• UAB has also moved into the top 25. Indiana defeated UAB 2-1 in its second game of the season.
• The other two ranked teams that Indiana played were No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 21 Akron.
Hoosiers Lead Nation in Attendance
• The Hoosiers are one of college soccer's most watched teams year in and year out. This season, Indiana is averaging 5,040 fans per contest after two home games.
• Last year, Indiana finished second in the nation in average attendance, pulling in 3,112 fans per game.
• 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.
• 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
• 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.
• 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.
• The Hoosiers have won nine of the last 10 regular season titles, and 11 Big Ten Tournament titles.
