Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Travel to Michigan State for Big Ten Contest
9/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 29, 2006
Michgian State Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana Hoosiers will look for their first Big Ten win of the year against Michigan State on Sunday, Oct. 1 at noon.
Hoosier News and Notes
• Indiana (5-3-1, 0-0-1 Big Ten) earned its first win at home on Wednesday, Sept. 27, with a 1-0, overtime victory over Kentucky. Sophomore Brian Ackley tallied his fourth goal of the year with a header in the 94th minute.
• The Hoosiers will be looking for their first win in the Big Ten as they take on Michigan State on Sunday, Oct. 1. Indiana is 0-0-1 in the conference after a 2-2 draw with Michigan on Sept. 24.
• Senior Kevin Robson was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week last week for his efforts against No. 21 Akron and Michigan.
• Indiana is currently ranked 14th in the latest Soccer America poll. The team is fourth in the regional National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
Scouting Michigan State
• Michigan State is 6-2-1 on the year, and 0-1-1 in the Big Ten. The Spartans have been ranked as high as No. 13 in the Soccer America weekly poll. In its last game, Michigan State played to a scoreless tie with Wisconsin on Sept. 24. Their two losses came at the hands of Penn State (3-1) and Northern Illinois (1-0). However, one win came against New Mexico (1-0), which is currently ranked 13th in the latest Soccer America poll.
• The Spartans are currently ranked 10th in the nation in shutout percentage (0.63). They are led on defense by Josh Rogers, David Hertel, Rauwshan McKenzie and Greg Janicki. In addition, goalkeeper Jason Tillman is allowing just 0.56 goals per game, good for 14th in the country.
• Kenzo Webster has scored five of Michigan State's nine goals this season. Louis Stephens has tallied twice on the year.
• All-time, Indiana holds a 31-1-2 record in the series. However, the Hoosiers have gone 1-1-2 in the last four meetings. Last year, the two teams played to a scoreless draw in Bloomington.
Coach's Corner
Head coach Mike Freitag previews the upcoming game against Michigan State.
This is an important game for both teams. It's our second Big Ten game, and it will be important to get a victory after tying Michigan in our first conference game. Michigan State has a loss and a tie thus far in the Big Ten, so they will be looking for a win and will be fired up to play us on their home turf. The Spartans are tough at home, they had a good win against a tough New Mexico team earlier this year on their home field. Coach (Joe) Baum traditionally produces competitive teams.
I like the progress that we have made this year, and it showed against Kentucky. We played well, and got the results we were looking for. We have had several players emerge this year that have added strength to the squad. Eric Alexander has really come on for us, and John Mellencamp and Ofori Sarkodie played well against Kentucky. I am pleased with the leadership of our older players, including Kevin Robson, Josh Tudela and John Michael Hayden.
It was also nice to see the shutout, especially against a team that has had such a strong offensive attack this year. We have given up a few goals this year that we probably could have avoided, and defensively, we are always working towards improvement.
Outshooting Opponents
• The Hoosiers are averaging 15.2 shots per game, while their opponents are averaging just 8.5 shots per game.
• On four occasions this year, Indiana has held its opponents to six shots or less. The team outshot No. 8 Creighton 22-6, UAB 19-5, No. 2 Connecticut 17-3, and Kentucky 15-6.
• 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 68-31 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 is tied for the team lead with nine points (4 goals, 1 assist). His last goal came against No. 21 Akron on Sept. 20.
• Sophomore Brian Ackley also has four goals on the year, and is third on the team with eight points.
• Sophomore Brad Ring has scored twice.
• Sophomore John Mellencamp and freshman Eric Alexander each have an assist on the year.
Running Roby
• Senior Kevin Robson has three goals on the year and leads the team with 10 points. He scored two goals against Michigan on Sept. 24, and had an assist against Kentucky on Sept. 27.
• He earned Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against No. 21 Akron and Michigan.
Can I Help You?
• Senior Kevin Robson leads the team with four assists on the year, while senior John Michael Hayden has three.
• Robson had an assist against Kentucky, two assists against Tulsa, and an assist against No. 2 Connecticut.
• Hayden had assists against No. 8 Creighton, UAB and No. 15 Notre Dame.
Recapping the Kentucky Game
• Sophomore Brian Ackley's header in the 94th minute lifted Indiana to a 1-0, overtime win over Kentucky on Sept. 27. Sophomore John Mellencamp, off a feed from senior Kevin Robson, sent a looping pass from just outside the 18-yard box to Ackley, who headed it in the lower right corner for the decisive score.
• The Indiana defense held Kentucky, which came into the game ranked third in the nation in scoring offense (3.11 goals per game), to just six shots on the night. Wildcat leading scorer Riley O'Neill, who came into the game ranked third in the country in points per game (2.78), had one shot on the night.
• Although the Hoosiers controlled the ball for most of the night, attempts to set up scoring chances were thwarted by the Wildcats. Indiana outshot Kentucky 15-6 in the game.
• Chay Cain earned his second shutout of the season for the Hoosiers, as he made three saves on the evening.
Freshman Phenoms
• Darren Yeagle has started in all 10 games for Indiana. Yeagle scored his first career goal against No. 2 Connecticut on Sept. 1. He currently is second on the team with nine points (4 goals, 1 assist).
• Kevin Alston started in seven of Indiana's first 10 games, while Eric Alexander has started the last three. Ofori Sarkodie has two starts on the year.
• Freshman Lee Hagedorn has also seen playing time.
Hoosiers Take On Ranked Teams
• The Hoosiers regularly play one of the toughest schedules in the nation. In its first 10 games this season, Indiana has 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 they played the Hoosiers, was ranked 20th the next week. In addition, Kentucky has been ranked as high as No. 14 this year.
• UAB has also moved into the top 25. Indiana defeated UAB 2-1 in its second game of the season.
• 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
• The Hoosiers are one of college soccer's most watched teams year in and year out. This season, Indiana is averaging 3,518 fans per contest after four 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.
