Indiana University Athletics
No. 17 Indiana Plays Host to UIC Wednesday Night
10/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 2, 2007
No. 17 Indiana vs. UIC- Match Notes (PDF)
No. 17/17 INDIANA (5-3-1) vs. UIC (4-2-2)
Oct. 3, 2007 • 7 p.m.
Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium • Bloomington, Ind.
Series: Indiana leads, 3-0-0
Last Meeting: Indiana, 2-0 (Oct. 21, 1977)
Radio: WIUX (99.1 FM)
Television: None
SETTING THE SCENE
Three of Indiana's next five games will be nonconference matchups, beginning with UIC on Wednesday night. It also marks the beginning of a two-game homestand for the Hoosiers.
NEWS AND NOTES
• The Hoosiers wrapped up a perfect week with a 3-2 overtime win at Michigan on Saturday night.
• Indiana ran its record to 10-0-1 against the Wolverines with the victory.
• The Hoosiers snapped Michigan's nine-game unbeaten streak, giving UM its first loss of the season to drop to 8-1-1 and 0-1-1 in Big Ten play.
• Making his third start of the season, Billy Weaver continued a solid week of play with a goal in the 26th minute to give IU a 1-0 lead.
• On Sept. 26 Weaver assisted on both goals in a 2-0 win over Butler.
• For his efforts he was named to the College Soccer News and Soccer America Teams of the Week.
• After a break from the starting lineup, Daniel Kelly got the nod on Saturday and it paid off with the freshman giving IU a 2-1 lead with his second goal of the year.
• Kevin Noschang headed home the game winner in the 96th minute, his third game-winning score of the season and his team-leading fourth goal.
• The Hoosiers are 2-0-1 against top-10 teams this season.
• The Hoosiers moved to 2-0 when scoring three or more goals.
• Noschang is tied for the Big Ten lead with three game-winning scores.
• Indiana has never lost its Big Ten opener, going 14-0-3.
• However, it was the Hoosiers first victory in a Big Ten opener since a 3-1 win over Michigan State in 2004.
• The Hoosiers will look to go to 2-0 in Big Ten play when they play host to Michigan State on Saturday.
• Brad Ring was named TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Week and was named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week on Sept. 10.
• The Hoosiers were 1-0 winners over No. 1 UCLA in front of a record crowd of 7,420 at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic on Sept. 2.
• With the win, Indiana is 2-0 in its last two meetings with No. 1 ranked teams at Armstrong Stadium. In 2005, IU defeated No. 1 Akron, 1-0 in overtime.
• Kevin Noschang was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and NSCAA Player of the Week on Sept. 3.
ABOUT THE FLAMES
• UIC is 4-2-2 on the season after a 1-0 overtime win at Bradley on Saturday.
• Both of the Flames' losses have come away from home, 2-1 at Akron (Sept. 13) and 2-1 against Missouri State (Sept. 28).
• UIC has four players with three goals each, led by Cesar Zambrano (3g, 2a- 11 points). Also putting home multiple goals is Matt Spiess (3g, 1a- 7 points), Charlie Trout (3g, 1a- 7 points) and Dan Simek (3g- 6 points).
• UIC has outscored its opponents, 15-7, and has a commanding 121-57 lead in shots attempts.
• Goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja has appeared in seven matches, logging 630 minutes between the pipes and allowing five goals for a 0.71 GAA.
• UIC had played just two matches at home this season- a 3-1 win over Marquette to open the year; and a 2-0 win over Western Illinois on Sept. 18.
• Head Coach John Trask is no stranger to Indiana coaches and fans. Now in his third season at UIC, Trask was an assistant at IU from 1991-99. Prior to that he was a four-year letterwinner for the Hoosiers from 1984-87, playing on the 1984 College Cup team.
• The Indiana ties run deeper as assistant coach Aleksey Korol was a 1999 All-American and Soccer America player of the year at Indiana, making three College Cup appearances with the Hoosiers.
• Additionally, IU assistant coach Phil Presser spent one season (2005) as an assistant coach on Trask's staff at UIC.
SERIES HISTORY
• Indiana leads the all-time series, 3-0-0.
• None of the players on either squad were alive the last time these two teams met, a 2-0 Indiana victory on Oct. 21, 1977 in Chicago.
• The teams also met on Oct. 25, 1974 in Chicago (2-1).
• The only meeting in Bloomington was a 3-1 IU victory on Oct. 25, 1975.
LAST TIME OUT
Kevin Noschang headed home his team-leading fourth goal of the season with 3:31 left in the first overtime period to give No. 19 Indiana a 3-2 win over No. 10 Michigan Saturday night at U-M Soccer Field in Ann Arbor, Mich.
With the win, the Hoosiers improve to 5-3-1 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten action. Indiana handed Michigan its first loss of the season as the Wolverines dropped to 8-1-1, 0-1-1 Big Ten.
In a game dominated offensively by the Hoosiers, it took Noschang's third shot of the night to give IU its second-straight win. With Charley Traylor bringing the ball down the flanks, the senior sent service across the net as Noschang jumped in the air and headed the ball down past Michigan goalkeeper Patrick Sperry for the game-winning score.
Indiana finished the night with 23 shots to the Wolverines' 14, including 13 in the second half.
The Hoosiers put the first shot on the board 30 seconds in on a strike from Eric Alexander that went wide. Brad Ring had an opportunity when goalkeeper Sperry slid out of position, but Ring sent his attempt high. Ring and Alexander paced the IU offensive attack with five shots each.
After picking up a pair of assists in the win over Butler, is was junior Billy Weaver's turn to score at 25:25. The play began with a restart that Alexander tapped back to Ring. Ring rifled a shot that went off the left post, and the ensuing rebound landed at the foot of Weaver who sent his shot across the goal mouth to the back post and past Sperry for a 1-0 IU lead.
Ring continued to attack the goal for the Hoosiers, taking four shots in the first half, but Michigan tied things up at 39:57. Again coming off a set piece, the Wolverines sent the ball into traffic in front of the net. After goalkeeper Chay Cain initially punched the ball out, Jake Stacy got a foot on it and in a scramble dished off to Jeffrey Quijano for the score. Cain came out of the game, replaced by senior Chris Munroe who finished out the match between the pipes.
Indiana took nine shots in the first half to Michigan's seven. Both teams were even with a corner kick each.
Neil Wilmarth and the Hoosiers had a golden scoring opportunity just four minutes into the second half, but the freshman sent the shot high.
Indiana was a man up for the final 46:35 of the game after Quijano was shown a red card for taking down Weaver just outside the penalty box. Alexander took the ensuing free kick for IU but had his shot stopped by Sperry on a diving save to his left.
Daniel Kelly gave Indiana a 2-1 lead with his second goal of the season coming at 53:32. Wilmarth played a long ball from near the midfield circle and found a streaking Kelly who put the ball home on a breakaway. The Hoosiers' second goal was much like the first with Kelly sending his shot to the back post.
After missing the last three matches due to injury, both John Mellencamp and Brian Ackley saw significant minutes against the Wolverines.
Despite the man advantage, the Hoosiers never looked comfortable with their one-goal lead, fending off a desperate Michigan attack as it sought the equalizer. Those fears were realized when Michael Holody headed home a goal off a corner kick from Jake Stacy at 75:53.
Seconds later, Kevin Alston sent a shot off the cross bar and Noschang had a shot blocked by a sliding Sperry.
LEAGUE DOMINATION
• Since the Big Ten began recognizing men's soccer in 1991, the Hoosier have dominated the league.
• The Hoosiers are 74-7-7 in regular season matches, tallying nearly 30 more victories than second-place team Penn State (49).
• Indiana has never lost in its Big Ten opener, going 14-0-3 in those matches.
• IU has won 11 Big Ten tournament titles, sharing the 1995 crown with Wisconsin.
• Indiana has also been crowned regular season champion 11 times, including nine-straight seasons from 1996-2004.
• Indiana has been the league's goals-against average leader in 14 of 16 seasons.
• IU had had a league-record 10 Big Ten Players of the Year, including the last two seasons.
• The Hoosiers have also boasted the Freshman of the Year each of the last two years.
TOUGH DEFENDING
• The Indiana defense did an excellent job limiting the scoring opportunities for Michigan forward Peri Marosevic.
• The 2006 second-team All-Big Ten pick entered the game as the team's leader in shots attempts (21) and goals scored.
• Against the Hoosiers on Saturday, Marosevic was limited to just one shot attempt.
WEAVING HIS MAGIC
• Junior Billy Weaver has worked himself into an integral part of the Hoosier attack.
• Last week Weaver played a part in three of five goals scored by Indiana as it went 2-0.
• Against Butler on Sept. 26, Weaver assisted on both goals in a 2-0 win over the Bulldogs.
• On the first goal he sent a cross into Lee Hagedorn who headed it home for the score.
• Goal No. 2 came off a restart with Weaver sending service into the box, where Eric Alexander got his head on it.
• It was the junior's turn to score on Sept. 29 in a 3-2 overtime win at Michigan. Weaver gave IU a 1-0 lead after collecting Brad Ring's rebound and slotting the ball home.
• For his efforts he was named to the College Soccer News and Soccer America Teams of the Week on Oct. 1, his first national honors at IU.
• Weaver appeared in just 19 games over his first two seasons, registering two goals in 2005 and none in 2006.
• The Michigan native has appeared in all nine matches so far this season, earning three starts.
• Weaver has taken seven shots on the season, five of which have been on goal.
EARNING THEIR KEEP
• Looking to inject some life into the Hoosiers play, head coach Mike Freitag has shaken up his lineup, giving some of the younger guys a chance to step up and contribute.
• Taking full advantage of that opportunity has been redshirt freshman Neil Wilmarth.
• A scrappy player who never quits working, Wilmarth earned the respect of the coaches and was given the opportunity to start against Butler on Sept. 26.
• Wilmarth took full advantage, wreaking havoc on the Bulldogs' defense from the first whistle.
• He was constantly in the action around the Butler net, whether creating opportunities for his teammates or taking the shot himself. He finished the night with two attempts.
• Again in the starting lineup on Sept. 29 at Michigan, Wilmarth set up the Hoosiers second goal by playing a long ball up to Daniel Kelly who sent home the score.
• On the season Wilmarth has appeared in seven games, totaling two assists and seven shots.
• Another player whose hustle and grit has earned him a starting spot is freshman Rich Balchan. Balchan has started each of the last three games in the midfield.
• Balchan recorded his first career goal on Sept. 21 against UAB.
HE IS A WINNER
• Junior Kevin Noschang headed home the game-winning score in the 96th minute for a 3-2 victory at No. 10 Michigan on Sept. 29.
• The score marked Noschang's third-game winning goal of the season, tying him for the Big Ten lead in that category.
• Noschang also put home the winners over No. 1 UCLA and Rhode Island.
• On the season Noschang leads the team in goals scored (four) and total points (nine).
CAIN IS ABLE
• Junior goalkeeper Chay Cain has had a solid season between the pipes for the Hoosiers so far, keeping things close in several games.
• In nearly 740 minutes of play, Cain has tallied 41 saves and allowed eight goals for a 0.97 GAA.
• What does not show up on the box scores are several spectacular saves that Cain has come up with to keep opponents at bay.
• While facing just nine shots in a 2-0 win over Butler on Sept. 26, six of those attempts required Cain to make the save, including two spectacular shots in a three-minute span where leaping punch-overs from Cain prevented goals.
• Cain made a diving stop to his right that kept a sure-fire goal from going in against Saint Louis (Sept. 15), one of five saves on the night.
• He also recorded five saves against Creighton on Sept. 13 and leads the Big Ten with an average of 5.00 saves per game.
• After allowing just one goal in a pair of wins over Northern Illinois and Rhode Island, Cain was named Most Outstanding Goalkeeper at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament.
WELCOME BACK
• Sophomore forward Darren Yeagle made his first appearance on the pitch in 2007 on Sept. 26, playing the final 12 minutes against Butler.
• He also saw action in IU's 3-2 OT win at Michigan on Sept. 29.
• Yeagle suffered an ACL injury in April during the spring season, but a dedicated rehabilitation schedule has him back on the field just five months later.
• The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Yeagle led the Hoosiers with seven goals last season.
• He led the Big Ten in game-winning goals with four, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors.
• Also making return appearances on the pitch at Michigan last Saturday were juniors John Mellencamp and Brian Ackley.
• A hamstring injury had kept Mellencamp on the bench since a brief five-minute appearance against Creighton on Sept. 13.
• Also suffering from a hamstring injury, Ackley missed the game at Saint Louis (Sept. 15) and was briefly on the field against UAB before sitting out the match with Butler (Sept. 26).
DUBIOUS DISTINCTION
• Indiana lost three games in a row (Sept. 13-21) for just the third time since becoming a varsity sport in 1973.
• The only other times IU has lost three in a row in a single season are 1985 (four in a row) and 2000 (three in a row).
• Indiana went through a three-game stretch without a victory last year (0-2-1), as well as 2005 (0-1-2).
• The last time IU lost three in a row in 2000, the team went on to advance to the NCAA College Cup and posted a 16-7 overall record.
SCORING WOES
• It is hard to win games when you aren't putting the ball in the back of the net and the Hoosiers are struggling to do just that, scoring just 14 goals in nine games for an average of 1.51 goals per game.
• That number ranks fifth in the Big Ten.
• Indiana has put up 141 shots, but just 52 of those have been on-goal (37 percent).
QUITE A DEBUT
• It was a whirlwind debut for freshman midfielder Rich Balchan against UAB on Sept. 21.
• Getting his first career starting nod, Balchan made his presence known with his first career goal.
• Balchan's score in the 59th minute tied the game at 1-all.
• He is one of two freshmen to score a goal this season, joining Michael
Roach.
RANKING THE HOOSIERS
• The NSCAA coaches poll puts the Hoosiers at No. 19 this week, up two spots.
• Indiana moved up six spots to No. 17 in this week's Soccer America poll.
• Soccer Times bumped the Hoosiers up four spots to No. 17 in its Oct. 1 poll.
• College Soccer News kept Indiana in the No. 17 spot.
Players Mentioned
