Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Face Ohio State Sunday in Big Ten Showdown
10/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 20, 2007
Indiana vs. Ohio State- Match Notes (PDF)
No. 16/12 INDIANA (9-4-1, 3-0 Big Ten)
vs. No. NR/24 OHIO STATE (9-3-2, 2-1-0 Big Ten)
Oct. 21, 2007 • 3 p.m.
Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium • Bloomington, Ind.
Series: Indiana leads, 33-1-1
Last Meeting: Indiana 1, Ohio State 0 (Nov. 5, 2006)
Radio: WIUX (99.1 FM)
Television: Big Ten Network
Tom Werme- Play-by-Play
Richard Broad- Color
SETTING THE SCENE
The Hoosiers continue their quest for the Big Ten title as they play host to Ohio State Sunday afternoon. Indiana is currently tops in the Big Ten at 3-0, while the Buckeyes are a game behind at 2-1.
NEWS AND NOTES
• Indiana picked up its fifth win in the last six games with a 3-2 victory at No. 4 Notre Dame on Wednesday night.
• Trailing 1-0, freshman Rich Balchan tied things up with his second goal of the season in the 18th minute. Balchan's shot from the top corner of the penalty box was his only attempt of the night.
• Indiana took a 2-1 lead in the 71st minute when Kevin Noschang scored his team-leading fifth goal of the year. Eric Alexander dished off to Noschang, whose shot rolled under Notre Dame goalkeeper Chris Cahill.
• After Notre Dame's Joseph Lapira scored just three minutes later, redshirt freshman Neil Wilmarth scored what would prove to be the game winner at 80:33.
• Wilmarth's first career goal was a big one as Noschang crossed the ball into the freshman who deftly placed it in the back of the net.
• In their last two meetings, the Hoosiers and Fighting Irish have combined for 14 goals.
• With the win over the No. 4 Irish, the Hoosiers are now 4-0-1 against top-10 teams this season.
• The Hoosiers are 5-2-1 against top-25 teams this season.
• Indiana kept its perfect Big Ten record in tact with a 1-0 win at No. 6 Northwestern on Sunday. The Hoosiers are the only remaining undefeated team in league play.
• Indiana has won six-straight Big Ten matches including last year's Big Ten tournament.
• The Hoosiers have shut out their opponent in two of those three games.
• Noschang has scored on two of his five shot attempts in Big Ten action.
• Daniel Kelly has connected on two of four shots in league play.
• The win over NU was Indiana's sixth clean sheet of the season.
• For junior goalkeeper Chay Cain, it was his fifth shutout of the year.
• Indiana's 1-0 win over Northwestern on Oct. 14 marked the program's 600th victory.
• Billy Weaver has a team-best four assists.
• Indiana's three goals at Notre Dame on Wednesday marked the third time this season the Hoosiers have put three in the net. They are 3-0 when doing so.
• The Hoosiers are 4-4-1 when scoring just one goal.
• IU has not been shut out this season.
• Indiana is 1-1-1 in overtime matches.
• The game against Louisville on Oct. 10 marked just the fourth time this season the Hoosiers have trailed in the shots column. They are 0-3-1 when being outshot by an opponent.
• The Hoosiers hold a commanding 33-1-1 lead in the series with Ohio State.
• The only loss came in the 2000 Big Ten Tournament by a 1-0 score.
• Indiana has shut out the Buckeyes in each of the last three meetings and five of the last six matches.
• Sunday's match marks the start of a three-game homestand for Indiana. After Ohio State it will play host to Evansville (Oct. 24) and Penn State (Oct. 28).
• The match against the Nittany Lions is the final regular-season home contest of the season and will serve at Senior Day.
• Noschang is tied for the Big Ten lead with three game-winning scores.
• With his two goals against Michigan State, Kevin Alston was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on the Soccer America, College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer Teams of the Week on Oct. 8.
• Billy Weaver was named to the Soccer America and College Soccer News Teams of the Week on Oct. 1 after his performances last week where he picked up two assists and a goal as the Hoosiers went 2-0 with wins over Butler and No. 10 Michigan.
• 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.
• Goalkeeper Chay Cain shared Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 15 after a shutout of No. 6 Northwestern.
ABOUT THE BUCKEYES
• Ohio State is 9-3-2 on the season and 2-1 in Big Ten play after a 2-1 win at Wisconsin on Oct. 13.
• The Buckeyes have won four straight and are ranked No. 24 in the latest Soccer America poll.
• Matt Gold scored the game winner for the Buckeyes against Wisconsin, with Roger Espinoza and Tim Gabel assisting.
• Ohio State has scored 24 goals on the season, but no single player has more than three scores.
• Eric Brunner is top with three goals, while Xavier Balc has two scores and a team-best 10 assists for 14 points.
• Balc is one of seven players with two goals.
• Casey Latchem has played 1279 minutes in goal, allowing 14 scores for a 0.98 goals-against average.
• He has 39 saves (.736) and six shutouts.
• The Buckeyes are 2-2 against Top 25 teams with wins over then-No. 13 West Virginia (1-0) in the season opener, and a 3-2 win over then-No. 25 Old Dominion on Sept. 7.
• Ohio State is 2-2-1 in road matches.
• Head coach John Bluem is in his 11th season at Ohio State and enters the match with a record of 196-107-37. In Big Ten matches he is 32-25-7.
• He is assisted by Frank Speth and Andy Brinkman.
SERIES HISTORY
• Indiana leads the all-time series, 33-1-1.
• The Hoosiers' only loss came in the 2000 Big Ten tournament, 1-0.
• Brian Ackley scored the game-winner for IU in the 39th minute.
• In the Hoosiers' 1-0 regular-season win it was Greg Stevning with the game winner on the assist from John Mellencamp.
• Indiana is 7-0-1 in the last eight meetings, with the only other blemish on the record a 2-2 tie at Armstrong Stadium in 2005.
• Indiana is 16-0 against the Buckeyes at home.
• Ohio State has scored just 11 times in 35 meetings and has never scored more than two goals.
• The Hoosiers have shut out the Buckeyes in 13 of the last 17 matches.
LAST TIME OUT
In yet another high-scoring affair, No. 12 Indiana used a pair of second-half goals to come away with a 3-2 win over No. 4 Notre Dame Wednesday night at Alumni Field in South Bend, Ind.
Indiana improves to 9-4-1, while the Fighting Irish fall to 8-3-3.
With 9:27 to play, redshirt freshman Neil Wilmarth broke a 2-2 tie with his first career goal. The scoring sequence began in the back with a ball played up from Ofori Sarkodie to Kevin Noschang. Noschang made a run from below the midfield line down the right side as Wilmarth made his charge on the left. Seeing a wide-open Wilmarth, Noschang rolled the ball across the field and Wilmarth made his way around one defender before sending his shot into the back of the net.
Deadlocked at 1-1, it was Noschang who put the Hoosiers up 2-1 with his team-leading fifth goal of the season at 70:46. Coming on a counter, Eric Alexander tapped the ball into Noschang who was charging the net. It looked as though Fighting Irish goalkeeper Chris Cahill had a beat on the ball, but Noschang's shot slid under his sliding attempt.
The lead was short-lived as Joseph Lapira netted his second goal of the game a mere three minutes later, taking a point-blank shot from six yards out in front of IU goalkeeper Chay Cain. It was just the third shot of the second half for the Fighting Irish.
Eric Alexander had a chance late to get one in under the cross bar put a perfectly timed leap by Cahill sent the ball out of play.
Lapira put Notre Dame on the board first at 4:48, slipping behind the IU defense to put the ball away for a 1-0 lead. Kurt Martin played the ball into Lapira as the senior ran in between two Hoosier defenders to put home a one-on-one shot past Cain.
Daniel Kelly had an opportunity to tie things up when Kevin Noschang fed him the ball in front of the net but the redshirt freshman sent the attempt high.
Freshman Rich Balchan evened things up at 17:59 with his second goal of the season. Collecting the ball on the right side, Balchan lined up a shot from just outside the top corner of the penalty area and caught Cahill out of position, slotting the ball to the far post.
Indiana kept the pressure on Notre Dame, with on-target shots from Darren Yeagle and Brad Ring forcing Cahill to step up and make the saves.
A light drizzle turned into a driving rain as the first half progressed, forcing both teams to adjust to a slick field. Indiana ended the period with a slight 9-6 advantage in shot attempts with six of those looks on goal.
Ring sent a rocket at the net in the 59th minute, forcing Cahill to make a leaping save, sending the ball over the crossbar.
GIANT KILLERS
• The Hoosiers have found themselves in some big matches this season and for the most part have come out on the winning end.
• Indiana's 3-2 win at No. 4 Notre Dame on Oct. 17 gives the Hoosiers a 4-0-1 record against top-10 teams in 2007.
• IU posted wins over No. 1 UCLA (1-0), No. 10 Michigan (3-2), No. 6 Northwestern (1-0) and played No. 9 Maryland to a 1-1 tie.
• Against top 25 teams, the Hoosiers are 5-2-1.
LEAGUE DOMINATION
• Since the Big Ten began recognizing men's soccer in 1991, the Hoosier have dominated the league.
• The Hoosiers are 76-7-7 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.
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 1165:13 minutes of play, Cain has tallied 58 saves and allowed 11 goals for a 0.85 GAA.
• He also has five shutouts to his credit, including a 1-0 blanking of No. 6 Northwestern on Oct. 14.
• During the season Cain had a stretch of 230:09 without allowing a goal.
• 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.
• 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.
CAIN SHARES BIG TEN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
• Junior goalkeeper Chay Cain is the Big Ten Men's Soccer Co-Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Oct. 15.
• Cain became the first goalkeeper this year to shut out No. 6 Northwestern in Evanston as the Hoosiers posted a 1-0 victory over the Wildcats on Sunday. Facing 12 shots from the Wildcats, Cain recorded four saves to improve to 7-4-1 in the net. It was also his fifth shutout of the season.
• Earlier in the week against Louisville, Cain recorded one save and held the Cardinals scoreless before coming out of the game in the 26th minute due to injury.
NO. 600
• Indiana's 1-0 victory over Northwestern on Oct. 14 marked the 600th victory in the program's storied history.
• The program's first win came on Sept. 14, 1973 against Notre Dame, a 5-1 win on the road.
A HALF CENTURY IN THREE YEARS
• With the win over Rhode Island on Sept. 9, head coach Mike Freitag recorded his 50th career victory at the helm of the Indiana program.
• After 82 matches at IU, Freitag has a career record of 56-15-11.
RANKING THE HOOSIERS
• The NSCAA coaches poll dropped the Hoosiers three spots to No. 16 this week.
• Indiana moved up one place to No. 12 in this week's Soccer America poll.
• Soccer Times moved the Hoosiers up five spots to No. 10 in its Oct. 14 poll.
• College Soccer News bumped Indiana to the No. 13 spot.
