Indiana University Athletics
Men's Soccer Opens Spring Season Sunday with Evansville
3/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
March 27, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -
The Indiana Hoosiers begin preparation in earnest for the 2009 campaign when they open their spring season on Sunday, March 29, against the Evansville Purple Aces. The match is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. In the event of inclement weather, the match will be played at either Memorial Stadium or Mellencamp Pavilion.
While this is the first of six spring matches for Indiana, Evansville is well into its spring campaign with a 3-0 record. The Purple Aces have posted wins over Duke (3-0), Cape Fear Community College (2-0) and UNC Wilmington (4-1). Last season the two teams matched up for a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory by the Hoosiers, with the game-winning goal coming off the foot of freshman Will Bruin.
The Hoosiers are coming off a 14-7-3 season where they advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals. This spring will be an important evaluation time for head coach Mike Freitag and assistants Phil Presser and Aleksey Korol as they must replace four full-time starters from last year’s team, including All-Big Ten performers Kevin Alston and Brad Ring, as well as goalkeeper Chay Cain.
Indiana will also get a chance to evaluate its young talent, including freshmen Bruin and Tommy Meyer. Bruin started all 24 matches in his rookie campaign, while Meyer was a starter in 16 of 18 matches played. Complementing Bruin on the scoring front is sophomore Andy Adlard. The midfielder had a break-out sophomore campaign in 2008, leading the team in goals scored (7), assists (5) and total points (19). However, the Hoosiers will be without the services of senior Kevin Noschang, who contributed four goals and one assist last season, as well as graduated senior Brian Ackley.
All-Big Ten honoree Eric Alexander joins Adlard in the midfield, but the holes left by Ring, who captained the squad, and senior John Mellencamp, who started all 24 matches, must be filled. Junior Lee Hagedorn could see increased playing time, while sophomore Daniel Kelly has shown himself to be a valuable asset either in the midfield or up top. Sophomore Rich Balchan started 24 games last season, including several in the defensive midfield role when Ring was out with an injury.
While Meyer, Balchan and junior Ofori Sarkodie are all back to anchor the defense, Freitag must find someone to replace speedy left winger Alston. Redshirt freshman Tyler McCarroll has shown the speed the Hoosiers are accustomed to in that role and could play his way into the starting lineup. In goal, Michael Munroe, Luis Soffner and Nate Mitchell will battle for the starting spot vacated by Cain.
2009 Indiana Men's Soccer Spring Schedule
| March 29 | Evansville | 5 p.m. |
| April 3 | Butler | 7:30 p.m. |
| April 9 | at Louisville | 7 p.m. |
| April 14 |
Cincinnati |
7:15 p.m. |
| April 14 | IUPUI | 8:30 p.m. |
| April 18 |
vs. Akron (Ft. Wyane, Ind.) |
7 p.m. |
Players Mentioned
