Pivotal weekend for Hoosiers

The No. 6 men's soccer team hopes to get back on the winning track when it is host to No. 20 Ohio State at 7 p.m. Saturday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. This is the second of a crucial four-game set, coach Jerry Yeagley said. IU fell to Notre Dame 1-0 in the first game Thursday.\n"We are in for a tough stretch here, and we'll see how we rebound," Yeagley said. "But (Notre Dame) was a tough pill to swallow."\nWith a win against Ohio State, the Hoosiers would finish the Big Ten regular season undefeated. Until last season, IU had a 38-game Big Ten winning streak until it lost to Ohio State in the conference tournament's championship game. \nIU has already clinched the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament. IU sits atop the conference followed by Penn State, Michigan State and then Ohio State.\nThe Buckeyes (8-2-2, 1-1-1) look to build on one of the best starts in school history. The Buckeyes are led on the sidelines by fifth-year head coach John Bluem, who returns 17 letter winners from the best team in school history. They are led on the field by senior goalkeeper Kerry Thompson, who is was recently named defensive player of the week for the second time this season. Thompson is 6-2-2 in goal with his last two wins coming via shutout -- a 1-0 win against Cleveland State and a double-overtime scoreless tie with No. 17 Penn State.\nThe Hoosiers (9-3-0 5-0) will have to find their offensive spark again if they want to get past Thompson. IU went 90 minutes without a goal against Notre Dame and had limited opportunities. The Hoosiers will be looking junior Pat Noonan and freshman Mike Ambersley.\nNoonan, a three-time player of the week, has eight goals and eight assists in 12 games, and Ambersley has chipped in five goals and four assists of his own. \nNoonan said after the loss that the Ohio State game is even more important.\n"It's a must-win," Noonan said. "It is a game at home like this, and if we come out and lose again... We have to come out and win this game."\nOhio State has not been so successful on offense, managing just two goals in its last four matches. Junior transfer Andy Rosenband switched from Wake Forest and has made an immediate impact for the Buckeyes. Rosenband leads the team in goals with five and is tied for the lead in assists with four. In his previous two years at Wake Forest, he only managed four goals and six assists.\nRosenband and the rest of the Buckeyes will have a tough time against a stingy Hoosier defense led by senior goalkeeper Colin Rogers. Despite giving up a goal to Notre Dame, Rogers is still among the leaders in the nation with goal allowed averages, having allowed only five goals in 12 games.\nRogers is expecting a confident Ohio State squad.\n"Another big game for us," Rogers said. "We need to be ready to go, because they are going to come in here ready to beat us"