Men's Soccer: IU handed another OT disappointment

For the fifth time this season the IU men's soccer team ended regulation with a tie. For the fifth time this season the team ended overtime without a victory. \nAnd in that fifth time, the Hoosiers ended overtime tied with Northwestern University 1-1 Sunday. IU improved its record to 8-1-4 and its Big Ten record to 2-1-2 after tying the Wildcats and beating the University of Wisconsin on a weekend road trip.\n"We need to find a way to pull out a win," senior midfielder Brian Plotkin said. "We are 0-4-1 in overtime games this season. We need to pull out some of these close ones."\nThe Wildcats came out with several scoring opportunities early in the game. In the 13th minute Northwestern capitalized on a restart when Wildcat forward Brad North headed the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Chris Munroe after the deadball pass from Gerardo Alvarez.\nAfter several scoring chances, the Hoosiers finally evened the ledger 15 minutes before halftime thanks to a Plotkin goal. Freshman forward Lee Nguyen found Plotkin on the side of the penalty box where he shot the ball to the back post, netting his sixth goal of the season.\nThe Hoosiers created several opportunities in the second half, but were unable to score the game winning goal. The Hoosiers seemed to have seized the lead in the 65th minute when senior midfielder Jordan Chirico crossed the ball to freshman Kevin Noschang, who finished with a header past the Wildcat keeper. But the lead only lasted for a few seconds because a Noschang foul waved off the goal.\n"Our guys got tired as the game went on," IU head coach Mike Freitag said. "That's a scheduling problem when you have to play two Big Ten opponents in one weekend. The guys handled it well."\nThe Hoosiers began the weekend with another offensive outburst in a 5-2 win over the Wisconsin Badgers, picking up their second Big Ten victory of the season. Junior Forward Jacob Peterson led the Hoosier barrage with two goals, his third multi-goal game of the year.\nThe Hoosiers twice saw a one goal lead erased in the first half. IU jumped on the scoreboard 15 minutes into the contest when Nguyen converted a penalty kick after the Badgers fouled Peterson in the box. Five minutes later, Wisconsin scored on a penalty kick of its own to pull even with the Hoosiers.\nIU wasted little time in regaining the lead when Chirico led fellow senior Plotkin with a pass from the left sideline. Plotkin finished the play from 30-yards out when he bent a shot around the Wisconsin goalkeeper that found the right side of the net. In the 43rd minute, Wisconsin evened the score again with a shot 12 yards from goal.\nSix minutes into the second half, Peterson would put the Hoosiers ahead for good. Sophomore Greg Stevning sent a through ball from the defense to Peterson, setting up a one-on-one with the Badger goalkeeper. Peterson faked the goalkeeper with a quick cut and finished the opportunity, giving IU the 3-2 advantage. Another goal from Peterson and one from Chirico gave further insurance to the Hoosiers in the second half.\n"(Plotkin) played me a really good ball," Chirico said. "I was lucky when the defender kicked the ball to me. I just got it and scored."\nThe Hoosiers play midweek against instate rival Butler at Armstrong Stadium. For the Hoosiers it will be the first chance in more than two weeks to play in front of the home fans, a chance they are certainly looking forward to.\n"We have the best fans in the country," Peterson said. "It will be nice to come home and play in front of them twice this week"