No. 9 Hoosiers on national showcase against Nittany Lions

Riding the momentum of an eight-game unbeaten streak, the IU men's soccer team will seek revenge against Penn State when the No. 9 Hoosiers travel to Happy Valley on Friday night.\nPenn State beat the Hoosiers in both meetings the two teams had last season; the cream and crimson lost to the Nittany Lions 2-1 during the regular season and 1-0 in the Big Ten tournament final. The team is excited for the opportunity to play Penn State in a game that will be televised nationally by Fox Soccer Channel, sophomore goalkeeper Chay Cain said.\n"I think everybody still has a bit of a grudge," Cain said. "To play at their place on national TV is going to be a big game for us, and we are going to get up for it."\nIU coach Mike Freitag said he has been looking forward to playing the Nittany Lions. While the Hoosiers had the better of the play in both games, out-shooting Penn State 34-18 over the two games, the cream and crimson were unable to finish scoring opportunities.\n"I was very pleased with the way we played against them last season besides the results," Freitag said. "One play here and there just gave it away for us, but we aren't going to do that this year."\nThe Nittany Lions are led by forward Simon Omekanda, who has four goals on the season. Penn State coach Barry Gorman has had to make several lineup changes this season with scoring threats Jason Yeisley, Christoph Ascherl and Jacobo Vera out with injuries. Yeisley scored all three of the Nittany Lions' goals last season against the Hoosiers.\nPenn State enters the contest with a record of 5-8-2 (2-2-0 Big Ten), desperately needing a win to keep hopes alive for an NCAA Tournament berth.\n"They are in need of a big win, and we are the ones they are going to try to get it from," Freitag said. "They want to beat us bad. We've had such success, and they want to ruin our party."\nDespite Penn State's poor record this season, the team knows any game against the Nittany Lions will be tough.\n"Going into any game we know the opponent is going to be tough if we don't come to play," senior midfielder Josh Tudela said. "At the same point, if we show up to play, we can beat any team in the nation."\nFreshman forward Darren Yeagle is expected to see playing time for the first time since Oct. 1 after missing the last four games with mononucleosis. Freitag said he did not know how long Yeagle would be able to play due to fitness.\nEven if IU escapes Happy Valley with a victory, the Hoosiers will need a win or tie next weekend against Wisconsin to claim an outright Big Ten title. The team likes having control of its own destiny, Cain said.\n"You always want that control, so you don't need someone to lose, or win, or whatnot," he said. "No matter what, it's going to come down to Wisconsin."\nLast weekend's road win at Ohio State showed that the Hoosiers could win in hostile environments, Freitag said. Friday's game against Penn State gives the team another shot to prepare for the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments in adverse conditions, something, according to Freitag, which will benefit the team greatly.\n"We are a work in progress," Freitag said. "Hopefully all these situations we are in we just keep getting stronger as a team"