IU men's soccer team held at home

Not even the fastest goal in NCAA Division I history could propel the IU men’s soccer team to its fourth win in a row, with the Hoosiers’ match against Kentucky ending in a 1-1 tie after two overtime periods Wednesday night.

On the opening kickoff, sophomore forward/midfielder Andy Adlard sent a long ball deep into the Kentucky zone. After bouncing off of a Wildcat defender, Kentucky goalkeeper Dan Williams came out of the goal to attempt to scoop up the bouncing ball.

IU senior forward Kevin Noschang took advantage of the miscue by gaining control of the ball and firing it past Williams for the 1-0 advantage six seconds into the game.

“For the past two games, we decided to attack them right off the bat,” Noschang said. “I was just able to one-time it in. Obviously, when you get a goal six seconds into the game and can start a game up 1-0, there is nothing better than that.”

Noschang’s early goal sparked aggressive offensive play from the Hoosiers in the first half. But while the team looked to continue its scoring attack, Kentucky evened the score.

Attempting to clear in the 22nd minute, freshman defender Tommy Meyer kicked the ball into the path of oncoming Kentucky junior midfielder Chad Hagerty.

The Wildcat took control of the ball and went one-on-one with IU senior goalkeeper Chay Cain. At the last second, Hagerty passed the ball off to his teammate, junior forward Marco dos Santos, who scored on an effectively open net.

The remainder of the first half was a defensive battle, as the game entered halftime tied.

The second half was characterized by missed opportunities from both sides. In the 54th minute, a Kentucky offensive player took a shot just outside of the box that was saved by a sprawling Cain. A minute later Noschang received a through-ball that put him one-on-one against Williams, but the shot went just wide.

In the 77th minute, Wildcat junior defender Barry Rice made a nice move inside the box and fired a shot that Cain tipped just out of bounds.

With less than 10 seconds remaining, IU junior defender Kevin Alston got on top of a rebounded ball and took a shot on goal that was blocked by a Kentucky defender.

The late offensive push was not enough, and the score stayed 1-1 after 90 minutes.

The Hoosiers and the Wildcats each had one prime chance to score in the first overtime period.

With five minutes remaining, Adlard nearly replicated his game-winning shot against Ohio State last week, as his free kick just outside the box was tipped over the crossbar.

For Kentucky, senior forward Michael Strong had a good touch in the box and took a shot on goal that went just wide left with just under two minutes left in the first overtime.

The second overtime was predominately controlled by the Hoosiers, with opportunities on goal from junior midfielder Lee Hagedorn, Noschang and junior midfielder Eric Alexander. None reached the back of the net, however, and the match ended in a 1-1 tie.

One important piece missing on the field for the Hoosiers was senior midfielder Brad Ring, who IU coach Mike Freitag said injured himself just before the match.

IU junior defender Ofori Sarkodie said the final result was not what the team had hoped for, but he said they will take it going into the final two games of the season.

“It is very important for the morale of the team,” he said. “The second half and the overtime periods were a big testament to how this team is looking towards the postseason. I thought we banded together as a team today.”

The No. 17 Hoosiers are now 9-4-3 on the season and face two Big Ten opponents – Penn State and No. 6 Northwestern – to close the regular season.

Freitag said he was happy with the way his team played against Kentucky.

“The second half and overtime, I felt we were the better team,” he said. “I thought the (defensive) backs were very good tonight. It was a hard-fought and tiring game, and now we just have to regroup and get ready for Penn State.”