Entering tonight's game with something to prove, the IU men's soccer team took care of No. 9 Notre Dame in astounding fashion with a 3-1 victory.
Junior defender/midfielder Kevin Alston netted home the initial goal in the 23rd minute, firing a rocket shot from a few yards outside of the goalie box to put his team up 1-0. Just a few minutes later at 26:08, senior forward Kevin Noschang took a spinning shot from 12 yards out to increase his team's lead.
At 37:10, the lone goal from the Fighting Irish was scored. Off of a cross into the box from freshman midfielder/forward Brendan King, junior midfielder Michael Thomas one-timed the ball in midair past IU senior goalkeeper Chay Cain.
In the 41st minute, sophomore forward/midfielder Andy Adlard scored after his shot from beyond the box on the left side snuck past Notre Dame senior goalkeeper Andrew Quinn.
The victory for the Hoosiers brings their season record to 7-4-2.
"Tonight we played a nice even-keel game," IU coach Mike Freitag said. "We did our things offensively and took care of things defensively. It was a good effort from start to finish."
One bright spot from the Hoosiers was the play of Noschang, who has seen increased minutes on the field as of late. The goal was his second on the year, and just the first since September 13 against UCLA.
"As a forward I want to score goals, but more importantly I want the team to win," Noschang said. "Whether I play ten minutes or 90 minutes, it is about the result at the end of the game. That is all that matters."
Frietag said individual statistics do not carry any significance for his team.
"It is a very selfless team," Freitag said. "These guys have shown a lot of maturity in the way that they handle things. This team works their tails off everyday. Tonight was a great team effort."
The Hoosiers are back in action when they face Louisville for a 7:30 p.m. showdown next Wednesday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
