13 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(10/30/02 4:17am)
Tonight the IU women's soccer team finishes its regular season at Bill Armstrong Stadium against Butler at 7 p.m. The game also marks senior night, the last home game for the seniors who will be competing in their first Big Ten tournament next week. \nThe game figures to be intensely emotional as the seniors have expressed feelings of sadness as well as exhilaration in these final days of the season.\n"I have mixed feelings, it's been a good season and I'm tired, but then again, I never want it to end because I know this is my last season," senior tri-captain and forward Kristen Sprunger said. "For me, I think out there everything will count because it will be one of the last times I get to do it: Every run, every pass."\nThe contest has an added dimension because senior tri-captain and midfielder Kara Bryan transferred from Butler following her sophomore season. Bryan had two outstanding seasons as a Bulldog including a nod as Midwestern Collegiate Conference co-player of the year as a sophomore. But, Bryan left for IU to encounter tougher competition in the Big Ten. She said playing her final home game against her former teammates and coach is going to stir up a lot of motivation to play well and finish strongly.\n"I have a lot of mixed emotions about it," Bryan said. "I'm really excited and I think to end my college career and my final senior game there isn't another team that I'd rather play than Butler."\nThe Hoosiers said they would take it up a notch to ensure Bryan's former squad goes home beaten. \n"It's Butler and they're a good team, and it's our senior night and they're going to try to ruin it for us. We can't let that happen," Bryan said. "I'm for sure not going to let Butler beat us at home on my senior night."\nMoreover, there's the added pressure of ending the season with sufficient momentum to bolster a victorious postseason. \n"The Butler game is huge for us because we really need to end the season on a positive note," Bryan said. "We can't have a let down game. Butler should be a confidence builder for us."\nButler (12-4-0) is just one win away from tying their school record in wins that they set last season. Coach Mick Lyon does not want the Bulldogs to break records at his team's expense.\n"We need to come out to win the game," Lyon said. "Butler has had a very good year. I am sure the enthusiasm and confidence is high amongst their team."\nThe Hoosiers are focused on beating Butler, but the Big Ten Tournament and a first round match-up with host Michigan State lurks in the back of their minds. Fortunately, it's a source of excitement rather than fear.\n"Making the tournament is definitely the icing on the cake," Sprunger said. "Especially being my last season and I've never been there, it's incredible. I'm very excited about that." Sprunger added that the team is ready to show their conference mates the formidable force the Hoosiers can be. \nLyon said his seniors decided from the start of the season to step up their play in order to reach new heights of achievement. \n"I'm very thankful to them," Lyon said. "The attitude, the effort, and the patience that they've demonstrated this year has been outstanding. They are without doubt a big reason for why we've had success this year."\nBryan commented on the complete turnaround the team has made from last year's ninth place conference finish to now. \n"This team has done a 360," Bryan said. "Everyone's attitude and work ethic has really paid off."\nThe game can be heard on WIUS 1570-AM at 7 p.m.
(10/28/02 6:06am)
The women's soccer team had a tough 0-1 loss Friday afternoon at Purdue, but came through with a solid 2-1 win over Indiana State in the first meeting ever between the two teams.\nIn Terre Haute, the Sycamores struck first against the Hoosiers on a goal by sophomore forward Claire Hemkens. Junior goalkeeper Shaunna Daugherty said IU came out flat and didn't match the intensity of the scrappy opposition.\n"We definitely didn't play well at all." Daugherty said. "The second half was a lot better than the first. We should have won by a lot more."\nIn the second half, IU scored quickly and successively in the 54th minute and again in the 57th. IU's first score came when senior forward Jenny Mann headed the ball in goal off a cross from junior tri-captain midfielder Emily Hotz. \nJust three and half minutes later, Mann shot the ball from the middle of the box and almost had the game winning Hoosier goal but needed an extra push from junior forward Shelly Gruszka who got her sixth goal and 14th point of the season when she thumped the ball past junior ISU goalkeeper Carey Patton.\n"Indiana State played a very spirited game and made it very difficult for us," coach Mick Lyon said in a statement. "We had good perseverance, and this serves as good preparation for the Big Ten Tournament, learning how to convert on scoring chances."\nIU outmatched the Sycamores statistically taking 22 shots to ISU's eight. Senior tri-captain midfielder Kara Bryan led the team in shots with seven and four on goal. Mann was the points leader earning one for her assist on the game winner and three for her goal. \n"I'm glad we came out with a win," Mann said in a statement. "It's good we get on a win-streak heading into the Tournament. That's really big for us. After the Purdue game we were more determined than ever to get two wins over in-state opponents, so this got us well on our way."\nIU's loss at No. 13 Purdue was a hard fought game decided in the final minutes. The Hoosiers were in control for most of the game taking two more shots and earning four more corner kicks but could not overcome sophomore forward Lauren Sesselman's goal in the 88th minute for Purdue. \n"It was a heartbreaker," Daugherty said. "We dominated that game. We just couldn't score"
(10/25/02 5:35am)
The Hoosiers confront their rival Friday afternoon when the women's soccer team travels to West Lafayette for its final game of the Big Ten season. IU's biggest rival, No. 13 Purdue, has had a successful season thus far and will provide stiff competition. \n"This is my biggest rivalry," junior defender Carly Everett said. "I'm pretty excited. This is always my favorite game of the year." \nEverett, a native of Fort Wayne, said because she is from Indiana she knows more players on Purdue than any other team in the conference and that motivates her to play well.\nBoth IU and No. 13 Purdue have clinched spots in the Big Ten Tournament, but the game does have seeding implications. Coach Mick Lyon said he wants to dictate IU's seed as much as possible, noting that the Hoosiers could be as high as third and as low as seventh. \nAside from conference play, this game marks the first of three consecutive matches against opponents from other parts of Indiana. IU will battle Indiana State in Terre Haute Sunday and Butler at home next Wednesday. \n"We want to create some dominance within the state, and this will be the start," Lyon said. "We need to set a precedent that we're going to be the top program in this state, and we'll go after the others as we go along."\nPurdue (10-3-1, 5-2-1 Big Ten) is a stingy team that hasn't scored many goals but moreover hasn't conceded many goals. Lyon said the Hoosiers will have to sharpen up defensively and stay tuned in from the first whistle on in order to secure a victory.\n"It takes a lot of focus and a lot of concentration, especially in the Big Ten," senior defender Lisa Tecklenburg said. "There's so many strong teams, that we know if we let down or screw up, or if we don't cover for each other, then people are going to capitalize on that."\nIU is near the bottom of the conference in shots taken, but it will be necessary to attack frequently to break through the stifling Boilermaker defense. \n"We have to shoot more. We just don't shoot enough," Lyon said. He added that the team creates good opportunities but they squander them by taking an extra touch or making an ill-advised pass.\nAs this game marks the final game of the Big Ten season, Lyon said his team has developed a newfound respect from their opposition for being competitive from the start to finish of games. For Lyon, it's been a learning experience throughout.\n"I could probably fill a small book on what I've learned this year," Lyon said. \nIU's two game break from conference play before the Big Ten Tournament does not worry the players who are confident in the disciplined method of their coaching staff.\n"I think it's going to be really important that we still continue to train really hard," Everett said. "But I think we're going to be fine. I think we're all motivated enough and our coaches are strict enough and disciplined enough that we're going to be really well prepared"
(10/17/02 3:30pm)
New to IU this season, women's soccer coach Mick Lyon inherited a unknown defense. Lyon said he knew changes would have to be made in order to remedy an ailing squad that ranked last in Big Ten conference play in both shutouts and goals allowed in 2001.\n"During preseason, and the first couple of games, I thought we would be an absolute liability at the back," Lyon said. "I knew it was going to be a personal task to put some semblance of good defense together." \nFortunately for the Hoosiers, Lyon's teaching worked and IU has improved to fifth in the Big Ten in both goals allowed and shutouts.The team said they felt that during their game against Michigan State the defense finally clicked in the 1-0 shutout. It marked the team's fifth shutout of the season.\n"They have responded and listened and trained hard. They've grown from the experience of game to game and become a very tight and awesome unit," Lyon said.\nTo succeed on defense players need to have a certain tenacity to put pressure on forwards who are looking to score, Lyon said. \nDeveloping a confident attitude has been important for his team and requires each player to take an individual responsibility to refuse to be beaten. \n"You do whatever it takes. If you have to hit them, you hit them. If you trip them, you trip them, but they're not going to get by you," junior goalkeeper Shaunna Daugherty said. "Forwards can boast about how many goals they score, but defense, what they take pride in is shutouts. And the bottom line is don't let people get by you."\nDaugherty is a vocal leader for the defense, earning a yellow card for arguing with an official in her shutout against MSU, October 11. She is tied for third in Big Ten play with 34 saves, just one save from second place. \nOver her three years, Daugherty and the team has not made it to the Big Ten tournament but she said this season things are different. \n"Our attitude is so much better than it has been just for the sheer fact that we know that we're a very good team," Daugherty said. "We're definitely making a statement for ourselves and our program."\nThe Hoosiers are playing composed defense, and because Lyon is keeping the same group of five or six players in the backfield, the defenders have become accustomed to each others strength and weaknesses.\n"We're working together really well; I think that's the biggest thing. If somebody goes down or if somebody gets out of position, we're covering really well for it," senior defender Lisa Tecklenburg said.\nLyon's strategy of keeping opposing teams guessing as to his defensive system has also contributed to the team's success.\n"When teams are scouting us they're going to say, 'They play with a sweeper,' and then someone else is going to say, 'No, they play flat,' then someone else is going to say, 'They play with three.' And they're not going to know what were going to do until we get on the field," Lyon said. "That's been good for us to be able to do that."\nBoth the coach and the players said they take pride in IU's defensive play even if it might go unnoticed by fans. The players mentioned a slight resentment that defenders don't get statistical recognition for making a stop or preventing offensive penetration. \n"It's all guts and no glory." Tecklenburg said. \nTo improve, Lyon said the team has to work on putting more height on the ball when clearing it out of IU's defensive third. He added the Hoosiers need to find within their defensive unit someone who can stop creative forwards on the opposition. Penn State freshman forward Tiffany Weimer burned IU three times for goals on September 27 in University Park.\n"Other than the first half against Penn State when we played very pensive, I don't think there's been a team that has broken up and destroyed our defensive unit," Lyon said.\nThe next three conference games away from Bill Armstrong Stadium will determine IU's seed in the Big Ten tournament. The players said they feel comfortable with their fifth place standing in what will be an eight team competition, but are realistic about the road ahead. \n"It's still game by game," Tecklenburg said. "It's still one step at a time. The next game we play is the most important one we play. One mistake is the difference between winning a game and losing a game"
(10/14/02 5:35am)
IU lost a hard fought match against Big Ten leader Michigan Sunday evening at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers gave up their first home loss of the season to the No. 9 Wolverines in a 2-0 shutout. \nIn the first half, both team's defenses controlled the attacking, and IU was able to prevent the Big Ten's points leader, senior forward Abby Crumpton, from doing any damage. \nRight from the beginning of the second period, Michigan loaded the guns and started to fire. IU looked vulnerable for the first five minutes but calmed down and got the ball into their attacking third. Yet, that worked in favor of the Wolverines because in the 57th minute Michigan forced a fast break off an errant throw in and took advantage of IU's off balance defense. Freshman Wolverine forward Therese Heaton put the ball past junior goalkeeper Shaunna Daugherty off an assist from Crumpton.\nIU stayed with the Wolverines and had some good chances in both the first and second half, including a shot that went just wide left from junior forward Shelly Gruszka.\n"I think we were without a doubt unlucky," coach Mick Lyon said.\nMichigan's second goal came off a rebound from a jump save by Daugherty. Junior forward Stephanie Chavez took advantage of the open net and put her team up 2-0 in the 72nd minute.\nAt this point, IU could have been demoralized and given in to the slippery conditions and insurmountable deficit, but instead they turned it up a notch and kept brawling.\n"I was just really proud in the last ten minutes of the game. We were down 2-0 and everybody was fighting; their team was just holding on," senior forward Jenny Mann said. "We stuck it out, and we were still trying to get a goal." \nLyon said it was a credit to the personality and drive of his players that they never quit. \nThe weekend was not a complete loss because IU did prevail over Michigan State 1-0 in double overtime Friday evening. Sophomore midfielder Kim Grodek nailed a shot in the middle of a frantic melee close to the goal after senior tri-captain midfielder Kara Bryan's shot flew off the post. It was Grodek's first golden goal of the season. \n"Kara had a great shot that hit the post," Grodek said. "I was lucky I was there for the rebound, and thank God I got over it. I would have been a little mad if I missed it."\nLyon said the game came down to who could finish their last chance, and his team was able to do it. \n"It was a pure guts performance," he said. "That's why it was so hard to get a win. That's what we said in the last time out, 'We need to find a win; you've earned the win.'"\nAll in all, IU kept their 5th place standing in the Big Ten.\n"We've seen the teams at the top of the table, and they're not special," Lyon said. "I'm not afraid of anybody at this point." \nMann said beating MSU was a huge win and that even though they lost to Michigan, the team feels ok about their standing in the race for the Big Ten tournament. The next few games will be crucial for Lyon and the team to cement their postseason opportunities. This weekend's play showed that the team is ready for the end of the season run.\n"I'm very, very happy about the whole weekend. I'm ticked off that we lost because I don't think we should ever lose," Lyon said. "What I'm happy about is that yet again we showed some character and the perseverance to fight, and that's very good"
(10/11/02 7:07am)
The IU women's soccer team has a lot riding on its shoulders this weekend. All season long they've been committed to pursuing a spot in the Big Ten tournament. As the conference season passes its midway point this weekend with games against No. 9 Michigan and Michigan State, the Hoosiers are facing one of their toughest tests of the year.\nOn the one hand, IU (6-3-2, 2-1-2) has the opportunity to jump into second place in the Big Ten by earning six points with two wins. On the other, they could sacrifice their last two conference home games and enter a four game road trip, including a contest at No. 20 Purdue, on a down note with two more losses. \nThe Hoosiers are ardently in favor of the former and will attempt to knock off two of the Big Ten's best teams by executing their ever-developing brand of soccer. \n"This weekend is really important for us. The games have such an impact as far as the Big Ten tournament goes," junior tri-captain midfielder Emily Hotz said. \nIt's also Parents' Weekend for IU and the team is excited to have a lot of friends and family coming to Bill Armstrong Stadium for the games. \n"We can't wait for this weekend, we've got doubleheaders, our parents are coming in, we're going to have a lot of fans," freshman forward Robin Barker said. "We want our fans to see how far we've come. It's just going to be an awesome weekend."\nThe Spartans (9-3-0, 4-2-0) travel to Bloomington Friday for a 5 p.m. start that will kick off a double header with the men's team who face Wisconsin. To defeat Michigan State, coach Mick Lyon said IU will have to pressure the ball and score goals when they have the opportunity. MSU's junior goal keeper Stacy Heller will be a tough egg to crack. In seven games this season, she has allowed just one goal, boasting a goals-against average of 0.15 and a .972 save percentage. \nSunday afternoon, the Hoosiers will go head to head against Michigan (10-2-0, 5-1-0) after the men battle Northwestern at 2 p.m. Michigan has been the strongest team in the Big Ten this season, evident most notably in their 4-0 thrashing of reigning Big Ten Champion Penn State Oct. 4. But, as Lyon pointed out, a week prior, the Wolverines were dominated by Minnesota, a team that IU dealt with handily in a 1-0 victory.\n"It's still a mystery. Anybody can beat anybody and that's the approach we'll take," Lyon said.\nThe Michigan attack has many highly touted and dangerous weapons. Four players have been named Big Ten Players of the Week this season, with three getting the nod in the past two weeks. Hotz said that marking up against other big time athletes provides an added incentive to get after the opposition with physical play.\n"It's always exciting to go up against players who are great players. It makes it more competitive," Hotz said. "You have to be physical or else you'll get knocked off the ball."\nTo compensate for Michigan's abundance of scoring options, Lyon said he will continue to make tactical adjustments during the weekend. The coaches experimented with their strategy by putting players in different positions to get a fresh look when trying to comeback against Northwestern. He said there are about five players who can only partially train during practices because of injury so that has limited his ability to implement changes during practice. Most of the fine-tuning will come during games when Lyon has all of his players with which to work. \nThis weekend will have significant ramifications for the Hoosiers, no matter what the out come. \n"We're playing a couple of teams that are ahead of us and we've got a couple of teams down the road that are behind us, but we've got to make sure that we stay in that top group. There's no doubt about it," Lyon said. "We're in a position where we're playing OK, but we just need to play better and better as we move along. We've got to finish chances."\nFor Barker, the question of getting into the Big Ten Tournament is simple.\n"We deserve to be there," Barker said, "and we can beat any team when we show up and we play hard"
(09/23/02 5:07am)
The Hoosiers faced weird weather and feisty opponents this weekend but dealt with it skillfully and got off to a great start to the Big Ten season. IU (4-2-1, 1-0-1) beat Minnesota 1-0 in a game that had a rainy first half and a sunny second.\nThe Hoosiers and Gophers played evenly until the 35th minute when senior forward Kate Kastl took advantage of an out of position defense and lobbed in a shot over freshman goalkeeper Karli Kopietz into a wide open net.\nKopietz had been named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week but could not handle the ferocious offensive attack of the Hoosiers. Coach Mick Lyon said the score could have easily been 5-0. For instance, Kastl found Kopietz out of position again with 15 minutes left in the contest and almost got another score but the ball went slightly wide right.\n"It was good to come away with the win. We're learning to adjust to other teams. We're capitalizing more on their weaknesses," Kastl said. \nThe Hoosier defense earned their third shutout of the season. Defenders senior Lisa Tecklenburg, freshman Ryan Hanley, senior Dana Philp and junior Erin Hesselbach as well as junior forward Shelly Gruszka had big tackles and defensive plays that kept Minnesota from evening the score. \nThe weekend was a success for the Hoosiers, who also got a tie out of Wisconsin on Friday. The game was marked by a wet field soaked from the day's storms. The rain had passed by game time and left a cloudy pink and purple sky, which made for a dramatic setting at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nIU went down 1-0 in the sixth minute in what was a lackluster first half excluding the play of junior midfielder Emily Hotz whose tackling and physical presence in IU's defensive third kept the Badgers' attack at bay.\nIU came out strong in the second half with sophomore midfielder Kim Grodek nailing a left-footed shot that went high and hit the crossbar before falling in the left corner. IU took the momentum briefly after Grodek's score, but Wisconsin fired back to regain the lead in the 63rd minute. \nSenior forward Kristen Sprunger, whose high energy off the bench improved IU's attack every time she stepped on the field Friday, scored on a low shot into the left corner in the 65th minute to level the score at two apiece. Two evenly played overtimes followed but neither team could get the ball in the back of the net and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.\nThe Hoosiers are undefeated in the Big Ten after playing teams that were good but not the best the conference has to offer. Junior goalkeeper Shaunna Daugherty said the team's performance this weekend would help them later in the season when they play traditional powerhouses like No. 8 Penn State and No. 18 Michigan.\n"The Big Ten's just a completely different level and you have to psyche yourself up to play to that level," Daugherty said.\nLyon said his team has to continue to match the opposition's physicality while maintaining a calm and confident attitude.\n"The big thing out of this weekend is that we came in to play the Big Ten and players stepped up, rolled their sleeves up and said I'll fight and I'm proud of IU and I'll fight for IU," Lyon said.
(09/17/02 5:14am)
IU dominated host Southeast Missouri State Sunday evening with a 2-0 victory, improving their record to 3-2-0 in their last game before the Big Ten season. The Otahkians were stifled offensively by a Hoosier defense that earned its second straight shutout. \nIU struck quickly, scoring in the eighth minute off a corner kick from senior midfielder Kara Bryan. Junior defender Erin Hesselbach found the ball on her head and knocked it into the goal. The score was especially gratifying for the St.Louis native Hesselbach who said she knew many of the SEMO players from high school rivalries.\nThe Hoosiers then fought through a physical game for over an hour before getting the game winner in the 75th minute. Senior forward Jenny Mann gave the ball a hard boot from 25 yards out after it bounced her way on a corner kick. Mann's shot was deflected passed the goalkeeper by one of her own Otahkian defenders, junior Valerie Henderson.\nMann was credited with an assist on the play. \n"It kind of put a knife through SEMO's heart," Mann said. \nThe score put the game out of reach for the Otahkians and gave the Hoosier defense relief towards the end of a hard fought game, Hesselbach said. It was the Otahkians' first regular season shutout since October 3, 2000. \nIU flew in and out in the same day and had to deal with another astroturf field. The surface gave them trouble ten days before in Cincinnati. There was a brief period of rain during the contest that made the ball bouncy, but the team came together to ensure the win, Mann said.\n"SEMO played us very difficultly," coach Mick Lyon said in a press release. "Everything was stacked against us -- the travel, the Astroturf, the strength of the other team -- but we were able to play a very solid game and overcome those odds for the win."\nBryan led the team in shots with five and three on goal. Bryan also got an assist on Hesselbach's score. \n"Kara Bryan found her touch tonight in linking with the front players and was very effective," Lyon said in a press release.\nAfter two straight wins, the Hoosiers feel ready to start the Big Ten season at Bill Armstrong Stadium this weekend against Wisconsin and Minnesota. The team has been focused all season on succeeding in conference play and will have to continue to play physically and win the battles for the possession in the air to continue their dominance. \n"It's going to be great to start off the Big Ten season at home," Hesselbach said.
(09/13/02 6:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU got physical and put in a winning performance Thursday night during their game against Xavier. The star of the game was junior forward Shelly Gruszka who scored the game's only two goals.
Gruszka first hit the back of the net off an assist from junior defender Carly Everett in the 23rd minute.
Less than four minutes later, Gruszka found the ball close to the goal again, this time from a pass from senior forward Jenny Mann. Gruszka put the ball in the hole left open by Xavier's goalkeeper, senior Megan Veith, who transferred from IU.
"I was just able to get past a couple of players and went in line and looked up and there was Shelly and she put it away," Mann said. "It felt good, I was pretty pumped about it."
(09/05/02 6:32am)
The women's soccer team takes to the road today to compete against No. 25 Cincinnati in their third game tonight at Meyer's Field. The Hoosiers are looking to build on the momentum they gained Sunday after beating Missouri 2-1 in double overtime at the Nike Tiger Invitational. The Hoosiers defeated Missouri after falling to Kentucky 3-1.\nSenior midfielder Kara Bryan stepped up and scored the winning goal in the Missouri game during the 107th minute of play. Bryan, a co-captain with senior Kristen Sprunger and junior Emily Hotz, is enjoying her leadership role. \n"I want to make an impact," Bryan said. "(The victory) gives us some motivation. We should have won both games." \nJunior forward Shelly Gruszka also had a standout performance at the Nike Tiger Invitational recording a goal and two assists. Gruszka, Bryan and sophomore midfielder Kim Grodek were named to the All-Tournament team. \n"We proved ourselves over the weekend," Gruszka said. "We're ready to jump into the season right away." \nThe Hoosiers have a tough task ahead of them in their third straight road game of the season. Cincinnati is 2-0 and most recently beat No. 12 Florida at home. They return seven starters from last year's team, which had the most successful season in school history. The Bearcats advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament and went 20-4-0 on the season. \nGruszka said she is not intimidated by Cincinnati's success and thinks their ranking provides an extra incentive for the team. \n"We want to show that we can get into that top 25," Gruszka said.\nCincinnati's potent offensive attack scored five goals in their first two games. Senior forward Amy Simonson was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts and may pose a problem for the IU defense. \nCoach Mick Lyon said he is not worried. \n"We're solid," Lyon said. "We've got good team shape defensively."\nThe defense relies on leadership from junior Erin Hesselbach and senior Dana Philp and will rotate in a few freshmen like Ryan Hanley.\n"We're well organized, and we've got some variety in our defense," Lyon said. \nThe Hoosiers may have trouble scoring against a defense that was one of the best in the nation last year. The only goal Cincinnati has given up this season was against No.12 Florida. \n"They're difficult to score a lot of goals on," Lyon said. \nCincinnati's defense is not the only thing the Hoosiers will have to get used to. Meyer's Field will pose problems for the Hoosiers, who usually do not play on artificial turf. Senior Jenny Mann said the team will alter their style of play due to faster ball movement on the artificial turf. \nIU gave Cincinnati its first loss of the season last year, and hope to do the same this season. \n"We're going to find a way to win," Bryan said. "We've been working really hard, and we keep getting better. We're really excited."\nSenior forward Jenny Mann gave a similar assessment. \n"We should definitely win but it will be a tough game. We just need to work together," Mann said.
(08/30/02 6:23am)
The IU soccer team begins the 2002 season as the consensus No. 1 team in the nation. They will be facing two fellow top ten teams this weekend, No. 9 Rutgers and No. 8 Clemson. \nCoach Jerry Yeagley will embark on his 30th season with Indiana this Friday. Yeagley, the winningest coach in college soccer history, has led IU to five straight Final Four appearances in the NCAA tournament including a trip to the championship game last season.\n"It's like any other year," Yeagley said. "We want to win the Big Ten championship, get into the NCAA Tournament and put ourselves in a position to the win the title." \nAll-American senior forward Pat Noonan will be a major part of the offensive attack for IU again this year. He scored three goals for IU during a preseason victory over No. 2 Virginia. Noonan, a co-captain with senior John Swann, is a candidate for player of the year honors.\n"We have our goals set high. We have to come out for every game like it's a must-win," Noonan said.\nThe IU team will be tested this weekend at the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic played at Bill Armstrong Stadium. IU beat both Clemson and Rutgers last season in the NCAA Tournament before falling to North Carolina in the championship. \n"We know it's going to be a tough weekend," Noonan said. "They're probably going to come in with a little revenge on their mind." \nRutgers returns eight starters including All-American center-back Guy Abrahamson. Clemson will have seven starters back from 2001 including All-American goalie Doug Warren who transferred from IU following his freshman season. \nIU has built its tradition by playing high caliber teams before entering conference play. In their first four games, the Hoosiers will face four of the seven top 25 teams they play this season. \n"We have one of the nation's toughest schedules and we like it that way," Yeagley said. "We can get some questions solved early. If you're playing against average competition you tend to get a false sense of security." \nThe Hoosiers will be looking to solidify a defense that lost goalkeeper Colin Rogers, midfielder Tyler Hawley and backs Ryan Hammer and Josh Rife. \n"We're concentrating on trying to shore up the defense," Yeagley said. "John Swann is our defensive leader… Danny O'Rourke is the guy who holds it together in the front. He has good range." \nWhile there may be questions about the defense, Yeagley said he is very pleased with his incoming freshmen. College Soccer News ranked IU's nine incoming freshmen as the fourth best class in the nation. Yeagley said freshman Brian Plotkin is a talented left sided player who showcased that talent during an exhibition game against Virginia. Although the Hoosiers have expanded their roster Plotkin and Jordan Chirico will be the only two freshmen not red shirted. \n"Jordan Chirico, he's a fire plug," Yeagley said. "He can play forward and midfield. He's a dynamo out there."\nChirico and the other freshmen are getting used to playing for a top ranked team that has an unequaled history of excellence. \n"I think it's absolutely amazing. I'm playing with some of the best players in the country," Chirico said. "(Coach Yeagley) gets everybody into the game. He gives us a really good attitude. He knows how to win"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
IU faculty and students experienced first-hand the creation of the world's largest artificial reef this past month while preparing an old U.S. Navy ship, the Spiegel Grove, for sinking off the coast of Florida. \nStudents, led by Charles Beeker, director of the Underwater Science Program; and Bill Jones, associate professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs; were involved in cleaning and drilling holes to get the Spiegel Grove ready for its new underwater home in the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary near Key Largo. An artificial reef does in minutes, what naturally takes hundreds of years.\nThe ship, a decommissioned 510 foot-long landing ship transport craft, gave everyone a thrill and a headache when it sank four hours prematurely and "turned turtle" (upside down). \n"It went from floating to sunk in very, very short order," said Mark Brooks, director of training and store manager of Southern Indiana Scuba, who witnessed the sinking from the sea. The IU group was the first to leave the ship and everyone involved was safe. \nAn evacuation plan was in place and each day before work, the administrators informed the 40-60 volunteers concerning what to do in case of emergency.\nSenior Lisa Hopwood, who is majoring in underwater archeology, was on the boat when it began to sink.\n"It was just like a fire drill, everybody knew just what to do," Hopwood said. \nJunior Adam Gutwein, another student in the Underwater Science Program, was working with welding crews on the boat. He said the evacuation never got chaotic.\n"It was really an exhilarating experience," Gutwein said. \nThe students got off the boat and watched the sinking from dive boats.\n"Everybody was a little anxious," Hopwood said. "We all thought the ship was going to take longer than it did to sink," Hopwood said. \nThe students said no one knew exactly how the boat would sink since the plan had not been completed. The workers had not begun exploding the bow, which was designed to let water into the front of the ship in hopes that the boat would fall straight down. Because this wasn't completed, too much air was trapped inside the front of the ship, causing the flip. \nAnia Budziak, research associate with the Underwater Science Program, said the stern of the ship was designed to take in a lot of water because when the Spiegel Grove was active, smaller boats would land inside. \nIt's possible the engine rooms flooded, but regardless, the ship flipped and landed upside down. \n"We saw the current take it, then everybody on all the boats said, 'oh no,'" Hopwood said. "You could see water rushing out of holes and doors," she said, comparing it to a whale's spray. \nThe ship stopped sinking with the bow still 30-40 feet out of the water. While people were surprised and disappointed that the sinking didn't go as planned, there never was a guarantee of success.\n"It's a gamble. It's not an exact science," Brooks said. \nWhile every person got off safely, a good amount of welding equipment had to be left on the plunging ship. Gutwein, with Beeker and others, made an underwater attempt to rescue the lost equipment.\n"It was probably one of the best dives I've ever had," Gutwein said. \nThe group hopes the Spiegel Grove will enhance the quality of dive sites in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which already boasts a number of artificial and natural coral reefs. \nArtificial reefs provide an underwater habitat for fish and coral and are supposed to take pressure off natural sites. Light, temperature, water salinity and clarity are all important aspects that determine the health of any reef, Budziak said. \nThe students were trying to "make (the Spiegel Grove) a little more environmentally friendly," Hopwood said. \nThe ship had to be cleaned up and pass Environmental Protection Agency standards in order to be a reef rather than just garbage. An artificial reef "must be environmentally safe and stable," Budziak said. She also said the point of a site such as the Spiegel Grove is to teach people biologically as well as culturally. \nOne of the Underwater Science Program's missions is to develop sites with historical importance. The Spiegel Grove is a mere one year away from being eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.\nBeeker is currently in Florida assisting with turning the ship back to its intended inclination. While Budziak remarked the ship will be more interesting if it's right side up, there are plenty of divers that want to explore it in any condition.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Russell Skiba, IU associate professor in educational psychology, testified before the U.S. Congress recently to discuss his efforts to help improve discipline and safety in area schools. Skiba, director of the federally funded Safe and Responsive Schools Project, worked with five schools in the Richland-Bean Blossom (RBB) and Spencer-Owen School Corporations. They have just completed a three-year project that, according to the figures reported in the testimony, has dramatically reduced suspensions and expulsions in the schools. \nJim Rubush, assistant superintendent of the RBB School Corporation, said Skiba approached the schools and told them of the possibility they could receive a federal grant. The building administrators for the schools in RBB and Edgewood junior and senior high schools, met with Skiba to lay out a plan of action, including the use of surveys, for improving the relations between teachers and students and between the students themselves, Rubush said. \n"The biggest thing from the survey was respect," Rubush said. He said there has been an improvement when dealing with people in both Edgewood junior and senior high schools. \nSkiba acted mainly as a motivator for change in the schools and let them make their choices individually.\n"Our role was helping out with the process to help the schools to identify their own problems and develop plans to meet their own needs," Skiba said. \nSkiba mentioned his trip to Congress was made possible by the improvements the schools actually made. \n"I was in some ways just the messenger," he said. "If the schools hadn't done such great work, I wouldn't have had much to talk about when I got there." \nBased on preliminary data, Owen Valley High School was able to reduce the number of suspensions by 56.9 percent in one year, Skiba testified. The number of expulsions was reduced by 74 percent and the average length of an expulsion was reduced by over 37 days. \nBefore the Safe and Responsive Schools Project worked with Owen Valley High School, they had a line of chairs outside the school office for students to wait to meet with an administrator for discipline. Now, OVHS implemented a program called the "intervention room" where staff members talk to disruptive students in order to solve the problem before a referral to the school office becomes necessary. \n"The intervention room did a marvelous job of addressing that problem," Skiba said. \nSkiba said he promotes disciplinary programs that effectively change disruptive or violent behavior. \n"We want to do what works for kids and avoid what doesn't," Skiba said. He joked about the irony of suspending a student for truancy and noted there is a high rate of repeat offenders for students that have been suspended or expelled. \n"Prevention has a positive impact, and kicking kids out of schools seems to have a negative impact," Skiba said. \nThe House Education Reform Subcommittee of the Committee on Education and the Workforce are reviewing provisions about school discipline before reauthorizing the Individuals with Education Disabilities Act. \n"I was there in part to say, in fact the system of discipline can be made to work without changing the law," Skiba said. \nLawrence C. Gloeckler of the New York State Education Department testified with Skiba and had similar things to report. \n"Prevention and intervention services must be established and aligned so everyone in need has access to them," Gloeckler said in his testimony.\nSkiba was happy to be of service to the legislators. \n"It's an honor to be part of a national process of dialogue on a national issue," he said.