Lords of the Rings
If you happen to run into senior defender Kerel Bradford on campus, one of the first things you’ll probably notice is the large ring on his finger.
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If you happen to run into senior defender Kerel Bradford on campus, one of the first things you’ll probably notice is the large ring on his finger.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Hoosiers are polishing up their dancing shoes once again because the defending national champions are going back to the NCAA Tournament.The Hoosiers are riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak into the big dance after defeating Michigan State 1-0 Sunday. Junior midfielder Jamie Vollmer notched his first career goal as a Hoosier to give the team its first conference tournament championship since 2006, which also took place in Columbus, Ohio.The game was moved up three hours because of impending storms. The wind preceding those storms were a major factor in the game. The Hoosiers played against the wind in the first half and weathered several of Michigan State’s attacks, one of which hit the right post in the 42nd minute.Freshman goalkeeper Colin Webb made several saves to keep the score tied 0-0 going into halftime. Webb said he thinks the team is definitely hitting its stride.“We’re definitely peaking,” Webb said. “Everyone’s just playing with a lot of heart knowing that we have to win every single game, and I think we have a good thing rolling.”Indiana had better ball control for most of the game and capitalized with the wind at their backs in the second half. IU scored the lone goal in the 66th minute when Vollmer found the ball in the open field, went one-on-one with goalkeeper sophomore Zach Bennett and beat him with a low shot.After the game, Vollmer was in a celebratory mood. When asked how he felt after scoring his first goal he said, grinning, “Well, it’s better than never.” He said he was happy with the way the team was playing and was looking forward to more soccer.IU Coach Todd Yeagley said it has been great to see non-starters like Vollmer step up and play crucial roles in the team’s tournament run. In summing up his first Big Ten Tournament Championship, Yeagley said he was really proud of his team and what it was able to accomplish through a season full of adversity.“It feels great,” Yeagley said. “These guys have worked so hard and stayed on course. That was a gutsy game, and it wasn’t a pretty soccer game. It was a bit of a mudder, and guys fought through and did a really great job.”The team would not have gotten that opportunity if it had not prevailed over Penn State on Friday. After two halves and two overtimes in that game, neither team could find a goal, and the game was decided on penalty kicks. All five Indiana shooters scored while one of Penn State’s shots missed the mark, giving the Hoosiers the victory and sending the regular season Big Ten Champions packing.The Hoosiers now await the NCAA tournament draw to find out where they will be dancing. Indiana will attempt to defend a national title with 47 teams trying to snatch it from them.When asked what he would say to the season’s naysayers who doubted the team could get to this point, Yeagley responded with five words.“Don’t bet against the Hoosiers.”Follow men's soccer reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers are streaking.IU’s victory against Michigan allowed it to advance to the semifinal round of the tournament. They will meet up with top seeded and No. 16 Penn State for the second time this year at noon Friday in Columbus, Ohio. The last time the two teams met, the Nittany Lions scored two first half goals for a 2-0 victory against Indiana. Junior midfielder Dylan Mares said the team plans to take a close look at the game tape from that game in preparing for the rematch.IU and Penn State have combined for 56 wins — 28 each — and 14 Big Ten Tournament titles, making them the two most dominant programs in Big Ten Tournament history. The Hoosiers and the Big Ten Champion Nittany Lions have also faced six common foes this season. Penn State went 5-1 in those matches while Indiana went 2-4.Penn State might have a better record (11-5-1), but the Hoosiers (7-11-1) have enough postseason experience to accomplish the task ahead of them with eight returning starters from last year’s national championship team. The Hoosiers’ only chance to return to the NCAA Tournament is to go through Penn State and then get a win in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game on Sunday.Penn State stumbled at the end of its regular season, losing its last two games to Ohio State and Akron. Friday’s game will be the first they’ve played since those two losses due to the top seed receiving a bye in the first round of the tournament. IU Coach Todd Yeagley said his team’s success against Michigan was due to the return of freshman forward Tommy Thompson, who had an assist against Michigan.“I think getting Tommy Thompson back on the team was a huge part of that (win),” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said on iuhoosiers.com. “It gives us some confidence on our attack and brings other players in. I thought we defended well and hard. Collin made saves he need to in goal, and we won a game in overtime.”Mares has scored the game winner in the last two games, and reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the week and freshman goalkeeper Colin Webb has played well in the Hoosiers’ last two games.“You can sense a really good feeling within the group,” Yeagley said on iuhoosiers.com. “Now we advance, but to do it the way we did it, in some way it may be better that we had an overtime win. I’m happy for them and we’re really excited to play in the semifinals.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>EVANSTON, Ill. — The Hoosiers reverted back to an old habit on Friday, and that habit was winning games.The wind off Lake Michigan was cold, but that wasn’t enough to deter the Hoosiers from putting on a show in Evanston. It was a night of firsts for IU freshman goalkeeper Colin Webb.In his second career start, the freshman earned his first shutout and Big Ten victory.Webb made several saves that kept Northwestern scoreless in a 3-0 Hoosier conquest. Despite a 6-11-1 record, the Hoosiers finished the season with their first victory in enemy territory.“It felt really good,” Webb said. “It was a team effort. The guys all played well in front of me, and I just held it down in the back today.”Indiana’s attack was dangerous early, and Dylan Mares was able to put the first goal away in the 34th minute.After the Hoosiers peppered the goal with shots from Harrison Petts and Femi Hollinger-Janzen, Mares found his foot on the ball for a rebound after Hollinger-Janzen’s shot, and he sent the ball home.The goal was Mares’s second of the season.Northwestern quickly bounced back with a goal-scoring attempt when junior Eric Weberman got off a quick shot that Webb was able to get a stop on. The Hoosiers went into the half up 1-0.Northwestern came out of the break looking to score, but the defense, with Webb at the helm, was able to divert all chances early.Indiana’s first shot of the half came in the 67th minute and resulted in a goal.A.J. Corrado sent a cross to Nikita Kotlov, who was able to send the one-timer into the back of the net.“Nikita certainly could have had a couple tonight,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “But him getting on the scoring sheet — you know, it is November, and we like to call him Mr. November, so it’s good timing.” The Wildcats were not ready to quit, despite being down 2-0.Missimo recovered from Kotlov’s goal quickly and took a shot that forced Webb to dive to the left and make a save.Minutes later, Missimo drilled a ball off the crossbar for the second time in the game.The Wildcats’ pressure continued until they were quieted by IU’s Kyle Sparks, who scored the third and final goal.Indiana was able to put the nail in the coffin in the 71st minute when Sparks took a pass from Kotlov in midfield and drove the ball through the open field to put it away.Yeagley said it was nice to finally see his team smiling after the game.With the win IU has secured the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will try to get revenge against Michigan on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio.“It feels really good going into the tournament with the big win,” Kotlov said. “They’re a good team, and we played a really good game today.“We took advantage of our chances, and we did better on corners, set pieces and marking up and staying with our men, which was our problem all season, and if we keep working on that, we’ll be fine going into the tournament.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s soccer team is on the road again, out to prove it has the skills and determination to get a win in hostile territory for the first time this season.Six road games have gone by, and all have ended in defeat. However, this final one in Evanston, Ill., could make all the difference. With the postseason rapidly approaching, one final win to close out an otherwise rough season could give the Hoosiers the confidence they need going into the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers will be posed against the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday, also playing for a better seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Winning the tourney is the squad’s only route back to the Big Dance. If Indiana wins and Ohio State loses or ties, it could snatch the five seed. A loss would give the Hoosiers the seventh seed (the last seed) in the tourney for the first time in school history.“It’s important for us to come out and play well and get a good result,” senior midfielder Harrison Petts said. “The result’s especially important for building confidence going into the Big Ten Tournament. We’ve been playing some pretty good soccer lately, but the results have still kind of been evading us, but we need to find a way to do the little things that we maybe haven’t been doing the past couple games to finish the game off.”Indiana has no lack for experience in big games. There are five seniors at the helm of a team who would love to go out on top as two-time national champions. IU Coach Todd Yeagley said freshman forward Tommy Thompson is expected to be back in action for Friday’s matchup. Thompson hasn’t played in three weeks due to knee surgery. His five goals share the team lead with Femi Hollinger-Janzen for the most on the team.“We expect Tommy to be available Friday, and we’ll definitely use him in the Big Ten Tournament,” Yeagley said. “He’s playing very well. He’s a quick healer and he’s excited to help the team, and we’re excited to get him back.”Northwestern and Indiana have a history of playing neck-and-neck soccer. The last three games they have played against one another have ended in ties. This time around, the Hoosiers will see a familiar goalkeeper in junior Tyler Miller, who has been playing between the posts for the Wildcats the past three years. Miller has 27 career shutouts, which is tied for second in program history.Sophomore forward Joey Calistri has had a standout season for the Wildcats as well. He has posted 12 goals and three assists for 28 points this season. Those marks have put him at the top of the Big Ten and tied for sixth in the nation.Senior defender Matt McKain said Northwestern will be a big test for the squad because it has been a consistently tough opponent and a big rival for Indiana.“I expect a tough battle,” McKain said. “Every year I’ve played against them they’ve always had a lot of physicality and it’s always been a tough game for us. Quite honestly, I don’t think they like us very much and I don’t know how much we like them, but it’ll be a tough game.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers haven’t won a road game all season, and only one remains as the season draws to a close. The team continues to struggle with closing out games in the final minutes. IU has lost the lead or the game in the final 10 minutes in four different games this season, and that was the case Saturday night.Sophomore forward Andrew Oliver’s goal in the 43rd minute was not enough to bring home the win against Michigan. The Hoosiers fell 2-1 in heartbreaking fashion when Michigan’s TJ VanSlooten scored on a broken up Indiana defense in the 87th minute. “We were on our back foot all night,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “We had a chance to talk about it during TV timeouts, but the message was the same every time. We weren’t the aggressor, and our second ball spacing and anticipation and toughness were missing. “When you’re always absorbing and not stepping forward with the decision making and etcetera, you then get yourself in a bad flurry late, and that’s what happened.”IU came into the game after snapping a five-game losing streak against Evansville on Wednesday. Despite early Michigan efforts, IU drew first blood when Oliver scored his second goal in as many games. “Andrew’s done a nice job,” Yeagley said. “He scored a nice goal tonight and played pretty well in addition to that. He spurred some of our better attacking moments.”Oliver’s goal came off of a pass from junior midfielder Patrick Doody that Oliver was able to head over Michigan keeper Adam Grinwis, who had come off of the line. Indiana went into the half up 1-0 even though Michigan held the lead in shots 7-4. The Hoosiers continued to hold the momentum to open the second half, but Michigan quickly took control of the game. After facing many shots in the half, IU sophomore goalkeeper Michael Soderlund finally saw a shot he couldn’t save. In the 70th minute, Michigan’s Yahmann Sahlool headed a cross from Fabio Pereira into the back of the net. The Hoosiers were on their heels for the next 15 minutes. The final blow came when Rylee Woods ran down a ball on the left flank and crossed it into Lars Ekenrode, who was able to lay the ball in for VanSlooten, who sent home the point blank shot. The IU defense was out of position and was forced to watch the game-winning goal go by in the 88th minute.Yeagley said mental toughness is something the team has been working on and will continue to work on as the regular season draws to a close to prevent final minute losses in the future.“We examine ourselves,” Yeagley said. “We train on those specific areas of the field. We just have to keep strong, also, between the ears, and as things get tight, we gotta be able to play free and make good decisions, and for some reason we’ve struggled with that at times this year.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU is hoping to tally another win in enemy territory Saturday.The Hoosiers have yet to win a road game this season, but after snapping their five-game losing streak Tuesday, they have built up some confidence. The 4-2 victory against the University of Evansville Wednesday was a dominant performance by the squad that included goals from four different players.This weekend IU will be pitted against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Indiana leads that series 14-2-1 all-time, and Michigan has yet to beat the Hoosiers on its own turf. The last time the two teams met, however, the Wolverines came out ahead of the then-No. 11 Hoosiers 2-1.Injuries have been a factor for the IU squad all season, but on Wednesday it allowed for different players to step up to the plate. Senior Harrison Petts scored the first goal of the game against Evansville, and junior Patrick Doody followed that up with his second career goal. Sophomore Andrew Oliver and redshirt sophomore Kyle Sparks rounded out the goal-scoring by netting their first goals of the season.“Everybody that came off of the bench gave us a lift,” Petts said. “Kyle Sparks and Andrew Oliver both with goals, and they’ve been good all year. It builds confidence for them but also for the whole team, so that was big.”The 6-4-3 Wolverines have won their past two games, and among those opponents were No. 12 Creighton and Wisconsin. Michigan is led in scoring by James Murphy with four goals and two assists this season. Murphy has become an Internet sensation when his goal against Ohio State went viral. It has reached 280,000 views on YouTube and has been compared to a goal made by Arsenal’s Thierry Henry against Manchester United in 2000.Oliver, who has been filling injured star freshman Tommy Thompson’s cleats, said after Wednesday’s game that at this point, every game is important. With the season winding down, he said the win was great for the team’s confidence, especially with the ups and downs the team has faced.“Every game is definitely just as important as the next,” Oliver said. “It was definitely good for our ego and for ourselves. We really needed that little confidence booster.”IU Coach Todd Yeagley said the defensive end looked the best it has all year, which is a great thing to see moving towards the end of the regular season. The team let up two goals in the final minutes but held off the explosive Evansville offense for the rest of the game.Yeagley said he saw some very positive things in the game that will bode well for the Hoosiers against Michigan and all future opponents. “Every game right now is important for us to put us in position for post season play and get momentum going into Big Tens,” Yeagley said. “I felt defensively, from our back four and our midfield, this might have been one of our better performances. We didn’t give them much, but that was to our doing.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Four became five on Friday.The IU men’s soccer team has lost its past five games, and that marks the longest losing streak in team history. The team has been shut out four times during this skid. The 1-0 loss on Friday at Virginia Commonwealth University came when Dennis Castillo’s penalty kick in the 68th minute of the game hit the lower left corner of the net to score the lone goal of the game. IU Coach Todd Yeagley said his team played a good game, and it has played well all season, but for some reason, the team hasn’t gotten the results to show it.“It was another comprehensive performance by us,” Yeagley said. “I thought we controlled the game. We had better scoring opportunities, and it was unfortunate not to find a goal.“We created plenty of opportunities. They just had numbers in the box and did a great job of blocking shots.”With 29 minutes to play, the Hoosiers thought they had scored the first goal of the game when sophomore midfielder Femi Hollinger-Janzen headed a corner kick from senior midfielder A.J. Corrado past the Rams’ sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Wells, but the goal was waved off because of a foul in the box. Seven minutes later, senior midfielder Jacob Bushue was called for a foul in the box when his slide tackle hit the attacker’s feet.The play resulted in the game-winning penalty kick from Castillo.IU outshot VCU 21-8, and 10 of those shots were on frame. Yeagley said IU’s attack was very dangerous, but VCU’s Wells’ performance was very good and played a key role in keeping the Hoosiers scoreless.Wells recorded his fourth shutout of the season and tallied eight saves in the game.Freshman forward Tommy Thompson did not play, as he is recovering from knee surgery he underwent on Tuesday.Injuries have been a factor for this Indiana team all season.“It’s been tough,” Yeagley said. “We’ve had untimely injuries at different times..”Yeagley said that this tough stretch for his team will only make the team stronger in the end.The Hoosiers hope to bounce back this week when they take on Evansville in front of a home crowd Wednesday.“The results for some reason aren’t happening,” Yeagley said. “We’ll be better for it in the end because it’s going to help going into Big Ten play.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The slump continues.The defending national champs have lost five of their last six games with the most recent loss coming from No. 7 Louisville on Tuesday.IU has also yet to win in the month of October. The injury-plagued team is playing without freshman forward Tommy Thompson, and has seen limited action from senior midfielder Harrison Petts. To get back on the winning track, the Hoosiers (4-8-1) will first have to go through VCU, who has won each of its last three games in Richmond, Va. The Hoosiers have yet to win a road game this season.“We need to make sure everyone has bought into what we’re trying to accomplish,” junior midfielder Dylan Mares said. “We just have to take it game by game, and I know everyone wants to win.”IU Coach Todd Yeagley said he didn’t think the end score against Louisville accurately displayed how the team played.Yeagley said he just wants his team to be rewarded for their efforts, but the ball hasn’t bounced in their favor thus far.“Playing a team that’s only lost two games, been ranked, a nice team, you walk away again a bit wondering where things could have been better,” Yeagley said. “And we do know where they could have been better. We just have to keep working on it.”Yeagley said the team has been working hard to keep a positive psyche going into each match.VCU has outscored its competitors 9-2 in its last three matches. The Rams have proven that they can score with different weapons on the field because they have scored with at least three different players each game in their past three matches. Kharlton Belmar leads the team with four goals, and Jose Manel is right behind him with three goals while also tallying three assists.Junior defender Drew Schall said the Indiana defense is capable of being a great unit.“I think a lot of the pieces can mesh well together,” Schall said. “I think continuously losing, you kind of get down on yourself, but we need to get out of this slump.”Follow reporter AlyssaExtin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana is looking for goals in Madison.The men’s soccer team hasn’t scored in its 222 minutes and 57 seconds of play. They lost 2-0 to both Notre Dame and Penn State, but after practicing finishing the attack this week, they said they hope to put a couple in the back of the net against the Badgers. The 4-6-1 Hoosiers will meet up with the 7-2-1 Wisconsin in Madison Friday and will try to grab their first road win of the season. The team has gotten off to a rocky start, and IU Coach Todd Yeagley said that the team is going to have to work hard to get wins all season long.“They’ve gotta be tough,” Yeagley said. “This isn’t going to be easy. Nothing is ever easy with the target on our back and the margin of play that we face.”Indiana’s schedule has proved to be a challenge this year. The Hoosiers have already played four ranked opponents, and that was before Big Ten play even got into full swing. Now they are playing some of the top teams in the conference. Yeagley said creating a tough schedule throughout the year is something that he aims for, and he doesn’t ever plan on changing that strategy because it is a way to truly test his teams. Yeagley said that the team doesn’t get better unless they challenge themselves, even if looking at the schedule is tough at the moment.“I don’t change it,” Yeagley said. “When you have the goals that we set in front of us, there are high risks and high rewards.”Indiana will have yet another tough test against the Badgers. Nick Janus leads the badgers with six goals so far this season, and key offensive player Tomislav Zadro will be back in action for the first time since late September. Zadro, who has four assists and six points so far this season, underwent meniscus surgery and has finally been given clearance to play.Yeagley said the team needs to expect to win every time they step on the field. Confidence and executing their game is what Indiana needs to do to win games. The team has been working hard on box and finishing on the attack. Junior defender Dylan Lax said that the team is going to have to execute on both ends of the field to pull out a win against Wisconsin.“It’s has been really tough with two losses but we’ve gotten several chances in front of the goal,” Lax said. “We’ll be ready for Wisconsin.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Underdog IU took down No. 1 Notre Dame 2-1 last year in double overtime for a Sweet 16 victory.The Hoosiers once again find themselves the underdogs looking to grind out another win against the No. 2 Irish. In their past five games, the teams have split the results 2-2-1, and the Hoosiers hope to tilt the scales in their favor with a win tonight.The team travels to South Bend with some momentum coming off of its first shutout of the season against Ohio State on Sunday. The Hoosiers will need to feed off of that momentum in order to deal the unbeaten Irish their first loss of the season, win their first road game and come out on the winning end for the first time against a ranked opponent this season.“The last couple years at least, or since I’ve been here, it’s always been one of the most physical games,” senior defender Matt McKain said. “They are always great competition. Since it’s in-state, there are always a lot of fans from both teams, which is pretty cool.”IU Coach Todd Yeagley has been changing up the lineup by alternating starting roles between senior midfielder Nikita Kotlov and sophomore midfielder Femi Hollinger-Janzen the past couple of games. The two play an important role on the attacking side, and both scored a goal apiece in Indiana’s 2-0 victory against Ohio State. Yeagley said both have qualities the team needs in order to be successful.“They both have physical qualities that balance out our attack,” Yeagley said. “Femi’s ability to hold the ball under pressure and bring guys into the game helps takes a little pressure off of Tommy (Thompson), and Nikita is certainly capable of doing that.“They balance out Dylan (Mares), A.J (Corrado). and Tommy and so we’ll keep working with which one is best to start the game. The bottom line is that we have a few starters in this group.”Indiana will need that goal-scoring ability because Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 13-4 thus far, allowing only 58 shots while taking 129 of their own. Leon Brown is Notre Dame’s top goal scorer with four goals, and Harrison Shipp leads the Irish in points with nine, three coming off of goals and three coming off of assists. Patrick Wall has been rock solid in the net for the Irish. He has a 0.52 GAA, three shutouts and 24 saves.IU senior midfielder Harrison Petts said locking down on defense will be a necessity for a Hoosier victory.“I think we need to play well, especially defensively,” Petts said. “One of the things we’ve been working on is box defending and making sure that when they have crossing opportunities, we’re sticking with our men and not giving them a lot of options around the box.“We’re not going to have 35 shots again like we had against Ohio State, so when we get our opportunities we have to put them away.”Yeagley said the team has to be on top of their game on both ends of the field to come out with a victory. He said the game is going to come down to the wire because both teams are so talented, and one great play could make or break either team.“We have to be really sharp,” Yeagley said. “A lot of time it’s going to come down to either a restart goal, a brilliant play on someone’s behalf on either team, and both teams are capable of doing that.“I see it as a really well played, intense, good showcase for college soccer.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last night, the IU men’s soccer team succumbed to an all-too-familiar folly.The team lost its fourth overtime game of the season, losing to No. 23 Butler 3-2 in double overtime. When walking to the bus, the players hung their heads.Sophomore forward Femi Hollinger-Janzen’s and freshman forward Tommy Thompson’s goals in the second half were not enough to secure the win.IU let two goals in during the last four minutes of regulation. The nail in the coffin came from David Goldsmith with about six minutes left in double overtime.“We’re upset,” junior defender Patrick Doody said. “In the second half, I think everyone watching understood the better of the play there. Two big goals — it is just heart breaking. It really stinks, but there’s a lot of play left.”The game started with an uneventful first half, the game tied 0-0 at halftime. Butler effectively denied the Hoosiers’ possession for most of the first half. The Bulldogs’ physical defense kept the Hoosiers away from goalkeeper Jon Dawson by limiting them to four shots.Although Bulter had only four shots of its own, the Bulldogs had better looks. One of the most dangerous plays of the first half came from a drilled ball off the foot of Butler midfielder Vincent Mitchell. His shot flew over Indiana goalkeeper Michael Soderlund, but the ball ricocheted off the cross bar back into play. The Hoosiers were able to maintain the Bulldogs and created some offensive production and momentum in the closing minutes.“We ended the first half well,” Doody said. “They came out very, very quick. They put the pressure on. We played 43 great minutes in the second half. We completely dominated them, I felt.”In the second half, the Hoosiers came out on the offensive. The Hoosiers didn’t have long to wait until they were rewarded for their efforts.Hollinger-Janzen blew one by Dawson on a pass from Thompson, netting his third goal of the season. Then, in the 62nd minute, Thompson followed up with a goal of his own to notch his third of the season. The goal came in style on an unassisted drive and shot that rolled between Dawson’s legs.“It’s good to be scoring again,” Thompson said. “I got my favorite shoes back on. It wasn’t wet out there, so I was able to wear Copas. It helps out with the touch, but I just came to the game focused.” IU looked like it was going to secure the shutout until Jordan Burt found himself with the ball in front of the net with just more than three minutes left and drove it home. Butler continued to fight with shots coming from several Butler players, trying to send the game into overtime.The Bulldogs succeeded when a header from Goldsmith scored on a cross from the right flank with about two minutes left. Butler closed regulation with an unrivaled tenacity that took Indiana off-guard and bought themselves 10 more minutes of play.Both teams found themselves locked in a sudden death battle that was evenly matched with both teams trading possessions, but neither got a great look at the goal, which sent the game into double overtime. Butler dealt Indiana their fourth overtime loss of the season on a cross from Jeff Adkins that yet again landed on the head of Goldsmith four minutes into double overtime to end the game.“I’m at a loss for words,” Thompson said. “Fourth overtime loss of the season. It really takes a toll on you. I can’t keep my head down for too long. We’ll be ready to go against Ohio State this Sunday.” Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s soccer team will take its act on the road this week, looking to extend its three-game unbeaten streak to four.Senior midfielder Nikita Kotlov and junior midfielder Dylan Mares netted their first goals of the season in a 2-1 take down against Brown on Friday. Mares said he hopes to keep the ball rolling in Indianapolis tonight as the team takes on No. 23 Butler.The Bulldogs will test the Hoosiers in just their second road match of the season. Butler (5-1-1) has recorded three shutouts this year. The Bulldogs’ last match ended in a 3-0 victory against Brown.“They’re a really nice team, and we’re going to have to play really well,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “They’re going to be good on both sides of the ball, and it’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere. This is going to be one of the toughest games to date, so I’d like to see where this team can perform on this stage against a rival in the state.”The Hoosiers will also have to counter the play of Butler’s David Goldsmith. Goldsmith has five goals and 11 points. Two of those five goals have been game winners.Freshman forward Tommy Thompson said the goals have been coming for the Hoosiers, and if they continue to play their game, they have what it takes to win.“We just have to play the way we’ve been playing,“ Thompson said. “We’ve been creating a lot of chances and are starting to put the ball in the back of the net a little bit more, which is good. We just have to stay focused and do what we can do.”Mares, who transferred from Louisville, led the Cardinals in scoring with seven goals last season. After a bit of a frustrating start to this season, he found the back of the net on a free kick about 23 feet from the goal Friday.Yeagley said getting Mares and Kotlov on the score sheet will create opportunities for his team in games to come.Mares said, with a laugh, he was just happy he remembered how to score.“It’s important to get that in and to make sure that I can still score,” Mares said. “It’s good to finally get that one for the team. I just have to keep it going and just keep working hard in practice.”Although the Hoosiers are playing in enemy territory, there are sure to be a lot of Indiana fans in attendance in Indianapolis, especially with nine players on the Hoosier squad hailing from high schools around the area. Mares, who went to Zionsville High School with seniors Harrison Petts and A.J. Corrado, said he’s excited to play in front of a familiar crowd.“My brother was actually an alumni of Butler, and I think it’s going to be interesting to go back there,” Mares said. “I’ve never really played there in college yet, but it’s going to be nice to go back there in front of a crowd I’m a little more familiar with. It should be a fun and exciting game with a good atmosphere.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Freshman soccer players Tommy and Tanner Thompson aren’t twins, but the tight-knit brothers are an integral part of this year’s squad.Soccer is in the genes for Tanner and Tommy. Their father, Gregg Thompson, was a Hoosier Hall of Fame defender who went on to play in the MLS and played in the Olympics in 1984.Tommy and Tanner said their dad was always an encouraging influence who helped them grow as soccer players.Tanner said he remembers younger brother Tommy, older brother Tyler and himself being shuttled around to different training sessions when they were younger because the brothers were all a year apart in age and played on different teams. The brothers said their father always gave them the choice of whether to play.Soccer was never forced, but the answer was always “yes.”“My dad already made it pro,” Tommy said. “He was in the Olympics, so he knew what it takes. He knew what we would have to do, so he gave us the option, but if you want to go pro, you have to take this route and work your ass off.”Tanner and Tommy attended Granite Bay High School in Loomis, Calif., where Tanner holds the record for most assists in a season with 21 and was the Sierra Foothill League MVP in 2011.Tommy holds the record for most goals as a freshman with 29, but his high school career was cut short by an injury during his junior season. Before coming to the Hoosiers, Tommy spent some time with the San Jose Earthquakes’ academy and played on their reserve team.Tanner said playing with his two brothers on the same team in high school was something special.“Playing my junior or even sophomore year was fun,” Tanner said. “We have a sophomore brother Tyler who plays at Stanford. Just playing all three of us at the same high school team was fun. He’s a defensive mid, so we all played together up the middle.”When it came down to picking colleges, there was one thing both Tanner and Tommy knew, that they wanted to go to school together. Tommy graduated from Granite Bay in three years in order to play in the 2013 season.“My school is on a block system, so I had to take an extra class a year, so I was ahead initially,” Tommy said. “I had to take a couple online classes, and it did take a little foresight, but Tanner helped with that. He graduated early and was telling me how great it was, and so he just gave me some good advice as we planned it and just got it done.”Gregg Thompson didn’t influence the brothers’ choosing Indiana. Tanner said his dad helped in the initial stages, but what sold him on Bloomington was the campus.It just so happened that Indiana needed a forward and a midfielder, so all of the pieces just fell into place.Both Tanner and Tommy said one of their favorite soccer memories was upsetting a team in front of IU Coach Todd Yeagley while being scouted for Indiana.“We went to semis in the Dallas Cup, and it was actually where we got scouted,” Tommy said. “The first game Indiana came we were playing Chivas from Mexico, and Todd was at the game. We weren’t expected to win, and we upset the team 3-1, and that was one of the best memories.”Yeagley said Tanner and Tommy have already affected the team by the way they play and the amount of effort they put into the game. He also said the two have added pressure that the others players don’t by following in their father’s footsteps.“They have a lot of pride because they have heard their dad talk about the program for a long time,” Yeagley said. “They hadn’t really been around Indiana much until they came for their first visit. They wanna do well because there are a lot of alums that they know through their dad, and it means a lot to them.“They’re invested like so many of our other players, but maybe in a different way. They want to do really well, and you can tell by the way they leave it on the field. They’re scrapping and clawing, and they’re doing well.”Tanner was the first to acquaint himself with the Hoosier way of play during spring 2013. He jump started the semester also graduating early from high school. He said coming in early and getting to know the other players while also getting to know how the system works was a lot less hectic.Tommy said Tanner was the most helpful asset he had when joining the Hoosiers in the summer because he had already had that experience with the team. Yeagley said the two read each other well from the start and are now expanding that chemistry to making great plays with their new teammates.That was apparent three weekends ago when Tanner notched two assists in the Hoosiers’ game against Bakersfield, while Tommy had two goals: one against Bakersfield and one against UC Irvine.“They know each other’s moves, and we’ll continue to get them out there together, Yeagley said. “Tanner and Tommy are just good soccer players, so they’re combining well with any of our attacking core because they’re smart, and they play the simple ball when it’s necessary.“They balance and create great situations. They might have a unique combination awareness, but they also set up a lot of other players.”Follow Alyssa Extin on Twitter @Alyssa_Extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s soccer team has struggled to find its footing this season, and a win this Friday at home could put the Hoosiers on solid ground.Four of their first six matches so far went into overtime and left the squad out of the win column each time. Despite recent struggles, senior captain Jacob Bushue said the team just needs to focus on their game and get the job done.Their next chance to prove themselves will be against the Brown Bears Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Bears are 1-2-1 so far this season and are in the midst of a two-game losing streak. Despite their record, Brown has kept the ball out of the net by only allowing three goals in regulation. “It’s going to be a real disciplined team,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “They’ll probably sit numbers around the ball. They’re fairly big and they play pretty direct. We have to be smart on restarts and not give them anything on our back third. I think we’ll get our chances, but we have to execute better when we get them.”The last time the two teams played was in 2010, and that game ended in a 2-1 Brown victory. Jacob Bushue was a freshman then and remembers that game and the Brown style of play. “It’s going to be tough (to score) because they are going to sit a little bit more than the teams we’ve played against,” Bushue said. “We’re just going to have to be patient and make sure that we don’t get frustrated if the first one doesn’t come because it’s going to be hard to break them down. They’re a really good team.”The Hoosiers will take on the Bears with the help of senior Kerel Bradfrod. After suffering an ankle injury during Friday’s win over Bakersfield, he was sidelined for Sunday’s overtime 1-1 tie against UC Irvine. He was back practicing with the team Wednesday and said the team has been working on mental toughness. Bradford said a big focus right now is not getting discouraged this early in the season.“I feel good. I just took some good rest, some rehab, and I feel good,” Bradford said. “I’ll be good to go on Friday. We’ve just been working on what we need to work on as far as staying together as a team and not letting the results get us down and just moving forward.”Going into the season ranked No. 1, as well as being the defending national champions, brings many expectations, senior A.J. Corrado said. But he said although the pressure is there, the team needs to focus on getting back on the winning track and play each game one at a time. “No question there’s pressure, but at the same time you can’t think like that, and you’ve got to go out there and play as if it’s any other game,” Corrado said. “Also as a senior there is a little bit of pressure because I know that this is my last season. I think you have to take games one at a time, and this is the next game on our schedule.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @Alyssa_Extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s soccer team broke its three-game losing streak Friday only to tie another match Sunday.On Friday, the Hoosiers caught up with the Bakersfield Roadrunners, defeating them 4-1, but in Sunday’s match, freshman Tommy Thompson scored the lone goal in a 1-1 tie against UC Irvine.The Hoosiers (2-3-1) started out Friday’s game on the ropes when Bakersfield struck first in the 24th minute with David Velasquez’s goal, which went past IU sophomore goalkeeper Michael Soderlund in his first game back from a hip injury.“Going down early was tough because it just seemed like the last three games things were going our way, and they get a break just like that,” freshman Tanner Thompson said. “We knew there was plenty of time left and tried to bounce back, which we did.”Tanner played a critical role in the Hoosiers’ victory Friday. After brother Tommy scored his first career goal to tie the game, Tanner beat out a Bakersfield defender in the right corner and laid a centering cross in the lap of senior midfielder Jacob Bushue for the lead goal. Tanner struck again when he passed the ball off to sophomore forward Femi Hollinger-Janzen, who buried the ball for the first insurance goal.Senior midfielder A.J. Corrado scored the final goal of the game with a diving header on a cross from junior midfielder Patrick Doody in the 75th minute. “That first one was crucial,” Bushue said. “If you don’t get that first one at half time, they can just kind of sit in and try to play out their game. It made them have to play against us, and once we got that second one, we thought we could just keep rolling on them.”On Sunday, the Hoosiers struck first with a goal from Tommy in the eighth minute of the game. Despite maintaining possession for most of the first half, that would be the last shot on goal the Hoosiers would have in the half. The UC Irvine defense was able to smother the Hoosier offense, and UC Irvine finally scored the equalizer.UC Irvine’s answering goal came in the 36th minute on a free kick from Mats Bjurman from about 40 feet out when the softly struck ball bounced past the Indiana defense and Soderlund. The Anteaters continued to lay the pressure on the Hoosiers for the remaining minutes of the half.“It was a soft goal,” Yeagley said. “We need to be better than that. We’ve given up some great goals and some soft goals, but we’ve gotta be better than that. That’s how we finished the half. We were a little psychologically bruised from that.”The Anteater defense played physically, committing 27 fouls, and held the Hoosiers to four shots for the entire game, while launching 16 of their own.Indiana’s best chance in the second half came off a header from senior midfielder Nikita Kotlov in the 49th minute, but the ball hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced out.In the final 10 seconds, UC Irvine came out with an offensive onslaught in front of the Hoosier goal. Lester Hayes III, who led the Anteater attack throughout, had an open net on the right side, but his shot bounced off the post to end regulation play. Both teams went scoreless in extra minutes to end the game.“I think they out-played us,” Kotlov said. “The defense didn’t give us much. They didn’t even give us many half chances that we wish we could have taken if we had them. They made it tough for us to find any chances because they were balanced all around.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @Alyssa_Extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This weekend the No. 8 IU men’s soccer team will face its first true road test of the season before returning to Jerry Yeagley Field.The Hoosiers play No. 18 University of Alabama-Birmingham at 8:30 p.m. Friday in Birmingham, Ala. The last time the Hoosiers were in Alabama, they brought back a national championship trophy.Although a championship is not at stake, the Hoosiers are looking to bring back a win.After losing to UCLA 1-0 in overtime last weekend, the Hoosiers have worked on finding an offensive spark before they contend with UAB and West Virginia Sunday in Bloomington. “Our spirits are high going into this weekend, ready to just get back at it,” senior midfielder Harrison Petts said. “The loss was tough, and we thought we had a better game.“It was an unfair result, we thought, in the end, but it makes you that much hungrier to come out next week and get a result.”The IU squad scored two goals last weekend, while UAB combined for nine goals in wins over No. 24 VCU and High Point. Sunday’s opponent, West Virginia, also beat Central Connecticut State 3-0 and tied with Radford 2-2 in its opening games.On Wednesday, practice for IU was all about the offense preparing for both UAB and West Virginia. The Hoosiers practiced crosses on corner kicks and penalty kicks, and just scored goals around dummy defenders. “We’re still kinda trying to get to know each other and how our tendencies work on the attack,” senior midfielder Jacob Bushue said. “I think once we figure things, and we’re very close, we just have to get the fine tuned details with it. We’re going to be very, very dangerous.”Petts and Bushue said playing tough teams like UAB and West Virginia keep the team motivated, especially in practice. They both said there isn’t an easy game on this season’s schedule, and that forces the team to be on top of their game at all times.Petts said the Hoosiers can’t afford to take either opponent for granted this weekend.“Every time we take the field, we expect to win,” Petts said. “That’s just kind of the IU mentality.“At the same time, we know these two teams are good, and we respect both of them. If we don’t come out with our A-game, we might not get the win on the day, so we have to bring our best.”IU Coach Todd Yeagley said he’s excited to go back to Alabama with his squad for their first road game. He said UAB plays an interesting formation that will be a good challenge for his team along with playing near to where his team earned its eighth championship last year. “It’s one of the reasons we scheduled this,” Yeagley said. “We think we’ll have a great crowd there. Our guys had a great experience in Birmingham last time, but that was last year, as we know, and everything is different. You want to be tested on the road, and that is going to prove important in Big Ten play.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU split the two games it played in the Adidas/IU Legends Classic this weekend by coming from behind and defeating Southern Methodist 2-1 Friday and falling to UCLA in overtime 1-0 Sunday in front of a record crowd of 7,720 fans.The Hoosiers’ first test of the weekend came against SMU. The Hoosiers went down one goal early in the 10th minute of the game. The Mustangs’ Alfred Koroma slipped behind Billy McConnell. Michael King then made a long cross to Koroma, who buried a low shot in the bottom right corner of the net.“Billy had a tough start to the game,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “He’s a freshman, and he’s not the first to have that. It’s just when you’re a defender, it’s magnified. He rebounded very well. I think he played the last 15-20 minutes the way we know he can play.”The Indiana defense, led by senior Jacob Bushue and junior Kerel Bradford, was able to shut down Koroma and the Mustang attack for the rest of the game. Bradford said the team knew Koroma would be the Mustangs go-to guy, and once the team had a couple minutes to get used to his play, they handled him well.Indiana scored the equalizing goal in the 42nd minute when senior defender Matt McKain hit a rocket off the cross bar, and the rebound found the head of sophomore forward Femi Hollinger-Janzen, who redirected the ball past Jamie Ibarra. The Hoosiers controlled the pace from then on.IU’s game-winning goal came in the 72nd minute on a free kick from junior Patrick Doody. Senior midfielder A.J. Corrado tapped the ball to Doody, who shot a hard ball from 25 feet for his first career goal. Doody had taken similar shots from the same distance that had just missed throughout the game, and he was finally rewarded.“I hit two pretty well before that, so I was looking for it,” Doody said. “I knew whoever was going to hit it was going to do well with it, and we had been practicing it. I kept my head low and got a good ball.”On Sunday, the Hoosiers were locked in a dogfight with No. 9 UCLA for 90 minutes, plus some. The Hoosiers and the Bruins both had several chances in the first half. The Hoosier defense and keeper Michael Soderlund held the Bruins off of the scoreboard for the first 90 minutes.The Hoosiers had scoring chances in the second half, and the team continued to build on that momentum. However, the UCLA defense, led by shutdown defender Joe Sofia and keeper Earl Edwards Jr., denied the Hoosiers any points.Tensions ran high with 18 minutes left in regulation when Aaron Simmons took down freshman forward Tommy Thompson in what appeared to be the penalty box. Simmons was only given a yellow card, which sent Yeagley into a rage. Doody’s free kick was blocked, and the Hoosiers were sent back to the drawing board.Minutes later, Thompson was dragged down again on a similar play, this time by Sofia. Sofia was issued a red card, which set the stage for a penalty kick by junior midfielder Dylan Mares. However, Edwards Jr. easily grabbed his soft shot to the lower left corner of the frame.“I did what I could at the time, I’d like to say,” Mares said. “Looking at it again, maybe I’d like to go back because I didn’t score. “It’s shot creation and that’s something we need more of, and I did what I could at the time.”The Bruins played back for the remaining minutes because they were playing a man down due to Sofia’s red card, but the Hoosiers could not capitalize. The game went to overtime. Within one minute of overtime, the Bruin’s patience paid off.Victor Chavez beat the Indiana defense, and when Soderlund tried to dive out and block the ball away, the loose ball landed under Chavez’s foot. He tapped the ball into the back of the Hoosier net and ended the game.“It’s always frustrating, but I’m not a bit concerned about this team,” Bradford said. “We didn’t get the result, but we’re just going to channel that for this upcoming game on Friday.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior IU midfielder A.J. Corrado led the Big Ten with 12 assists last season. Off the field, Corrado shifts his focus to assisting others. He has volunteered for Timmy Global Health, People and Animal Learning Services, Read Across America and Goodwill during his time at IU.To kick off his final season, Corrado has been added to the MLS players to watchlist and has also been nominated for the Senior CLASS award. Corrado said the recognition he has received is an honor.“It means that people have taken notice of your hard work and your potential,” Corrado said. “It’s always an honor. At the same time, most of the individual awards are a reflection of the team. I don’t take it too personally. It’s a positive thing, but we still have a lot of playing left to do.”IU Coach Todd Yeagley said Corrado has been working hard over the summer to be more aggressive and take some shots for himself, while still maintaining his great set-up ability. Both said they have high expectations for this season.Yeagley said Corrado has taken major strides and has really improved as a player in the offseason.“He’s now getting in more dangerous spots for himself to finish with just some changes to the runs that he makes the final third,” Yeagley said. “His physicality and his accountability on the defensive side really seems to elevate him to a more complete player.”In his time away from Bloomington this summer, Corrado received some unusual opportunities to help him train for his final year of college soccer.Corrado spent part of his summer working on his game with MLS professionals in Columbus, Ohio and Kansas City, Miss.“This summer was a great time for me to really focus on my game,” Corrado said. “We had the spring season to work as a team, and then we have the summer and we are all away. I did a lot of stuff on my own. I had the ability to train with the ColumbusCrew and Sporting Kansas City. It’s a great thing to have that opportunity going intoanother college season.”Since returning to Bloomington, Yeagley said Corrado has emerged as a major leader on the team, leading by example because he is an extremely skilled technical player and has a positive energy that everyone feeds off of on the field.“You want one of your upperclassmen to help the young guys, too, and A.J. has a great personality,” Yeagley said. “He’s a magnet with the players. You know, we’re on the road and he’s opening his book and he knows when to get things done and he has good balance. He manages his time well, so he’s a great example for our young guys.”Corrado isn’t just balancing school and soccer. He also has made a conscious effort to give back to the Bloomington community.He has participated in Read Across America in all his seasons at IU. In spring 2013, Corrado raised funds for PALS, an organization that provides therapy for those with disabilities through interaction with horses. He also has volunteered at the Bloomington Goodwill.However, Timmy Global Health is Corrado’s main focus. The organization sends medical personnel, finances and resources all over the world to provide assistance to countries in need.“It helps provide medical care for those who don’t really even have the basic necessities,” Corrado said. “What we do for that at IU is raise money for that through a bunch of different runs and different kinds of events — different fund-raising things for that organization.”Corrado is pre-dentistry, and he takes his work ethic from the soccer field and applies it to his classwork. He currently has a 3.604 grade point average. He is an IUFounder’s Scholar and has earned Alpha Beta honors for the past three years.Corrado said balancing school, soccer and volunteer work can be tricky but extremely rewarding.“It’s tough, but It’s all fun to me,” Corrado said. “I don’t have a problem with it at all because it’s what I want to do. I enjoy all three of them big time, and wouldn’t want to have it any other way.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>College soccer titans North Carolina and IU met in Fort Wayne Saturday for the final match of the Shindigz National Soccer Festival, with No. 4 North Carolina’s Cooper Vandermaas-Peeler scoring the lone goal in the game to defeat the top-ranked Hoosiers 1-0 in the exhibition. Vandermaas-Peeler netted the lone score on a cross-body shot on a pass from Josh Rice in the 47th minute. The Hoosiers bounced back, but they couldn’t tie. IU Coach Todd Yeagley said despite the outcome, it was a positive match for his squad.“In the second half there was a resiliency and a bite that I like,” Yeagley said. “We played with a lot of edge and even more as the game went on. We had a great first 10 to 12 minutes.“Then we skid off a little bit, but I like the character of this team, and there wasn’t once when they thought they couldn’t come back.”Despite many shot attempts, North Carolina goalkeeper Brendan Moore was a wall in front of the Hoosiers, tallying five saves. Yeagley praised his team for its defensive effort in containing North Carolina. Even though the Tar Heels scored the only goal, the defense did not give many high-opportunity scoring chances, Yeagley said.He said a lot of Carolina’s chances, including Vandermaas-Peeler’s goal, were made off the team’s own mistakes, and if the team could eliminate those mistakes, it would be in great shape.Junior defender Kerel Bradford said the Hoosiers had to fight for every possession. “It was a high-pressure game,” Bradford said. “It was a battle. We had to grate and claw for everything, and it was the same with UNC.”Yeagley said he thought the IU player with the most composure wasn’t one of the seniors, but freshman forward Tommy Thompson. In the 33rd minute, Thompson gave the Hoosiers one of their best scoring opportunities of the game as his cross shot from just inside the right corner of the box bounced off the left post.The rebound landed in front of senior midfielder Nikita Kotlov, whose shot then sailed over the North Carolina goal.Kotlov said playing North Carolina this early in the season was a great opportunity for the team to play another team with a similar intensity to the Hoosiers and will help them prepare for the long season ahead.“North Carolina is a very sharp team, and in my opinion, they are the best team we played last year,” Kotlov said. “They are up-tempo, and very similar to us.“They are very quick, and they like to spread it a lot. It’s good to see that early, because they are definitely a tournament-type team, and hopefully we’ll see them later on.”Follow reporter Alyssa Extin on Twitter @alyssa_extin.