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(11/08/02 5:22am)
IU's soccer team was well represented Wednesday when the Missouri Athletic Club announced the finalists for college soccer's player of the year. Seniors Pat Noonan and Ryan Mack were named as two of the 15 finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy. Mack and Noonan are the only pair of teammates on the finalists list.\nHoosier coach Jerry Yeagley said his senior duo is worthy of the praise which comes along with being named finalists.\n"Both Pat and Ryan have been finalists before, this honor is richly deserved," Yeagley said. "They are deserving, and I am very happy for them. Hopefully one of them will be able to win the award."\nPrior to this year, the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Player of the Year and Hermann Trophy awards were given out separately, but they have been combined and a unanimous player of the year will be selected this year. The winner of the first ever MAC Hermann Trophy will be announced Dec. 12 before the start of college soccer's College Cup. The award is voted upon by the National Soccer College Coaches Association (NSCAA).\nIf Mack or Noonan were to claim the award, it would not be a first in the Hoosiers' storied soccer tradition. IU has had five Hermann Trophy winners; the latest was Brian Maisonneuve in 1994. The Hoosiers have also had three MAC Player of the Year winners, with the last being Todd Yeagley in 1994.\nNoonan is IU's leading scorer on the season with 37 points on 14 goals and nine assists. The Ballwin, Mo., native also was the runner-up for the MAC Player of the Year in 2001 and earlier this season became IU's 14th player to score 100 points in their career. Along with being named the 2001 Big Ten Player of the Year, Noonan was a Hermann Trophy finalist last season and is a two-time All-American.\nNoonan said it was a great honor to be named a finalist, but he is focused on leading the Hoosiers on another postseason run.\n"It is a great accomplishment for Indiana and an honor to be a part of the top 15 coming from the coaches," Noonan said. "(If I were to win) it would be a great honor and something that I would remember, but I think I will remember a championship more. So if that comes, it comes, but there are more important things on my mind right now." \nMack, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, is the Hoosiers second leading scorer with 21 points on six goals and nine assists. Mack was a finalist in 2000 for the MAC Player of the Year and was also the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2000.\nMack said he was thankful to have had the opportunity to return to this echelon of play after his injury last season.\n"I am so grateful for all the hard work I have put into it," Mack said. "It shows that if you work hard at something you can get back to the same level you were before it took a lot of time and dedication."\nYeagley credits both Noonan and Mack with being catalysts for IU's success during their careers.\n"They have been our primary attacking force for the last four or five years in our run of five consecutive Final Fours and two National Championships. This is an honor for them, their teammates and the University"
(11/04/02 4:57am)
IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis took the IU men's soccer team to limit on a cold and drizzly afternoon yesterday as it took the No. 5 Hoosiers double overtime to down the Jaguars 2-1. With the win, IU (14-2-2) concluded its regular season play undefeated at home going 5-0-2 record at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nThe Hoosiers dominated much of the play as they had 15 shots on goal to the Jaguars' three. IU also had season highs with 33 shots and 17 corner kicks in the match. IUPUI freshman goalkeeper Drew Deffner made 13 saves on the day, an opponent high against the Hoosiers this season. IU now holds a 3-0 record all-time against the Jaguars, who are 3-14-2 on the year.\nDespite struggling to put the ball in the back of the net, IU coach Jerry Yeagley said he was not upset with the way his squad played.\n"A lesser team, a non-IU championship caliber could have tied or lost this game today," Yeagley said. "We hung in there and did not get frustrated to the point of doing things we should not be trying to do."\nSophomore forward Mike Ambersley started the scoring 39:31 into the match when he received a touch pass from senior forward Pat Noonan and drilled a shot into the lower right corner past Deffner. The goal was Ambersley's first of the season after he netted six goals as a freshman last year.\nAmbersley said it was a good feeling to get back in the scoring column for the Hoosiers.\n"It has been a tough season for me scoring," Ambersley said. "I just kept at it and knew it would come one of these times. I scored a big goal today and I am just happy to contribute."\nIUPUI knotted the game at 1-1 with 36:16 remaining in the match when freshman forward Shane Bonin beat IU sophomore keeper Jay Nolly with a hard shot into the low right corner of the goal.\nIU looked to regain the lead just two minutes later as freshman Brian Plotkin was pulled down in the penalty box and the Hoosiers were awarded a penalty kick. Senior Ryan Mack took the kick for the Hoosiers, but Deffner made a diving save to his right to preserve IUPUI's chances. Deffner also made a diving save on a shot by Noonan with 20:21 left in the match when it looked as though the Hoosier senior All-American might have come up big again.\nAs the game entered overtime, it was apparent IUPUI was content to leave Bloomington with a tie as they continually put nine and 10 defenders in IU's offensive box to stymie any Hoosier chances. After the Hoosiers were unable to generate any great chances in the first overtime, IU was on the attack in the second overtime.\nWith 8:22 left in the second overtime, Noonan sent a cross into the IU box and senior John Swann put a header off the right post. Just more than a minute later, with 7:03 remaining, Mack made a run down the left sideline before crossing the ball toward the goal. The ball went to Noonan's feet and he knocked a shot into the right side past Deffner.\n"It was a good feeling to get that goal, because if we don't win that game there are a lot of disappointed people," Noonan said. "Luckily we were able to get it before the end of overtime. Mack played a great ball in and I was able to be in the right place and put it in the net."\nIU once again played without sophomore midfielders Danny O'Rourke and Ned Grabavoy, both out with injuries. O'Rourke is hoping to be back for the Big Ten Championships on Nov. 15 and Grabavoy could be back for Big Ten's unless he is with the U.S. Under-20 National Team in South Carolina that weekend. Junior midfielder Vijay Dias sat out much of the game after he separated his shoulder last weekend in IU's match with Cal-State Fullerton.\nYeagley emphasized the need for the Hoosiers to get healthy heading into postseason play.\n"We are missing some key people," Yeagley said. "For Vijay to come in the game with a separated shoulder, we were not going to use him unless we were desperate, so we got a little desperate. Of course we missed Ned and Danny; we need to get healthy now"
(10/25/02 5:53am)
West Coast road trips have not been kind to the IU men's soccer team in recent years. The Hoosiers have taken five road trips west since 1994 and they have compiled just a 5-5 record while their overall record during that span was 153-28-6.\nNo. 1 ranked IU travels to Fullerton, Calif., for the weekend to battle Cal-State Fullerton and No. 17 UC Santa Barbara. The Hoosiers face Fullerton (5-6-2) today at 9 p.m. and IU (12-1-2) will play UCSB (10-1-1) at 6 p.m. on Sunday.\nSenior sweeper Phil Presser acknowledged the Hoosiers lack of success in recent stints to the West Coast, but thinks this squad has what it takes to be victorious.\n"It is real important right now that we do not let down, because we are rated No. 1 in the country again," Presser said. "All the teams in the past have done well in terms of fight, but I think this team has more skill on the team as well as fight. We continue to get better as the season builds in the fight area. There are people on the team that know what we have to do to win these games."\nThe Hoosiers other long road trip this year was to New York and resulted in IU's only loss of the season as they were downed 3-0 by St. John's. Although Fullerton has a losing record, IU coach Jerry Yeagley said the Hoosiers cannot overlook them because in 1994 IU traveled west and Fullerton pulled off an upset.\nYeagley said IU schedules difficult games near the end of the regular season to test their team and to play in a hostile atmosphere.\n"We schedule hard at the end and try to get on the road in a tough environment," Yeagley said. "The wears and tears of travel cause some teams to drop their performance. We schedule on the road in tough situations and find a way to build off the energy of the opponents."\nFullerton is led by junior Hector Orellana with 20 points on eight goals and four assists. Orellana is Fullerton's only scorer in double figures. UCSB poses a much different threat as they have four scorers in double figures and are the nation's second leading scoring team at 3.25 goals per game.\nUCSB's offensive attack has Yeagley concerned and he said the Hoosiers will attempt to keep the ball on the ground to counter the Gauchos height advantage. UCSB's two primary offensive threats, senior Rob Friend and sophomore Drew McAthy are listed at 6-feet, 4-inches and 6-2 respectively. Friend leads the Gauchos with 28 points on 12 goals and four assists and McAthy has 21 points on 10 goals and an assist.\nOn the other side of the ball, IU's three defensive stoppers, Presser, senior John Swann and junior David Prall are all 5-10. Swann is credited as one of the best marking backs in the nation and was named to Soccer America's National Team of the Week for his play in last week's victories over Kentucky and Ohio State.\nAfter the Hoosiers trip to New York in early Sept., Yeagley was unhappy with the team's effort \nand overall performance, but he expects the Hoosiers to be better this time around.\n"After the New York trip, where I felt we showed a bit of immaturity and a lack of confidence, we have seen definite improvement on the road," Yeagley said. "I have not seen this team back down and take a negative stance against anyone on the road."\nIU is currently on an 11-game winning streak, the longest since the 1999 squad had a 12-game winning streak which ended in a 2-0 loss to James Madison in a late season road trip to Florida. The Hoosiers have also regained the top ranking in both the College Soccer News and adidas/NSCAA polls after St. John's, Wake Forest and Stanford all either tied or lost last week.\nJunior midfielder Vijay Dias said it is important for IU to have a good showing in the trip to California to maintain a high ranking.\n"Whenever we play teams out of our region, it is important that we do well to show that we can play with everybody in the country and win," Dias said. "We need to make sure if we get a high seed in the NCAA tournament that we are deserving of it"
(10/22/02 6:19am)
IU's reign over the Big Ten conference continued Sunday at Ohio State as the men's soccer team traveled to Columbus, Ohio and downed the Buckeyes 4-2. The win extended the Hoosiers consecutive winning streak in regular season conference games to 36 and gave IU its seventh consecutive No. 1 seed for the Big Ten Tournament.The team has also reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in both College Soccer News' poll and the adidas/NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) poll. \nWith the Big Ten No. 1 seed, the Hoosiers have secured a bye for the first round of the tournament and would only have to play two games to win the championship, while all other teams would need to play three games in four days to win the title.\n"It is a great accomplishment not to lose a game in the regular season," senior Pat Noonan said. "The first seed is obviously very big for us, because it keeps us from playing three games and we should have our fresh legs, so this was a big game for us."\nNoonan and two other seniors celebrated personal accomplishments along with the team's success this week. Noonan was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week while John Swann was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Ryan Mack was named College Soccer News' National Player of the Week.\nSunday the Hoosiers jumped on top of Ohio State early and did not relent as they netted two goals in each half. Sophomore Ned Grabavoy scored at the 16:08 mark of the first half as he gathered a loose ball in the box and drilled it past Buckeye sophomore keeper Chad Brown into the left side of the goal. Senior teammates Noonan and Mack connected for IU's second goal. From 30 yards out on the right side of the field, Noonan crossed the ball into the box as a diving Mack headed the ball off the left post and into the goal.\nTo start the second half, it looked as though the Buckeyes were going to make a game of it as they controlled the ball for the first five minutes of the game. Ohio State sophomore Peter Withers was credited with a Buckeye goal 2:25 into the second half as IU failed to clear the ball from their defensive box.\nHoosier coach Jerry Yeagley was upset his IU squad allowed the Buckeyes to threaten the Hoosiers right out of halftime.\n"Giving up the goal at the start of the second half, a restart goal, the disappointment of the match was that we took our foot off the pedal when we came out with a two goal lead and gave up a goal in the first five minutes," Yeagley said.\nIU pushed their lead back to two with 33 minutes left on their only corner kick of the match. Freshman Brian Plotkin took the kick and found Swann who headed it past Brown. Noonan then picked up a goal to push IU's lead to 4-1, before Ohio State sophomore Sammy Tamporello beat IU sophomore keeper Jay Nolly with 30 seconds remaining in the match to lead to the final score of 4-2.\nThe Hoosiers were without sophomore midfielder Danny O'Rourke who is sidelined indefinitely after having surgery on four broken bones in his face. Yeagley is hopeful O'Rourke will be back in the lineup for the Big Ten Championships which are Nov. 14-17 at Penn State. \nMack noted the importance of O'Rourke returning for the Hoosiers, but is also confident his replacements can do the job.\n"We are for sure missing Danny in the midfield, but I think Jordan (Chirico) and Drew (Shinabarger) are feeling more comfortable in their positions," Mack said. "They are stepping up and playing hard and playing the role that Danny played. I think that if you know how to play that role you are pretty well off and they are doing a great job in that role."\nYeagley said the Hoosiers first season goal of winning the regular season Big Ten Championship has now been accomplished and now IU will look to finish their season strong riding a current 11-game winning streak.\n"I think the regular season is more difficult to win than the tournament, because you have to do it all year long against everyone," Yeagley said. "I think this group deserves a lot of credit for again not dropping a game in conference. Our next goal is to finish out the season strong and then taking care of post-season, winning the Big Ten and hopefully getting a good seed in the NCAA"
(10/16/02 4:55am)
In team competition, it is often vital to have good communication and unity amongst teammates. Soccer might be the best example of this technique as players are regularly calling out to their fellow teammates in order to organize plays and set up a possible goal opportunity. Thus when one sees IU sophomore midfielder Josh Reiher on the field and the success he has in communicating with his teammates, it may come as a surprise that Reiher is hearing impaired.\nReiher regularly reads lips and sometimes uses sign language to communicate in everyday activity, he does the same on the field.\nReiher, who came to IU from Homestead High School in Mequon, Wis., said he played all kinds of sports when he was a child and picked up soccer when he was 6-years-old. Soccer came easiest to Reiher and he said he loves the team aspect of the sport. While he admits communication was, at times, an issue in his younger days, but the IU coaching staff and players have been helpful in getting Reiher adjusted and involved on the field.\n"The biggest obstacle to overcome has been getting people around me to help me, but that has been in the past," Reiher said. "Here at IU, the coaching staff and the players have been so good to me in helping me be a better player and allowing me to help the team. We all have a great understanding of what I need from them, we know each other very well and have a good instinctive advantage in that way."\nLast year Reiher was sidelined nine games into the season after injuring his knee. He played in eight games and started the last three games prior to his injury. He also got his first career point with an assist in his last game of the season against Michigan. Reiher picked up where he left off last year, as he has four starts in twelve games played this year and has collected two more assists. He netted his first career goal on in the Hoosiers last game on Sunday against Northwestern, in IU's 1-0 victory.\nHoosier coach Jerry Yeagley said he is pleased with the progress and accomplishments of Reiher.\n"You never have to worry about Josh's effort," Yeagley said. "Josh is one of those guys that will work his tail off, he is an honest player. The communication keeps getting better and better and he brings it to practice everyday and tries to do everything right all of the time."\nReiher had a successful soccer career in high school where he scored 34 goals and posted 91 points in his final two seasons. He was named County Player of the Year and All-State his senior year at Homestead.\nSenior forward Michael Bock said he thinks Reiher's familiarity of the game is the biggest key to Reiher's success on the field.\n"Josh has played soccer for a very long time so his knowledge of the game is so good and he knows where he is supposed to be and where other people are," Bock said. "There really is not a whole lot that we have to do to help him. His awareness if amazing, the fact that he can play at this level is just amazing, he just always knows what is going on."\nReiher acknowledged that as the level of play continues to get higher, the communication factor does become more of an issue.\n"I have to be watching more than any other player all the time," he said. "That is very difficult, because the higher the level, the faster the game is played and it gets harder for someone like me to adjust to that, but through hard work and help from teammates and coaches it has been awesome. I love it here and I don't think that at any other school I would have had an opportunity, the coaches here have helped me out more than any other coach I have ever had"
(10/14/02 5:28am)
In perhaps its biggest weekend of soccer this season, the IU men's soccer team came up big with a pair of victories over Wisconsin and Northwestern. The two victories extended IU's Big Ten conference game winning streak to 35 and put them in position to once again claim the bye for the first round of the Big Ten soccer tournament.\nThe No. 4 ranked Hoosiers routed Wisconsin (7-5, 1-2 Big Ten) 5-1 Friday night to extend IU's winning streak over the Badgers to eight. IU (10-1-2, 5-0) downed Northwestern (5-7, 0-3) 1-0 Sunday as IU is now 19-0 all-time against the Wildcats.\nIU's offensive onslaught of the Badgers began early Friday night as Hoosier senior back John Swann picked up his second goal of the season just 2:13 into the match. From about 25 yards out on the right side of the field, junior back David Prall centered the ball into the IU's offensive box. Sophomore forward Mike Ambersley headed the ball to the back post where he found Swann who headed it over Wisconsin sophomore keeper Eric Hanson and down into the goal off the crossbar.\nThe Badgers knotted the game at 1-1 when senior forward Valentine Anozie beat IU sophomore keeper Jay Nolly on a penalty kick, 12:19 into the match. Wisconsin was awarded the penalty kick after a Hoosier defender was called for a hand ball in the box.\n IU regained the lead just under five minutes later as Prall picked up his first goal of the year. Ambersley received the ball at the top of the box off a corner kick and dribbled through the box. He eventually found Prall who chipped the ball over Hanson and into the back of the net.\nThe assists were Ambersley's first points of the season after he had an 18-point season last year as a freshman. He was plagued early in the year by a back injury and has struggled getting involved in the offense, but Ambersley said it was nice to be back in the Hoosier scoring attack.\n"It was great to be involved in a couple of goals," Ambersley said. "The main goal is to win, but it is also nice to be able to contribute a little more. I was happy with my performance."\nSophomore midfielder Ned Grabavoy kept the IU momentum going as he found the back of the net just 36 seconds after Prall. Senior Pat Noonan found Grabavoy making a run toward the goal and fed him the ball; Grabavoy drilled the shot into the low left corner past Hanson. Grabavoy picked up his second goal of the game and fifth of the season at the 35:11 mark of the second half when senior forward Michael Bock and Grabavoy combined on a 2-on-1 to give the Hoosiers a 4-1 lead.\nNoonan finished off the scoring for the Hoosiers 15:15 into the second half when senior Ryan Mack found Noonan on a cross. The goal was Noonan's team leading seventh of the season.\nHoosier coach Jerry Yeagley said the performance against the Badgers was what IU should bring every game.\n"This was the most energy we have had, certainly at home," Yeagley said. "We did not come out and wait for things to happen. We were co-active, and we had them under pressure. And we were causing things to happen."\nAfter precisely picking apart the Badger defense Friday, the Hoosiers were sluggish in the 1-0 victory over Northwestern. In Sunday's match-up with the Wildcats, IU was without Swann who picked up his fifth red card of the season against Wisconsin and had to sit out the game. Sophomore defensive midfielder Danny O'Rourke also missed the match after colliding with senior back Phil Presser in warm-ups. O'Rourke was taken to the hospital where x-rays showed he fractured a bone in his face.\nThe lone Hoosier goal was scored by sophomore midfielder Josh Reiher. Grabavoy and Noonan were credited with assists as Reiher collected the ball inside the box and shot it into the top right corner just 12:39 into the match. The Hoosiers held on from there as Nolly picked up his seventh shutout of the season.\nReiher was pleased with being able to contribute to the Hoosier attack.\n"I have had a lot of opportunities," Reiher said. "It was nice to have that goal come after being injured in the middle of last year and coming back and scoring like that and helping my team in a tough game."\nThe Hoosiers return to the field Wednesday, Oct. 16 when they travel to Lexington, Ky. for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
(10/11/02 7:06am)
As the IU men's soccer team goes into this weekend's pair of conference games, they understand the importance of getting a couple of victories and sustaining their quest for the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.\nThe Hoosiers (8-1-2, 3-0 Big Ten) will battle Wisconsin (7-4, 1-1) at 7 p.m. tonight at Bill Armstrong Stadium. IU will also host Northwestern (5-6, 0-2) on Sunday at 2 p.m. IU enters the weekend with a 33-game conference winning streak dating back to 1996 when the first win came against Wisconsin. Ironically, the Badgers also dealt the Hoosiers their last loss in Big Ten conference play.\n"This is a crucial weekend for us in conference," coach Jerry Yeagley said. "Playing two games in three days is dangerous. There was a time when Northwestern was a breather and we could just concentrate on Wisconsin, but that no longer is the case. But our focus right now has to be on Wisconsin."\nThe Badgers deserve IU's attention after they defeated a tough Penn State team last weekend 2-1, just a week after the Hoosiers needed double overtime to down the Nittany Lions 1-0. Yeagley also said Wisconsin got the better of the only other undefeated team in conference play, Ohio State, despite losing 1-0.\nWisconsin is led on the stat sheet by sophomore forward Nick Van Sicklen who has 16 points on six goals and four assists. Van Sicklen is tied for third in the scoring in the conference along with Hoosier seniors Pat Noonan and Ryan Mack and Michigan sophomore Mychal Turpin. Badger senior forward Valentine Anozie is the league's reigning Offensive Player of the Week.\nIU senior sweeper Phil Presser said he expects Wisconsin to be out to dethrone the Hoosiers.\n"This will be a big game for us, all of these Big Ten teams are coming out to get us," Presser said. "If we can take care of Wisconsin, it will give us a lot of momentum going into the rest of the Big Ten and will give us a lot more confidence as well."\nEven with a losing record and being winless in two conference games, Northwestern is not being overlooked by the Hoosiers. The Wildcats are led offensively by a duo of freshman forwards, Tito Lara and Eric Brin. Lara leads Northwestern with seven points on three goals and an assist, while Brin has four points with two goals. Senior goalkeeper J.D. Martin anchors the Wildcat defense with a 1.20 goals against average and 50 saves.\nThe Hoosiers could be undermanned if junior Vijay Dias is unable to compete due to sickness. Yeagley said that Dias was hospitalized Wednesday with a stomach problem, but was optimistic he would be released soon and might be able to play against the Badgers. Dias scored the game-winning goal in overtime last Sunday that allowed the Hoosiers to get by Michigan 2-1.\nIf Dias is unable to go, Yeagley is pleased with the depth of his squad and expects another midfielder to step into the role.\n"Our depth is getting stronger, people are fighting for playing time," Yeagley said. "The other thing we have is a 'B' team that is as tough or tougher than a lot of opponents we play. We have good reserves and redshirts who really give us a good contest and play hard and have some talent."\nOne player Yeagley has been looking to off the bench for contributions lately is freshman midfielder Brian Plotkin. Plotkin has two assists on the year including one at Butler Oct. 3. Plotkin is also not shy about firing shots on goal as he has 15 shots with five on goal this season. In his last match against Michigan, Plotkin put up seven shots with three being on goal.\nPlotkin is eager to continue to be a factor as the Hoosiers season progresses.\n"I am just excited to get in and am doing the best I can when I get on the field," Plotkin said. "We are playing really well as a team, so I am just happy to contribute to that"
(10/08/02 5:24am)
Sophomore midfielder Ned Grabavoy came to the IU soccer program as a highly touted high school phenom looking to prolong the tradition of excellence of IU men's soccer. After an injury-plagued season last year and a scoreless first five matches this season, it was just a matter of time before Grabavoy got his offense going. That time has come.\nBeginning with IU's match against Air Force on Sept. 13, Grabavoy has notched a point in all six \nHoosier games. He is averaging two points a game over that span. He had the game-winning penalty kick in IU's 1-0 double overtime victory at Penn State and also had the game-winning goal in the Hoosiers 2-0 win over Butler. Grabavoy also tied a school record when he collected four assists at Michigan State. He is the third leading scorer on the team with 12 points on three goals and six assists. Only seniors Pat Noonan and Ryan Mack have more points on the season.\nCoach Jerry Yeagley is not surprised Grabavoy has picked up his play for the Hoosiers.\n"Ned is a special player on the ball," Yeagley said. "We need to have him have the ball more, when he has the ball you always feel something good can happen, something exciting will happen. He is the kind of player that gets you on the edge of your seat as a coach and as a spectator."\nAlthough his role on IU is not strictly as a goal scorer, but rather as an offensive creator, Grabavoy has managed to find the back of the net in three consecutive games. His recent success has not gone unnoticed as he was named to College Soccer News' National Team of the Week for last week.\nDespite his small 5-7, 155 lb. build, Grabavoy uses precise technical skills to rouse the crowd and leave opposing defenders lying on the ground in disgust after he slips past.\nJunior midfielder Vijay Dias credits Grabavoy for jumpstarting offensive chances for the Hoosiers.\n"Ned has some great skill and good vision," Dias said. "He makes it easier on all of us by spreading the ball and creating chances for us."\nGrabavoy, a native of New Lenox, Ill., has had success at all levels of soccer. He was the National Soccer Coaches Association of America National Player of the Year in 2000. Grabavoy was also the Illinois Player of the Year and led his Lincoln-Way High School team to a 54-2-2 record in 1999 and 2000 while scoring over 40 goals both seasons.\nPlaying for the Chicago Magic Soccer Club, Grabavoy won two regional championships, a national club soccer championship in 1999 and was a runner-up national champion in 2000. Grabavoy was the captain of the United States Under-18 National Team in 2000-2001 and played for a runner-up US U-20 National Team at an international tournament in Spain in August.\nGrabavoy said he started playing soccer when he was 4 ½ years old, but did not start playing competitively until he was 11 or 12.\n"When I started playing for the Chicago Magic Soccer Club, that was the time when I got real serious about it," Grabavoy said. "I would say that the biggest impact on my soccer career was my club coach, Mike Matkovich, he taught me so much he has definitely got to be my biggest influence since he was my coach for everything since I was 12 until I left to come to school here."\nMatkovich, the founder and director of the Chicago Magic club, said he knew Grabavoy was a special player the first time he saw him play and wanted to have him play for the Chicago Magic Soccer Club. Matkovich also noted that Grabavoy was part of a pipeline of players to play for Chicago Magic and then go on to IU, including Hoosier senior Michael Bock.\n"We have had maybe 15 or 20 pros come through our program, but I think Ned is clearly head and heels above of those guys at this stage. Indiana is a great program and we kind of have a pipeline going there and Ned has kind of paved the way for that. Our other top guy coming out this year, Jed Zayner out of Carl Sandburg High School, he is coming to Indiana and has committed to them."\nMatkovich credits Grabavoy's achievements to his work ethic and mental attitude.\n"All the years I have known him, Ned is one of the hardest working guys on and off the field," Matkovich said. "He deserves everything he gets because he puts such a good effort in. I can't say enough about him and even as a human being, he is like my son, over the years we have banged heads quite a bit, but it has always been in trying to push him along."\nWith the success Grabavoy has attained it seems plausible that the next step would be leading the Hoosiers to their seventh consecutive College Cup appearance and sixth national championship.
(10/07/02 6:05am)
Streaks are meant to come to an end, but on Sunday afternoon, the IU men's soccer team was not quite ready to allow Michigan to break their winning streak in conference games. The No. 4 ranked Hoosiers were taken to the limit by the Wolverines, but they prevailed with a 2-1 overtime win to extend their Big Ten conference winning streak to 33.\nIU (8-1-2, 3-0 Big Ten) has now defeated Michigan (3-5-1, 0-2) all four times since the Wolverines' soccer team entered the conference in 2000. Michigan's goal in Sunday's game marked the first goal they have scored on the Hoosiers in those four games.\nDespite the match being close throughout, IU coach Jerry Yeagley was not very concerned with Michigan's threat to score.\n"When you look at the stats and the chances that were created, I really never feared them other than on their restarts," Yeagley said. "They are big and athletic and are a tough team to handle. On the counter they had some speed. It was a game that we certainly should have won in regulation and it was a just result."\nAfter physical play in the second half and early in the overtime, IU was able to break the 1-1 tie with just 1 minute, 38 seconds remaining in the extra period. \nThe game winning goal was an unassisted put back on a rebound by junior midfielder Vijay Dias, it was Dias' second goal of the season.\nJunior David Prall hit senior Pat Noonan with a long ball along the left sideline for the Hoosiers. Noonan heel touched the ball to Dias who was making a run towards the goal. Dias completed a give and go with senior Ryan Mack and then put a shot on goal. Wolverine sophomore goalkeeper Joe Zawacki made an initial save, but the ball came back to Dias and with Zawacki sprawled on the ground, Dias placed a shot into the top left corner of the goal.\nThe goal was Dias' sixth in his three-year Hoosier career and he said it was nice to be able to be a goal scoring factor like he used to be prior to his days at IU.\n"Back in high school, it was my job to score goals all the time," Dias said. "With known goal scorers like Pat (Noonan) and Ryan Mack, you try and do your part. I like contributing more and would like to score more goals too."\nSophomore midfielder Ned Grabavoy extended his consecutive games scoring streak to six games as he notched the first Hoosier goal at 28:04 into the first half. Grabavoy drew a foul just outside the Michigan penalty box as he sliced through three Michigan defenders. On the ensuing free kick, Grabavoy curled his shot around the Wolverine wall of defenders and into the top left corner of the goal. It was Grabavoy's third goal and twelfth point on the season.\nGrabavoy said he felt confident prior to the kick that he had a chance to put the Hoosiers up early.\n"I told Patty (Noonan) to let me take it and that I was going to hit it far post, because the wind was going that way and I thought I would catch the keeper off guard and I did," Grabavoy said.\nThe Wolverines answered with just 4:35 remaining in the half when sophomore forward Mychal Turpin controlled a loose ball in the IU box and drilled a shot into the lower right corner, just off the fingertips of diving Hoosier keeper sophomore Jay Nolly.\nThe Hoosiers will return to action 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, against Wisconsin at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
(10/04/02 8:18pm)
INDIANAPOLIS --Throughout Indiana's storied 30-year soccer history, the Hoosiers have put up some impressive records, including a 46-game unbeaten streak in 1983 and 1984 and a reigning streak of five consecutive College Cup appearances. Thursday night's 2-0 victory over Butler gave this year's Hoosier squad a tie of a school record with the 1981 team.\nWith the victory over the Bulldogs, No. 4 ranked IU (7-1-2) concluded a five-game road trip with a 5-0 record, something only the 1981 Hoosier squad had previously achieved. The win over Butler (3-7-1) gave IU an all-time advantage of 13-1, including nine consecutive victories.\nHoosier coach Jerry Yeagley credited his squad with proving itself with its performance on the five game road trip, but is anticipating the Hoosier's return home on Sunday against Michigan.\n"In the first half of the season we like to get tested," Yeagley said. "We like to go on the road and find out what we have and what we need to correct. I think we found out a lot of answers and gained a lot of confidence and it sure will be nice to get back home, I am sure our crowd has been wondering where we are and will be glad to get us back there."\nThe Hoosiers started the road trip with a 2-1-2 record, but in their last game away from home prior to this road spree they were beaten 3-0 at St. John's. Now the Hoosiers are ten games into their 18 game regular season schedule and Yeagley said the team is playing its best ball.\n"If someone had told me at this point that we would have had just one loss (I would have taken it)," he said. "We are playing our best soccer right now."\nSophomore midfielder Ned Grabavoy netted the first Hoosier goal of the night as he received the ball and knifed his way through a multitude of defenders and beat Butler junior goalkeeper Grant Barrie. The second Hoosier goal came courtesy of senior forward Pat Noonan with assists from freshman midfielder Brian Plotkin and senior midfielder Ryan Mack.\nGrabavoy's goal extended his scoring streak to five games as he has come alive in the Hoosier offense during the road stint. All of Grabavoy's ten season points have come since the road trip began on Sept. 13.\n"The first five games I sat back, but lately I realized that even though I am a sophomore and we have guys like Ryan Mack and Pat Noonan, that I need to take more control of the game," Grabavoy said.\nGrabavoy is not the only Hoosier who has stepped up his play on the road trip, as sophomore keeper Jay Nolly has collected four shutouts and allowed just one goal in the five games.\nDespite his success on the road, Nolly is looking forward to returning to the friendly confines of Bill Armstrong Stadium, where the Hoosiers will play their next three games. \nNolly said the back of IU's defense has solidified throughout the road trip and he is ready to return home.\n"In the back we are so strong right now," Nolly said. "Everybody is working for each other and as our midfielders and forwards get more shots on goal, each game we are going to score more goals. We are ready to play at Bill Armstrong, it is such a great field and our fans are so great that we are ready to show our home crowd how good we are"
(10/01/02 4:50am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- U.S. interest in Formula One racing has never been up to par with the interest in NASCAR or Indy car racing. But plans may be in the works to turn the tide in favor of Formula One. At least that's what U.S. road-racing legends Dan Gurney and Phil Hill are hoping for as they plan to start up an American Formula One team next season.\nGurney and Hill made the announcement Saturday at the United States Grand Prix practice session. Gurney said plans have been in the works for 2 and a half years to make an All-American team with a commitment from Ford-Cosworth to supply the team's engines.\n"The time is perfect for this to happen," Gurney said. "If we have our way, we'll see you here next September (with a team). It could be enormous. The reality is it would need to be done properly and be properly funded. I'd like it to be a U.S. Formula One team with U.S. drivers. "\nHill and Gurney are two of the more successful American drivers to ever compete in Formula One, including a World Drivers Championship by Hill in 1961 while driving for Ferrari. Hill had three wins in 48 career Formula One starts.\nGurney had a pair of second place finishes in the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, N.Y., in the 1960s and had four Formula One wins in his career. He also started nine Indianapolis 500s including back-to-back second place finishes in 1968 and 1969.\nFive-time World Drivers Champion, Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher is already pleased with the atmosphere at Indianapolis, but Schumacher said an U.S. Formula One team should improve the appeal to American fans and even improve the sport.\n"I think it would be good," Schumacher said. "I mean, as a big a nationality spread as you have is better for this for the coverage of Formula One. America being such a big country, and we have a race here, it would be great."\nBut questions still remain as to who the United States will find to drive in the competition.\nMcLaren-Mercedes driver David Coulthard said it will be important for the U.S. team to field a qualified driver and not just find an American to drive just to generate interest.\n"It is only good to have drivers from all over the world if they actually deserve to be there," Coulthard said. "We've seen countries where they have been fielding drivers for a number of years and haven't done anything. So, you know, there's no reason why there couldn't be an American in the right car do a competitive job in Formula One."\nSeveral options are open to Hill and Gurney in the selection of an American driver for the new team. And they may have to look no farther than their own bloodlines to find such a candidate. Gurney's son, Alex, and Hill's son, Derek, are both up-and-coming drivers with future aspirations of competing in Formula One.\n"They've both made wonderful strides and completed the steps to do super groundwork to get to Formula One," Hill said.\nAnother option in the search for an American driver may lead to Sarah Fisher, an Indy Racing League driver who took a test drive in a McLaren-Mercedes Friday afternoon. After her test run, Fisher said she acknowledged that three-time World Drivers Champion and Jaguar Racing Chairman Niki Lauda approached her to come to Europe for another run in a Formula One car.\n"Yes, if it was with the right team and the right people (I'd be interested in driving Formula One)," Fisher said. "Nobody had asked me (to do another run), (Niki) was the first to ask me."\nWith the plans laid for the creation of a U.S. Formula One team, now only time and fan appeal will tell whether or not this typically international community of teams and fans can sustain U.S. interest.
(09/30/02 5:32am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Controversy struck again on race day in Indianapolis as Ferrari dominated the United States Grand Prix, with their drivers, Brazilian Rubens Barrichello and German Michael Schumacher, finishing 1-2, respectively.\nUnlike this year's Indianapolis 500, when controversy swirled over who won the race, this time questions were raised regarding the tactics used between the Ferrari drivers that allowed Barrichello to come out on top.\nFerrari's prancing horse controlled the Grand Prix from beginning to end as Barrichello and Schumacher led every lap of the race. Schumacher led after all but five of the 73 laps, including by 2.743 seconds with just two laps remaining. It was then that Schumacher began to slow down to allow Barrichello to close the gap.\nAs the Ferraris came around the final turn, Barrichello pulled up along side Schumacher and in the words of Schumacher, tried to finish side-by-side. As they crossed the start/finish line, Barrichello slid past his teammate and won the race by a mere 11-thousandths of a second.\nBarrichello was gracious to both Schumacher and his team for the victory.\n"It wasn't planned (to finish that way)," Barrichello said. "We never said at the beginning of the race, I guess we had a lot of fun in the race trying to be as fast as the other. I just thank Michael (Schumacher) very much and thank the whole team for the support."\nSchumacher, who has already clinched his fifth career Formula One World Drivers Championship this year, received a win in much the same fashion from Barrichello earlier in the season at Austria. In that circumstance, Schumacher was ahead in the championship battle and was trying to secure the title; Barrichello followed Ferrari team orders to let Schumacher get the win.\nFerrari's finish clinched second place in the Drivers Championship for Barrichello as he recorded his fourth victory of the season and 14 in 16 races for Ferrari. Despite no team orders being present this weekend, Schumacher seemed to be paying back his teammate.\n"It was just that I felt (Barrichello) deserves to win this race and the team asked me sort of not to do anything. And then we went side by side and in the end he was the winner. We both didn't know actually who was the winner. He was asking me down the straight, you won, I won? And I didn't know either. So we had to wait until we saw some sort of screen to see who won."\nBarrichello shared the same sentiments.\n"To win it was very, very good," he said. "I got to the last corner, I didn't know what to do. Michael was just very kind to, you know, let us finish equally. I guess I pointed a little bit in front, but, you know, what can we say? We're just having a lot of fun together, working together and having the car in front of everyone."\nBehind the Ferrari domination, McLaren-Mercedes driver, David Coulthard came home in third, with BMW-Williams' Juan Pablo Montoya securing fourth.\nCoulthard was pleased with his podium finish.\n"We weren't going to beat Ferrari," Coulthard said. "It was a question of just beating Williams. We can take a little boost from this weekend because we've taken a step forward."\nFighting for the final points paying positions in the race were Jarno Trulli of Renault and Jacques Villeneuve of British American Racing. Trulli finished just 1.6 seconds ahead of Villeneuve. Trulli's finish was his fourth in the points this season and was his second consecutive after he finished fourth at Italy two weeks ago.\n"We had a very good strategy, very smart, one pit stop, which paid off at the end of the race," Trulli said. "I was lapping very well. I'm extremely happy because in two races in a row, I'm scoring points"
(09/27/02 5:48am)
Penn State against IU has perennially been the deciding game in the Big Ten regular season. The match tends to determine who wins the top seed and coveted bye in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. And perennially the Hoosiers have come out on top.\nIU coach Jerry Yeagley said the winner of this year's match will have an early advantage toward getting the top seed in the conference.\n"Whoever prevails in this will be in the driver's seat in the Big Ten early on for the top seed," Yeagley said. "All the games are getting tougher, but many times the Penn State versus Indiana match has been that pivotal match."\nAs No. 5 IU travels to University Park, Penn. for this year's regular season match-up at 7:30 p.m. tonight, they will face a rare obstacle considering the long and storied history of IU men's soccer-- a losing record all-time in University Park. Penn State has claimed a 4-3-2 record over the Hoosiers in games played on the Nittany Lions' home turf.\nThe Hoosiers will have recent history on their side, however, as IU has a 3-0-2 record at Penn State since 1994, including tough conference wins in 1998 and 2000. Last year the Hoosiers downed Penn State 3-1 in Bloomington as senior Pat Noonan notched a pair of goals.\nYeagley expects this year's match-up to be no easier than those of previous seasons.\n"Happy Valley has been a difficult place for us," Yeagley said. "We have a few wins in a row up there, but they have been tough. Penn State is well coached and prepared and they have a young exuberance about them this year. They start a couple of young players who have stepped up and done quite well for them."\nNo. 12 Penn State enters the contest winning their last two matches, including a 1-0 shutout of Michigan to open the Big Ten season. The Nittany Lions (5-3) also boast the conference's leading scorer in sophomore Chad Severs who has 16 points on seven goals and two assists. Severs is just two points ahead of Hoosiers Noonan and senior Ryan Mack who each have 14 points.\nThe match will also feature Penn State sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Moate who is the reigning Big Ten defensive player of the week, while IU's Noonan is the two-time reigning Big Ten offensive player of the week.\nIU sophomore forward Mike Ambersley said nothing will come easy for the Hoosiers against Penn State, especially on the road.\n"They are a disciplined team, especially in the back," Ambersley said. "More than anything, it is going to take a lot of hard work from everybody to get past them at their home place where they play us really tough. I am sure their fans will be all over us, because we are Indiana and they want to beat us every time we play."\nHistorically, the Hoosiers own a 20-5-2 record against the Nittany Lions, including nine consecutive wins dating to 1996 when the two teams tied both games they played. IU currently owns a 31 game consecutive winning streak in regular season Big Ten play and Penn State was the last team IU did not defeat in conference play when they battled to a 1-1 tie on Oct. 4, 1996 in University Park.\nSenior back John Swann said the Nittany Lions will be eager to get another chance to dethrone the Hoosiers.\n"Penn State is definitely one of the hardest places to play in the country," Swann said. "Their fans are right there on the field and there are a bunch of hecklers. There is definitely no love lost between the two teams. Since I have been here, they haven't beaten us and I know that their seniors definitely want to get a win going out against Indiana"
(09/23/02 5:06am)
East Lansing, Mich. -- The IU men's soccer team made a statement to the rest of the Big Ten conference on Sunday in East Lansing, Mich. The Hoosiers are back to defend their six-year run atop the Big Ten regular season standings. Despite a sluggish start offensively, the No. 9 ranked Hoosiers had posted a 4-1-2 record against stiff competition.\nIU battled Michigan State to open Big Ten regular season play and dominated the No. 22 Spartans, winning 6-1.\n"We had struggled up here in recent years, but we really worked hard on having the guys ready mentally and I think that was a big part of our coming out and having all cylinders working," Hoosier coach Jerry Yeagley said. "There were some beautiful goals and some beautiful offense; we were able to get some valuable time for some reserves that will pay off down the line."\nThe Hoosiers did not waste any time showing their capability either, as sophomore Vijay Dias found the back of the net just 46 seconds into the match. Senior Pat Noonan was credited with an assist on Dias' goal, which came off a rebound off the crossbar. At the 24:40 mark, senior Ryan Mack found the back of the net after receiving a pass in the middle of the field from Noonan, who was on the right wing.\nWith just 1:41 remaining in the half Noonan scored his first goal of the day to push the Hoosier lead to 3-0. Sophomore forward Ned Grabavoy and Mack were given assists on the play. Noonan scored again just 4:02 into the second half when Grabavoy fed him the ball on the right side of the field. Noonan touched the ball right and back left to lose his defender and then placed the ball perfectly in the top left corner out of the reach of senior Spartan goalkeeper Tyler Robinson.\n"There were a couple guys fading to the back post and I just tried to cut it in and bent chipped it to the back post," Noonan said of his second goal. "It was fortunate enough for the ball land where it did, I wish I would have intended for it to go right there, but it looked good and I'll take anything I can get."\nThe onslaught continued as senior forward Michael Bock and Grabavoy found sophomore back Michael Bowditch on the in the back of the box on a corner kick. Bowditch received the ball and drilled it past Robinson for the first goal of his career.\nThe Spartans broke up IU sophomore keeper Jay Nolly's shutout bid at the 69:46 mark of the match. Junior Thomas Trivelloni beat Nolly after receiving a pass from redshirt freshman Steve Doster, who was a transfer from IU last year. The goal was MSU's first goal against IU since 1996 and only its seventh in the thirty game series.\nNolly did make four saves on the day, including two saves in the first half to preserve the IU lead. The win gave Nolly his first career Big Ten victory.\nMack put the finishing touches on the game with 4:16 left as he received a cross from the left side and headed it off the crossbar. Falling down, Mack reacted quickly and notched his second goal, driving the ball to the left of Robinson.\nMack, a native of Beverly Hills, Mich., said it was nice to put up an impressive performance in front of fans familiar with his play.\n"Out of any game we have played I have been more excited before the game to play this game than any other one," Mack said. "It was good to go out there in front of a bunch of fans who knew who I was and for us to get that first goal. I think (Michigan State) thought this was their year. Our coaches got us fired up and our teammates got us fired up and we just wanted to go out there and start the Big Ten season with a great performance."\nThe Hoosiers return to Big Ten play Friday, Sept. 27 when they travel to Penn State to take on the Nittany Lions.
(09/20/02 5:02am)
Despite a perfect 29-0 record against Michigan State all-time in men's soccer, IU is cautious heading into this weekend's Big Ten opener in East Lansing, Mich. IU (4-1-2) heads up to Spartan country to kick-off the 2002 conference season against Michigan State (4-1) at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.\nSunday's match-up will be the fourth meeting between No. 9 IU and No. 22 MSU in just under a year, with the Hoosiers posting three shutouts in 3-0, 2-0 and 1-0 victories. The first win came in the conference season, while IU bounced the Spartans 2-0 to claim the Big Ten Tournament Title. The Hoosiers' 1-0 shutout came in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.\nSophomore midfielder Ned Grabavoy said he believes the Spartans will be confident and looking to knock off Big Ten powerhouse IU.\n"(Michigan State) thinks that this is their year to finally beat IU, so it is really important for us to get off on the right foot," Grabavoy said. "It is going to be an important game, playing away and probably the other top team in the Big Ten this year."\nThe Hoosiers offense will face a tough test as the opposition to Spartan senior keeper Tyler Robinson. Robinson has allowed just one goal in four games played and was named last week's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Robinson has made 26 saves, including 18 saves in the Spartans' weekend matches last week against Hartford and Massachusetts.\nWhile Robinson has stifled opposing offenses, the Hoosiers offense has struggled on its own to finish its opportunities this season. IU has put 77 shots up against its opponents, including 32 on goal. But the Hoosiers offense has managed just seven goals in 580 minutes of play this season.\nIU coach Jerry Yeagley said he does not expect Robinson to give any ground to the Hoosiers.\n"Teams are getting shots on him," Yeagley said. "Hopefully we can test him and maybe the unlucky bounces will become lucky and our final touch will be more positive than it has been. Part of that is us and part of that is a bit of getting the bounce going your way. But we are going to have to beat Robinson; I don't think he is going to give us anything."\nThis weekend's match-up with the Spartans is also important as the Hoosiers look to get the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament, which would give them a valuable bye in the first round. \nIU has garnered the top seed each of the last six seasons and has gone on to win the tournament every year except 2000 when they were upset in the semifinals by No. 5 seed Ohio State.\nYeagley said it is important for the Hoosiers to work for the bye in tournament play.\n"Each Big Ten game is important because of the bye," he said. "It is such an advantage to not have to play three games in four days; it is so difficult to play Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Having the first round off has been a big advantage for us because we have owned that most of the time."\nIU holds a 30-game regular season winning streak in Big Ten play and sophomore goalkeeper Jay Nolly will be looking to keep up that record as he makes the first conference start of his career. In the 29 previous games against the Spartans, IU has outscored MSU 101-6, with the Spartans last goal against the Hoosiers coming in a 2-1 overtime loss at East Lansing in 1996.\nNolly doesn't plan on changing his play to match his Spartan counterpart and expects the IU offense to come though and break Robinson's stellar stretch of performances.\n"I have full confidence back there and I think the defense is confident now," Nolly said. "Now it is just everything coming together and getting that breakthrough game. I do not think we are going to change our game plan, we will just have our normal guys marking their (offensive) players in the back and I am sure with (senior Ryan) Mack and (senior Pat) Noonan up top we can break any goalie"
(09/13/02 6:16am)
Physical teams have caused the IU men's soccer team trouble early this season and that's just what they will face this weekend as they travel to the Butler Classic for a pair of weekend matches. The No. 9 ranked Hoosier squad will face the Air Force Academy at 6 p.m. tonight at Kuntz Field in Indianapolis and will then go to battle with Hartwick College at noon Sunday. The games begin a five-game road trip for the Hoosiers.\nHoosier coach Jerry Yeagley hopes the matches will bring up the level of IU's physical play.\n"There are no easy games," Yeagley said. "Hartwick and Air Force are two very hard teams, physical component teams that we struggle against at times. We are more of a finesse team that doesn't like to get into a physical tussle as much as we would like to get into a technical skills game and we need to up that in some of our players."\nIn their 30 year history, the Hoosiers (2-1-2) and Air Force (2-2) have never met, while this will be the fifth match-up against Hartwick (2-1-1). IU owns a 4-0 record against Hartwick, but the two teams have not met since 1984.\nSenior forward Pat Noonan said it would be important for the Hoosiers to scout each team well heading into the weekend.\n"We don't know too much about them, so we will have to watch a little film," Noonan said. "They are physical teams so they are going to give anybody a challenge, especially a talented team that likes to keep the ball on the ground. They are going to be knocking people around, so we will have to adjust and find a way to win and out fight them."\nAnother key factor for the Hoosiers will be the continued development of sophomore keeper Jay Nolly. In five games, Nolly has posted two shutouts on six saves and has recorded a 0.92 goals against average.\nNolly credited the Hoosier defense in front of him with helping him improve as the season progresses.\n"Having a presence back there is important and I also try to make sure the team has confidence in me, because that makes them feel better," Nolly said. "It is real nice to have (experienced players in the back), because as we develop our core group back there it is good to have some really good players to build around."\nThe Hoosiers offense has sputtered early this season as they have tallied just five goals in five games, despite being touted in the preseason as possibly the best offensive attack in Hoosier history.\nEven after picking up a 2-0 victory over Louisville Tuesday night, Yeagley is still looking for the Hoosiers to convert better on their final chances.\n"Our defense is good and our ball movement is good, but now we need to work on our execution in the final third," Yeagley said. "We get a little stagnant at times when things start to get a little to easy, but we just need to keep our foot on the pedal and finish."\nYeagley was pleased with the team accepting responsibility for their actions on the field.\n"I think the team is starting to take a little more ownership, as a coach you want and need that to happen," he said. "It has to be their team and they have to hold each other accountable and make sure nobody lets down. We are seeing that develop and that is very promising, all of our great teams had to get to that point"
(09/11/02 5:48am)
It may not have been pretty, but the IU men's soccer team picked up its second victory Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Louisville. The No. 9 ranked Hoosiers dominated ball control and possession throughout the match, but managed just two goals on the Cardinals' stingy defense. IU (2-1-2) posted 13 shots to Louisville's four and the Hoosiers had eight corner kick opportunities to the Cardinals' one. Louisville (2-3) used physical play to frustrate the Hoosiers' offensive attack as they committed a total of 26 fouls to IU's 15.\nIU coach Jerry Yeagley thought the Hoosiers' ball control was what had the Cardinal defenders off balance and committing fouls.\n"They were chasing us tonight, our ball movement was as good as we have had," Yeagley said. "The possession and combination play and the good short passing except for a few periods in the game I thought was very good."\nThe Hoosiers first goal came 15 minutes into the first half as senior All-American midfielder Ryan Mack found senior back John Swann on an IU corner kick. Mack's kick found its way to the back post of Louisville's goal and Swann deposited the ball in the back of the net with a sharp header. Swann's goal came on his first shot of the season and was his eighth career goal. For Mack, it was his second assist and fourth point of the young season.\n"We have been doing that (corner) all year and we practiced it all practice yesterday," Swann said. "We had been getting unlucky bounces, luckily it went over and Vijay (Dias) had a chance to head it and he knew I was behind him and luckily I got a good head on it."\nSenior All-American Pat Noonan netted his second goal of the year in the 75th minute of the match. Freshman midfielder Brian Plotkin fed Noonan a ball from 30 yards out along the left sideline and Noonan headed it into the top left corner from 12 yards out. It was Noonan's fifth point and second goal on the year and was Plotkin's first career point as a Hoosier.\nYeagley was especially pleased with the play of Plotkin as an attacking midfielder.\n"I thought Brian Plotkin came in and did a very good job, he is coming on and getting better each game," Yeagley said. "When he came here he had no idea what a tussle was, and now he would challenge for a head ball. You can't be a luxury player at this level and I am real pleased with his progress."\nWith the 2-0 shutout, IU sophomore goalkeeper Jay Nolly recorded his first shutout as a victory and first home win of his career. Nolly did not face any shots on goal from the Cardinals as his defensive backfield kept the Louisville offense out of their attack zone for much of the game.\n"It was a great win for us to start off, we are starting to come together in the back," Nolly said. "To put up a shutout for our first home victory was a good way to go out. We are starting to get more confidence and are starting to play well and we are just going to keep getting better."\nIU will travel to Indianapolis for a pair of weekend match-ups in the Butler Classic. The Hoosiers are slated to face the Air Force Academy on Friday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m. and will battle Hartwick at noon on Sunday, Sept. 15.
(09/05/02 6:25am)
As the IU men's soccer team prepared for their opening matches last week, two of the Hoosiers top scorers were nowhere to be found. Sophomore midfielder Ned Grabavoy and sophomore forward Mike Ambersley were in L'Alcudia, Spain, competing for the United States Under-20 National Team in the COTIF XIX Torneig Internacional.\nDespite missing the Hoosiers fall preseason matches and practices, the talented sophomore duo were representing their country and gaining beneficial experience they will be able to put to use for the Hoosiers this year.\n"It is obviously going to help us, because they are playing at the top level," senior forward Pat Noonan said of having his teammates playing in Spain. "Having them over there is going to help us because they are going to be in shape and ready to go."\nHoosier coach Jerry Yeagley also said he thought the international experience could only help Ambersley and Grabavoy when they return to the Hoosiers' team.\n"Anytime you can play international competition against some of the best players in the world, and many of the players in the other countries are pros, that is part of the maturity that helps move somebody to the next level," Yeagley said.\nIn the tournament, the U.S. Under-20 went head-to-head with some of the most storied soccer nations in the world. The U.S. team was in group play with Brazil, Italy and Ukraine. Brazil downed the U.S. squad 2-1 in the first group play match, but the U.S. responded and defeated Italy 2-1 and 5-2 to advance to the elimination round.\nIn the semifinals the U.S. took on Uruguay for a chance at a re-match with Brazil in the finals. Grabavoy helped out in the Uruguay match, scoring the eventual game-winning goal on a penalty kick after 34 minutes of play. Grabavoy's goal gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead, and they went on to win 3-1. Team USA did lose the rematch to Brazil, 1-0 in the final.\n"That is probably the best tournament that I have ever played in, because it is all international teams," Grabavoy said. "It is just amazing how our team did over there. I think it was good for me, because I got a lot of games in and right now I feel like my fitness is up."\nThe U.S. team played five matches in six days and Grabavoy started four of them. Ambersley started the Ukraine match and came in as a sub in the final. After the completion of the tournament, Ambersley and Grabavoy traveled 20 hours to return to Indiana and both played in IU's season opener last Friday against Rutgers. Grabavoy also played much of Saturday's game with Clemson, but Ambersley was sidelined with a back injury from earlier in the year.\nAmbersley was last year's Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was IU's second leading scorer with 18 points on six goals and six assists. Prior to his freshman year, Grabavoy suffered an injury that sidelined him until mid-season, but he returned last season to start four games and notch four points with a goal and two assists. The sophomore duo will be looked to this year to add to the firepower brought by Noonan and senior Ryan Mack, who returns after a season long injury last year.\nYeagley said he encourages players to represent their country in tournaments such as the one in Spain, despite the time players must spend away from the team.\n"The media attention and the publicity is good news, but the bad is that they aren't with you," Yeagley said. "But in the end you hope that experience will help our team both in terms of being stronger this year and in terms of recruiting in the future"
(09/02/02 6:17am)
For the third straight season, the IU men's soccer squad failed to claim the championship as they hosted the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic this past weekend. The consensus No. 1 ranked Hoosiers took on No. 7 Rutgers on Friday night and No. 9 Clemson on Saturday evening.\nIn a tight defensive battle, Rutgers and IU played to a 0-0 tie after two overtimes. Rutgers stymied the Hoosiers offensive attack by consistently putting nine and 10 men back on defense. Despite doubling the Scarlet Knights' shot output 16-8, IU was able to put just four shots on the goal of Rutgers senior keeper Ricky Zinter.\nFifth-year senior midfielder Ryan Mack returned to the Hoosier lineup after sitting out all of last year with an ACL tear. Mack provided a spark for the Hoosiers and was excited to be back on the field in an IU uniform.\n"It was great to be back out there with all my friends and to see all of the fans in the stands, it really fired me up," Mack said. "We were rushing our shots a little bit and I think we might have to relax and not push it so much and I think the goals will come."\nWith two minutes left in regulation, redshirt freshman Pat Yates received a cross from junior Vijay Dias and knocked a shot off the side post. Hoosier sophomore Ned Grabavoy then fed senior All-American Pat Noonan at the 97:58 mark as Noonan launched a shot that forced Zinter to make a tough save.\nWhile Zinter was kept on his toes, IU sophomore goalie Jay Nolly went untested with no shots on goal in his first career start as a Hoosier.\nThe Rutgers match also kicked off the 30th season for coach Jerry Yeagley at the helm of the Hoosier squad. Yeagley was pleased with the play of his new goalie.\n"I thought that in the first half Jay was a little tentative and wasn't taking charge," Yeagley said. "But it was his first big game at home and in front of a big crowd and as the game went on I thought he settled in. I thought his distribution and kicking skills were very good, but we need him to become more of a force, which he is capable of being."\nRutgers (0-1-1) took on Butler prior to the IU/Clemson showdown Saturday and Butler (1-1) came away with a 3-0 victory. Clemson dominated Butler in their match on Friday winning 3-0, so the Tigers came into the match with the Hoosiers needing just a tie to claim the Classic Championship.\nA tie is just what they got as IU (0-0-2) and Clemson battled to a 1-1 draw that included several scoring chances, especially for the Hoosiers. But Tigers goalie, senior Doug Warren avenged his 2-0 loss to IU in the NCAA quarterfinals last year. Warren played at IU his freshman year and made two game-preserving saves on former teammate Noonan to keep the game at 1-1. One save was a one-handed diving grab as Noonan tried to put a ball in the top right corner with just 2:35 left in the second overtime period.\nMack started out the scoring at the 8-minute mark with a shot from 10 yards out after receiving a centering pass from Noonan and shaking loose from his defender. But, Clemson answered just under 10 minutes later as junior midfielder Paul Souders put a shot over the outstretched arm of Nolly into the top right corner. Tiger senior forward Dimelon Westfield assisted Souders on the shot from 20 yards out.\n"It was a heck of a game between two excellent teams playing tooth-and-nail," Yeagley said. "Certainly we had the better chances, but their goalkeeper came up very big."\nIU outshot Clemson 12-5, including 7-4 in shots on goal, forcing Warren to make 6 saves while Nolly made his first three saves of the year.\nYeagley is confident the Hoosiers offense will come around, but was content with the progress of his defensive unit which was in question coming into the weekend.\n"I am proud of our defense," he said. "We played excellent teams and to hold (Clemson) to five shots, I guess our defense was a bright spot. Our offense sputtered and that is going to happen because you get droughts; goals will come and if we keep defending the way we did, we are going to be alright."\nThe IU defense was represented on the All-Tournament team as senior back John Swann and senior sweeper Phil Presser joined Clemson's Souders, Warren, senior Fabio Tombosi and junior Eric Lewis. Rutgers was represented by senior Guy Abrahamson and junior Josh Gros while Butler seniors Nick Pantazi and Mike Mariscalco and junior Grant Barrie were also All-Tournament team members.\nPantazi was awarded the Fair Play Award, while Souders was named Classic Offensive MVP. Swann claimed the Classic Defensive MVP award for his work on Clemson's Dimelon Westfield.\n"The coaches scouted (Westfield) really well and I knew how to play him," Swann said. "He was a lot faster than I was and I just forced him into my other teammates. (Being named MVP) was a good honor to have and a lot of hard work goes into it, but I would give anything to give away that award for a first place trophy for the tournament."\nThe Hoosiers return to action when the travel to the St. John's Classic on Sept. 6 & 7 to play William & Mary and No. 3 St. John's.
(09/02/02 6:11am)
On Friday and Saturday, the IU men's soccer team hosted the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic for the 20th consecutive season. The classic kicked off the Hoosiers' campaign for a sixth consecutive College Cup appearance. For just the second time since losing both games in 1992, the Hoosiers failed to win a game in the season opening tournament.\n"I would sure as heck like to win our own classic one of these years," Hoosier coach Jerry Yeagley said. "It seems like we are good hosts. But performance wise I am quite pleased although disappointed, and we can't be satisfied without finding a way to win."\nNo. 7 Rutgers and No. 9 Clemson each withstood the IU attack and preserved 0-0 and 1-1 ties respectively against the preseason consensus No. 1 Hoosiers. To do so, both the Scarlet Knights and Tigers consistently packed eight or nine defenders in their defensive penalty box.\nDespite a 28-13 shooting advantage in the two games, IU only mustered one goal on the stingy opposing defenses. Hoosier All-American forward senior Pat Noonan was kept under close eye by the opposition as both Rutgers and Clemson blanketed Noonan with two, three and at times four defenders throughout the game.\nThe Player of the Year Candidate still managed nine shots and three shots on goal in the Classic, including a near game-winning goal in the closing minutes against Clemson. Noonan wasn't surprised about the attention he received and said he is confident the Hoosiers will only get better as the season unfolds.\n"They are both very talented teams and good defensively. I give credit to them, whatever they have to do to win a game," Noonan said. "It showed that we are off on touches and reading each other. But that just takes a few days, and I think we will get back in the swing of things this week in practice."\nYeagley said he was surprised Rutgers played the Hoosiers attack in the fashion they did, but he said he doesn't think it will be last team to pack it in on the Hoosiers. With Noonan being the top priority for rival defenses, Yeagley said he expects other Hoosiers will create opportunities.\n"Maybe that is a compliment to us that they did line up and play that way," he said. "But we may see that a lot this year because of our offense. Word gets around and film gets swapped, and they did shut down Pat (Noonan). But we have to have others pick it up."\nThe Hoosiers played without the help of last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year, sophomore forward Mike Ambersley, in the Clemson match. Ambersley was out with a back injury which he re-aggravated in the game against Rutgers. Noonan said he is eager to have his forward running mate back in the lineup, but was impressed with the play of senior forward Michael Bock and freshman Jordan Chirico, who picked up a lot of time in Ambersley's absence.\nSophomore Ned Grabavoy controlled the tempo for IU in the midfield, and Yeagley said it would be key for Grabavoy to continue doing great things to open up the Hoosier offense.\n"We run up through the middle, but we need to get more serves from the outside guys whipping balls into the box," Grabavoy said. "A team can't sit back 90 minutes like that if you are whipping balls in the box because sooner or later a ball is going to scramble loose and hopefully something good will come out of it. But we are going to have to get used to playing against teams like that because we are going to get that a lot this year I believe"