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(09/22/11 2:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Coming into the season, all the talk about the IU men’s soccer team surrounded the team’s loss of Will Bruin. It almost seemed like onlookers forgot about defense. The Hoosiers certainly didn’t.The No. 7 Hoosiers (5-0-2) begin their Big Ten season Friday at home against Penn State as they continue to play lockdown defense. IU Coach Todd Yeagley’s team has allowed only four goals in seven games this season.Junior goalkeeper Luis Soffner has been nothing short of spectacular in goal this season, posting a 0.55 goals allowed average in 651:57 minutes of play. Soffner already has three shutouts, matching last year’s total for the entire season.“He’s been excellent,” junior midfielder and defender Caleb Konstanski said. “This year he’s really communicating the whole 90 minutes. He’s really been focused and clicked in the whole time, and he’s staying connected with me and Tommy Meyer in the back. Us three working in a triangle is really key.”For Yeagley, the entire team effort coupled with the natural progression of the Hoosiers’ key defensive players have allowed the team to get off to a fast start this year.“The individual play from our players in the back half of the field has improved, which we expect them to each year,” Yeagley said. “You put the combination of good team defending with Caleb (Konstanski), Tommy (Meyer), Chris (Estridge) and Matt (McKain). And Luis (Soffner) has had a really solid season. Those things have made us a pretty effective team in the defensive field.”Coming into the season, Soffner said he had high expectations for himself and his teammates on the defensive side. He said he thinks they have only started to reach their potential.“All of us are starting to gel together and we know we can keep the ball out of the net,” Soffner said. “I think from now on we’re expecting every game to be a shutout.”Konstanski said he feels the team is playing at a high level and giving 100 percent, which has made all the difference.“Last year we took some breaks on defense, and we weren’t clicking the whole 90 minutes, and that really cost us some goals that we shouldn’t have allowed,” Konstanski said. “This year we are focused for all 90 minutes, and we’re really paying attention to detail.”Yeagley said the team as a whole has much more confidence in its ability to finish out close games and get wins. This starts with the goalie.“If there’s a guy who has some swagger going, its Luis,” Yeagley said. “He’s feeling good about his play. As one of the upperclassmen he has a good feel right now. “He’s confident and the guys around him are confident, and he’s feeling that. He’s doing everything he needs to keep us in games.”
(09/20/11 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Coming into the season, IU Coach Todd Yeagley said he wasn’t sure what to expect from his team.Seven games in, most of those questions have been answered.The No. 9 Hoosiers remain undefeated, 5-0-2. They play Penn State on Friday to open the Big Ten season.While the offense was a concern after former IU forward Will Bruin left for the MLS, defense and goaltending has carried the team thus far.This season, junior goalkeeper Luis Soffner posted solid numbers with a 19-17-3 career record and a GAA of 1.13. Soffner has taken a huge leap toward being a shutdown goalie for the Hoosiers. In seven games, he has only allowed four goals and has already notched three shutouts, matching his total from last year in 11 fewer games. His play has allowed the Hoosiers to dictate the course of the game defensively.“It’s going to start with us in the back to generate offense, whether it’s Tommy (Meyer), Caleb (Konstanski) or whoever is in the back to maybe skip the midfield and try to transition past our forwards,” Soffner said. “If we can play quick, I think it generates offense out of there.”After Bruin was drafted No. 11 overall by the Houston Dynamo, the Hoosiers appeared to have a huge void without Bruin’s 18 goals and five assists. Indiana has found a balanced attack that has kept its opponents off balance, racking up 16 goals in its last six games.“The guys are being efficient,” Yeagley said. “We’ve taken our chances well. When you do that you can score some goals. I like the mindset of the group. We just have to keep going.”The Hoosiers have gotten at least four points out of six different players and have six different players with at least eight shots on goal thus far.Last season they had six players with at least 11 points, with now-departed Bruin leading the team with 41 points, followed by former Hoosier Andy Adlard with 21. “It’s a different feel — we’re going a little deeper and getting some fresher bodies than we did last year,” Yeagley said. “With the form of some of our newer players and returning guys, teams are not able to lock in as much as they were able to last year.”
(09/19/11 4:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Entering weekend play IU goalkeeper Luis Soffner had been playing well. His success didn’t change, as he posted two shutouts to help keep the Hoosiers undefeated.The No. 9 Hoosiers (5-0-2) played to their second scoreless tie of the season with No. 14 St. Johns on Friday and Sunday defeated Rutgers 2-0. Soffner has three shutouts this season and has allowed only four goals in seven matches.IU Coach Todd Yeagley was pleased with the results of the weekend despite having another scoreless tie. He said he was proud of the effort his team showed.“Anytime you leave your region, historically it is difficult to do (well), and we have a young team, new environments with difficult opponents and tough conditions,” Yeagley said. “I was pleased with a lot of our performance, to come away still unscathed. All in all, it was a good trip out East for us.”After failing to score in two periods and overtime Friday night, the Hoosiers came out a little flat against Rutgers to begin the game.“We were just kind of slow after the 110 minute game against St. Johns,” sophomore Blake Wise said. “As the game went on we found our momentum, and finally the goal came, and that boosted our confidence.” Wise put in his third goal of the season in the 40th minute to get the Hoosiers going against Rutgers. Their intensity seemed to increase after that. “I took a good touch, and luckily my defender was slow,” Wise said. “I beat him inside, and I hit it over the goalie and dipped into the goal.”Transfer sophomore A.J. Corrado added his first goal as a Hoosier in the 51st minute to increase the lead to 2-0.As for Soffner, the junior’s four-save weekend might not seem statistically mind-blowing, but his teammates are glad he’s in the net.“Luis (Soffner) is playing dynamite right now,” Wise said. “He’s a stone wall in the back. He’s not letting anything get past him, making really big saves, and he’s really talkative with our back line.”With a third of the season gone, Yeagley is starting to get a feel for what the Hoosiers have on both sides of the ball, and, thus far, he has liked what he has seen.“We’re a deeper attacking team than we had hoped to be,” Yeagley said. “We were hoping to have some options, and that has proved to be the case. We’re amuch-improved defensive unit. Our returning players have come back in excellent form and we’ve made it difficult for teams to get good quality chances.”The combination of Soffner and the defense has been dominant this season, keeping opponents off the scoreboard in four of the seven games.“We are just getting comfortable with each other,” Soffner said. “It is good that our back line is not changing as much. It’s good that we’re becoming more comfortable and confident in each other, and we’re just playing well.”As the Hoosiers open the Big Ten schedule at home Friday against Penn State, Soffner thinks the team is exactly where they need to be.“We want to go win the Big Ten regular season and the Big Ten tournament this year,” Soffner said. “We have pretty good momentum.”
(09/16/11 4:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s soccer team heads to the East Coast for its first true road test looking to continue hot offensive play.The No. 9 Hoosiers (4-0-1) have scored 14 goals in their first five games, a large spike from last year’s first five games.Through five games last season, IU was 2-3 and had scored only nine goals. Senior Alec Purdie and freshman Eriq Zavaleta have led the team offensively, accounting for seven of the 14 goals.For IU Coach Todd Yeagley, the team has used its aggressive play to create some good opportunities on goal for itself.“The guys are being efficient,” Yeagley said. “The focus on the final third has been sharp and we have taken our chances well, and when you do that, you can score some goals. I like the mindset of the group. We just have to keep going.”The Hoosiers have played only one true road game, the season opener at Notre Dame, but will be taken out of their element this weekend when they travel to New York and New Jersey for contests against No. 14 St. Johns (4-1) and Rutgers (3-1), respectively.Yeagley said he thinks the team will find out what they are made of, and it should be a good test for the entire team.“It is going to be very difficult,” Yeagley said. “St. Johns is an excellent team, and Rutgers is young, and they have had some turnover. You’re leaving your region, leaving your comfort. Notre Dame was more familiar to us. This will be a completely different test — traveling and playing in a hostile environment. These will be very difficult games.”While this road trip sends the Hoosiers farther from home than they’ve been this season, competing against the Northeast schools is nothing new to the Indiana program. Indiana holds an all-time record of 74-16-9 against the schools currently in the Big East, including a 4-1-1 record against Rutgers and 2-3-1 against St. Johns.As a fifth-year senior and one of the Hoosier captains, Purdie said it will be important for the team to keep its focus on the challenge ahead.“Right now we’re just focused on St. Johns and ourselves — work hard and hopefully knock another one out,” Purdie said.Zavaleta said it will be a good test for the Hoosiers to see how they react to travel when they leave the Midwest this weekend.“We haven’t had a plane trip yet, and we’ll see how we handle the legs after a road trip and hostile environments against good teams,” Zavaleta said. “So far, we have played in neutral environments, so I think it’s a good test for us, and I think we can do well.”
(09/15/11 3:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the Houston Dynamo drafted Will Bruin in January, the IU men’s soccer team lost its heavyweight offensive threat. But this loss may have made it a more dangerous team.After coming to a scoreless tie with Notre Dame, the No. 10 Hoosiers have won four games in a row and have scored 14 goals in that span. Half of those goals came from senior Alec Purdie and freshman Eriq Zavaleta.Purdie, a fifth-year senior, has seen his role on the team expand with the exit of Bruin and has taken full advantage. Purdie scored three goals in two games last weekend in South Bend to help the Hoosiers take the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. The senior midfielder has four goals and leads the team with 10 points this season. He also earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.“I’m taking on more of a leadership role. Being a fifth-year senior and being captain, there is a little more weight put on me now,” Purdie said.Bruin’s exit has been evident to none more than Purdie, who said the team needed to come together and equally shoulder the scoring load.“We need to find the goals amongst the team,” Purdie said. “I’ve said all spring and all summer you’re going to see goals coming in from different places. I think five games in we already have six, seven, eight different goal scorers.”While Purdie may have scored only three goals last season, IU Coach Todd Yeagley had high expectations for the senior coming into this season.“Last year he was very dangerous,” Yeagley said. “This spring — from a standpoint of goal scoring, production and training — was as good as I have seen in a lot of years.”Right behind Purdie in offensive production is Zavaleta. The freshman from Westfield, Ind. has three goals and eight points to rank him second on the team.Zavaleta made his presence felt on the field early in the season.“I definitely wanted to come in and help the team, not necessarily scoring goals or assists — it didn’t matter. But I knew I could come in and make an impact,” Zavaleta said. “Right now, goals and assists are the way the impact is coming.”Zavaleta has fit in well with the Hoosiers’ offensive scheme. Purdie said all the pieces seem to be fitting nicely.“He’s a point man,” Purdie said of Zavaleta. “He’s a big boy. He can hold the ball up. I like to get in behind and make the runs in. We complement each other well. We’re always looking to play off each other. So far it has worked, and hopefully it can continue.”Zavaleta and Purdie have utilized their scoring talents to produce opportunities at the right time in the first five games.“We’ve found ourselves in good spots and guys have found us in good spots to finish balls, and it’s a testament to the runs we have made off the ball,” Zavaleta said.
(09/06/11 2:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Todd Yeagley was looking for more production on the offensive side of the ball during the weekend. He got it.The Hoosiers (2-0-1) outscored St. Louis and Dayton by a combined 9-1. The Hoosiers won the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic for the first time since 2005 and the 12th time overall in 29 years. In 11 head-to-head matchups with Dayton, the Hoosiers have outscored the Flyers 62-0.After failing to score in the season-opening tie with Notre Dame last Saturday, Yeagley spoke all week about the importance of balance on this year’s team. That was in full effect Friday and Sunday.“We see some different guys showing up in different spots,” Yeagley said. “Today was how we thought this year would go in a sense of it may be a different player each game. You have to be aware of several different guys on this team.” Freshman defender Eriq Zavaleta won Offensive MVP of the tournament with two goals and two assists during the weekend. He said the key to his success was movement by the whole team.“I was able to find people easier because people were moving faster, and that got myself into spots that were better around goal and got other people into spots,” Zavaleta said.Goalkeeper Luis Soffner and the defense in front of him have allowed only one goal in three regular season games. Yeagley said the defense in the first three games has been a team effort.“I think Luis and the defense would say a lot of players in front of them did a lot of work and were disciplined in how they shut down players, and they did their job when it came to their part of the field,” Yeagley said. “Luis, Tommy (Meyer), Chris (Estridge) and Caleb (Konstanski) were really clicked-in all weekend, and that allowed us to play with confidence in our defending unit.”In a balanced six-goal performance Sunday afternoon against Dayton (0-3), the Hoosiers received goals from five different players including two from sophomore forward and midfielder Blake Wise. Wise said he thought the quick starts in both games made a difference for the psyche of the team.“It’s all about confidence,” Wise said. “We got three goals in the first half against St. Louis, and against Dayton we scored three goals again. It’s a really big confidence booster when you have your team energy going great, and honestly, everything is going great for the team right now,” Yeagley said he was pleased with what he saw during the Classic. He said the Hoosier offense looks very balanced and the team is getting production from numerous players.“You have to be aware of a lot of different guys on this team, and we want to attack with numbers and surge at teams, and that will create a lot of goals,” Yeagley said. “I’d much rather have six or seven guys scoring than just one or two. We’ll see if this can continue.”The Hoosiers will be in action again next weekend in South Bend when they face Bucknell and Denver in the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament.
(09/02/11 4:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s soccer team returns to the field this weekend for two games as part of the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic at Bill Armstrong Stadium.The No. 18 Hoosiers (0-0-1) will look to shake off some of the rust they showed in their double-overtime tie at Notre Dame on Saturday and will try to win the event for the first time since 2005.IU Coach Todd Yeagley feels there is a correlation between his team’s offensive output and defensive intensity.“We need to have better pressure. Our defensive pressure was really sub-par, and the team is aware of that,” Yeagley said. “A lot of our pressure defensively puts us in good shape offensively and creates opportunities.”The Hoosiers will play St. Louis at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Dayton at 2 p.m. Sunday.Sophomore midfielder Harrison Petts said the team’s ability to play at a high level on both sides of the ball without compromising one or the other will be the key to the team’s success this weekend.“That’s the thing we have to balance. Once we win the ball, we need to pick and choose our times to go forward instead of trying to go forward every time,” Petts said.One challenge Yeagley and his coaching staff will be dealing with all season is the youth of the Hoosiers roster, but that is something Yeagley feels will be helped by playing in front of the home crowd on Friday night.“It’s a different anxiety. Sometimes you have to calm them down a little bit when you have this kind of excitement,” Yeagley said. “We’re going to be flying on Friday.”At practice Wednesday, senior defender Tommy Meyer stressed the importance of not only pressuring the ball but also possessing it for long periods of time.“We want to keep the ball in the opponents’ half for most of the game,” Meyer said. “Notre Dame had the ball a lot. They’re a possession-oriented team, but so are we. We didn’t do a good enough job last game keeping the ball, and that’s something that we have gone over all week.”While Yeagley has stressed watching films this week to correct the mistakes from Saturday and plan for St. Louis and Dayton, he knows his team needs to focus on what is right in front of it.“Our focus is on us,” Yeagley said. “We’ll know the tendencies of both of those teams. We have to make better decisions on the final third. We have to pass the ball better. We’re looking for a consistent performance, better decisions, decision making and having a killer instinct.”
(09/01/11 3:33am)
Transfer students Jamie Vollmer and A.J. Corrado will hit the soccer field this season for the Hoosiers.
(08/31/11 3:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Todd Yeagley enters his second season as the Hoosiers’ men’s soccer coach with high expectations to lead his team back to the promised land.After all, it is in his blood.For 31 years, Yeagley’s father molded Indiana into a soccer powerhouse, winning six national championships and becoming the sport’s all-time wins leader and a 1989 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee.The Yeagley family is the past, present and future of the Indiana soccer program. Todd starred for the Hoosiers under his father’s tutelage from 1991 to 1994, garnering All-American honors all four years.The Hoosiers have won only one national championship since Jerry Yeagley’s retirement in 2003 after his sixth and final championship, which came the following year with Mike Freitag as coach. Despite the long championship drought, Todd said he still sees high expectations surrounding Indiana as he tries to craft his own legacy with the Hoosiers.“Maybe this isn’t a team that’s a defending national champion or a team that made a College Cup, but people expect IU,” Todd said. “We have had targets on our backs for over 30 years as Indiana.”The 2011 version has seen some new faces, most notably transfers A.J. Corrado and Jamie Vollmer, who will make Indiana a more balanced group than in years past. The Hoosiers lost junior forward Will Bruin to the Houston Dynamo of the MLS. Bruin scored 18 goals and a team-high 41 points in the 2010 season, which ended with a Sweet 16 loss to eventual national champion Akron.With the newcomers on the roster, senior Chris Estridge said it is very important everybody meshes well together on the field, and that starts with the upperclassmen, himself included.“We have a lot of good players that have come in this year. It is important for the older guys to keep the team together,” Estridge said.Ranked at No. 17 in the preseason, Todd said he sees one specific way to get the results he and the team want: talented players suiting up in the cream and crimson.“We have to make sure we have the talent. That’s first and foremost,” Todd said. “I think we’re getting better in spots. We have difference-makers in key areas of the field.”Todd said he often draws on his experience as a player. The Hoosiers lost to Virginia in the national championship in his final college match, and Todd explains to his team the kind of intensity and focus that is necessary to be successful on this level.“The teams that have made deep runs have had a confidence and a swagger to them,” Todd said. “We’re going to make the other team really have to be at their best to ever get a result against us.”Todd consistently preaches to the team that they need to have a confidence about them each and every game, a message that has resonated with junior goalkeeper Luis Soffner.“We are trying to develop that type of mentality right now, when teams play us they need to know that Indiana is not a team to be taken lightly,” Soffner said.Despite being expected by his fellow coaches to win the Big Ten for the eighth time in nine years, Todd said he believes all that talk doesn’t mean anything right now. As far as his players, he thinks time will tell whether or not they are deserving of the accolades and if they are heading in the right direction.“Whether that’s premature expectations based on the name or reality, that’s certainly to be determined these first three or four weeks to see how we’re doing,” Todd said.
(08/29/11 3:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>One hundred and ten minutes was not long enough for the Hoosiers or the Fighting Irish to come away with a win from their season opener Saturday evening in South Bend.The No. 17 IU men’s soccer team (0-0-1) played to a 0-0 tie against in-state rival No. 12 Notre Dame (0-0-1). The game was the first away-from-home season opener for the Hoosiers since 2006.The Hoosiers and the Fighting Irish stayed at 0-0 through two halves and two 10-minute overtime periods. However, the game was not without drama. Notre Dame was consistently in the Hoosiers’ defensive zone but could not put a shot in the back of the net.“I think they had a little bit of an edge on the offensive side, but our defense was playing really strong,” junior goalkeeper Luis Soffner said. “We felt like we weren’t going to give up, and we just held our line strong.”The Irish outshot the visiting Hoosiers 24-11 and put constant pressure on Soffner, but Soffner did not waver. Despite the large disadvantage on total shots, the two teams tied in shots on goal.Though the Notre Dame offense consistently pressured the IU defense, the Irish were unable to get many good looks on goal. Even when they did, Soffner was waiting for them as the last line of defense.Despite the lack of offensive rhythm in the season opener, IU Coach Todd Yeagley said he saw a lot of positives out on the field from his young squad.“We have a lot of young players and a lot of new faces,” Yeagley said. “I thought our upperclassmen did a great job being there when we needed them to, and that experience is what we need from them.”With his team matching up against a veteran Notre Dame squad on the road in front of a big crowd, Yeagley said the Hoosiers handled the challenge quite well.“There were several games last year that we played well offensively and didn’t come away with a win,” Yeagley said. “A tough environment, first game on the road. There are a lot of things that we can build on from here.”After only scoring one goal in two preseason games against Duke and Xavier, the Hoosiers once again struggled offensively. Yeagley said he thinks that could have been caused by a few easily correctable issues. He said he’s confident that his team will get back on track shortly.“We were a little out of sync offensively, and that has to do with our lack of movement,” Yeagley said. “It could have been maybe the preseason took a toll, and the legs weren’t there as much as we thought. We will be performing better offensively, that’s for sure.”
(08/26/11 4:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 17 IU men’s soccer team will open their season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in South Bend with renewed expectations. They’ll take on No. 12 Notre Dame in the team’s first season opener on the road since 2006.The Hoosiers were picked as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten by conference coaches for the eighth time in the last nine years. With the prestigious history of soccer at Indiana, senior Chris Estridge, who was one of three Hoosiers on the “Players To Watch” list, still feels the team needs to stay focused on the task at hand.“I really expect us to come together as a team and really do well,” Estridge said. “I know they have us pegged as returning winners of the Big Ten, and that would really be a nice thing for us to accomplish.”After last year’s 2-1 defeat by eventual national champion Akron in the Sweet 16, the Hoosiers are once again ranked in the top 25, but IU Coach Todd Yeagley feels very confident in what his team will be able to do this season.“I see us doing very well in every game we play, and we have probably one of the toughest schedules in the country,” Yeagley said. “No question we can compete with any team.”One of the biggest areas Yeagley had to address in the offseason was replacing four players that are no longer on the roster, including Will Bruin, who was drafted by the Houston Dynamo of the MLS.“When you lose a lot of your scoring and basically four guys that are playing pro, those are some spots that new guys are going to have to step in and do pretty darn well at,” Yeagley said.While the Hoosiers did lose some big-time talent from last year’s roster, Yeagley thinks it could benefit his team to have strong balance throughout the roster to count on in every game. The Hoosiers solidified that balance by adding two players via transfer: sophomore defender Jamie Vollmer from Butler and sophomore midfielder A.J. Corrado from Southern Methodist University.“We have a collection of players who, by committee, can get the job done with scoring goals, and oftentimes that’s a more balanced approach,” Yeagley said.Vollmer thinks the key to getting off to a good start Saturday in South Bend is very simple: hit the ground running.“We need an early goal,” Vollmer said. “We can play when we’re confident. No slow starts.”
(05/18/11 11:03pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team will participate in postseason play for the first time since 2006 when it matches up with DePaul on Friday as part of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship. The Hoosiers (37-16, 17-3) enter the postseason as winners of 25 of their last 29 games and second-place finishers in the Big Ten.The 64-team field was selected Sunday. The Hoosiers landed in the Columbia, Mo. regional along with Illinois State, DePaul and No. 5 overall seed Missouri. The double-elimination regionals, which run from May 19-22, serve as the opening of the tournament.Senior Morgan Melloh, who this week was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, once again will lead the Hoosiers in the circle. Melloh is one of only two Hoosiers with NCAA Tournament experience with the other being senior Kelsey Stander. Melloh said she will have to have good control against DePaul to slow down a batting order that features seven starters with a .300 average or better. “I just have to make sure my pitches are moving and not hang because they will take advantage of that,” Melloh said.As most of the team does not have much experience in the postseason, coach Michelle Gardner said nerves will be a factor but also said she thinks her young team can handle it this weekend.“It is us coming out and competing like we have competed all year long,” Gardner said. “It’s going to be real hard not to get all wrapped up in the hype of everything that is going on. I think they’re ready.” While they aren’t one of the seeded teams in the tournament, the Hoosiers said they feel they can play with any other team they might face.“We have a lot of confidence in ourselves based on our regular season,” Melloh said. “We were 37-16, and that’s a really awesome record.”Despite the offensive lineup Melloh will face against DePaul on Friday, Gardner said she feels confident in IU’s chances as long as Melloh is in the circle.“She just needs to do what she can do and not overthrow, make the ball move and rely on her defense a little bit, but just do what she has done all season long,” Gardner said. “She has thrown so well against so many good hitting teams. It is just a matter of her keeping focused on what she can control.”Hoosiers earn All-Big Ten honorsSeniors Melloh and Sara Olson were each named First Team All-Big Ten on Wednesday, marking the first time since 1994 that IU has had two players on the conference’s first team.Melloh, who threw a Big Ten-record of 221 strikeouts while posting a 1.07 ERA in conference play, was the first Hoosier pitcher since 1996 to receive the Big Ten’s top pitching honor. Olson led all Big Ten first basemen with a .425 average and a .667 on-base tally during the 2011 campaign.Sophomore Amanda Wagner earned Second Team honors from the designated player position, and outfielder Jenna Abraham was selected to the Freshman All-Big Ten team.
(05/16/11 12:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU softball coach Michelle Gardner watched the last team practice of the regular season from behind home plate on a warm spring day and reminisced about the season she had witnessed and the three seniors that she would lose at the conclusion of the Hoosiers’ season, presumably in the NCAA Tournament.Whenever that moment may come, seniors Morgan Melloh, Sara Olson and Kelsey Stander will have gone through their four years of eligibility, making the 2011 postseason their last hurrah in the cream and crimson. As the season comes to the climax, first baseman Sara Olson said she is completely focused on the team and not the inevitability of the end of her college career.“I guess it crosses my mind, but right now I’m not even worried about that,” Olson said. “I’m worried about what our team is doing and where we’re going to go from here, the next series and the future of what’s going to happen with the team this year.”During her only season in Bloomington, starting pitcher Morgan Melloh has excelled in the circle, racking up numerous accolades but never wavering on the goals of the team. Gardner said she sees Melloh as a great example of the kind of attitude that exemplifies what IU softball is all about.“She cares about her teammates, she cares about her team,” Gardner said. “Yes, it’s great to be a great pitcher, and she gets a lot of accolades. She’s missed a few little things here and there, but Morgan doesn’t care about that. Morgan wants us to do well as a program.”Even though the three seniors will be out of eligibility, two won’t be entirely gone from the Hoosiers’ program. Melloh and Olson will be around to help with the team during the 2011-2012 season.“Sara and I will be back for assistant coaching, but we have both been there pitching, hitting and fielding,” Melloh said. “We can take our skills and hand them over to the younger players.” The third senior in the group, Kelsey Stander, will be attending a nursing graduate program in Massachusetts, but the outfielder explained that she will not soon forget her time in Bloomington.“It’s kind of surreal,” Stander said. “I don’t really think it is going to hit me until it is over. I’m sad, but I am so glad about the experience I had, especially senior year, so it couldn’t have ended better.”While the players had their own emotions about their careers being over, Gardner had some very strong feelings toward the three seniors as their playing days come to a close. “Obviously I am very sad to see any one of them go because it has been quite a journey,” Gardner said. “With Morgan it has been one year, but she has done amazing things, and Sara and Kelsey have been here since I got here, so it’s a different feeling.”
(05/15/11 11:59pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team concluded its regular season Saturday, finishing a two-game sweep against in-state and conference rival Purdue to improve its record to 37-16 (17-3 Big Ten). The Hoosiers will find out their next opponent when the NCAA Tournament Selection Show appears on ESPNU at 10 p.m. Sunday. The Hoosiers are expected to play in the postseason for the first time since 2006, which is only their seventh appearance all-time following their second-place finish in the Big Ten.On Friday and Saturday, the Hoosiers capitalized on numerous fielding errors by the Boilermakers, scoring three unearned runs in the two games. Purdue blew a one-run lead in the fifth inning Friday to allow the Hoosiers to notch their 11th come-from-behind win of the season. An error allowed the Hoosiers to take a two-run lead early Saturday, and then in the third inning, sophomore Amanda Wagner put the game out of reach with a two-run homer to left field. Wagner was not looking to hit a home run, just a specific pitch, and she got it: a changeup. “I was really just looking for a pitch to drive,” Wagner said. “We as a team picked up on her changeup, so we kind of knew when it was coming, when to lay off it and when not. And I saw it coming.”As the Hoosiers likely head into the postseason winning 25 of their last 29 games, coach Michelle Gardner still sees areas in which the team can improve.“I still think there are areas where we need to do better,” Gardner said. “We need to score more runs, but honestly I feel really good about where we are and who we are,” Gardner said.Morgan Melloh continued her dominance in the circle on Senior Day, notching her 32nd victory of the season and her 13th shutout.She also broke the record for most strikeouts in a Big Ten season with 221. Melloh pitched every inning for the Hoosiers in Big Ten play, posting a 1.07 ERA along with seven shutouts.As the Hoosiers enter the postseason, Wagner said she thinks the team has plenty of potential on the horizon.“We’re expecting to play hard and go far,” Wagner said. “We are not settling for anything. We’re going to play our hearts out.”Even though the Hoosiers have had a strong season, Gardner said she feels like her team is still a big underdog.“I think we’re being overlooked,” Gardner said. “I think we’re little Indiana, and even Morgan, as great as she is, I think we are being overlooked.”
(05/09/11 12:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team split its weekend series with Northwestern, falling 4-1 in the second game Sunday and putting a stop to the Hoosiers’ nation-leading 15-game win streak. With the loss, the Hoosiers fell to 35-16 on the season and 15-3 in the Big Ten. The loss dropped the Hoosiers one game back of No. 2 Michigan in the Big Ten standings. In-state and conference rival Purdue visits Bloomington for two games starting Friday to end the regular season.Senior pitcher Morgan Melloh gave up four runs in the fifth inning on a grand slam by Marisa Bast as the Wildcats sent seven batters to the plate. Melloh struck out only four batters, which tied her lowest total since March 12. Melloh felt that things just came together for the Wildcats in that rough fifth inning for the Hoosiers.“They were able to get a couple of people on base with infield hits, and then we walked (Adrienne) Monka intentionally because we had been having success against Bast,” Melloh said. “She came up there swinging and was able to get enough of it to get it over the fence.”The Hoosiers managed to split the weekend series but could only push two runs total across the plate. Senior Sara Olson saw the number of runners on base as something that the Hoosiers can build on next weekend against Purdue.“I think the positives that we take from this weekend are that we had numerous opportunities to put a lot more runs on the game and we were making them make some plays to get out of it,” Olson said. “Today we just couldn’t find the hole in the defense with runners in scoring position.”Melloh saw the loss as something the team can build on as it moves forward despite its win streak being snapped.“Obviously you never want to lose and everyone on this team knows that we still have things to get better at, and I think that’s what we are going to focus on this week in practice,” Melloh said.
(05/06/11 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team travels to Evanston, Ill.,Saturday for a two-game series with Big Ten rival Northwestern. The Hoosiers (34-15, 14-2) enter the game riding a 13-game win streak in conference play and have won 14 straight games overall. IU finishes the season at home against rival Purdue next weekend.“I feel like we’re playing as a team well and we have a lot of confidence right now,” Abraham said. “Obviously (senior) Morgan (Melloh) is an amazing pitcher and she’s been throwing really well, but also when one person isn’t hitting well in a day, someone else steps up.” As the Hoosiers head into the last four games of the regular season, they have a first-place tie with No. 2 Michigan for first place in the Big Ten. With all of the success for the Hoosiers this year after only winning 12 games last year, many are shocked by their success, but sophomore Samantha Heyman said she feels the team always had confidence in their abilities.“Last year we would go through games, and it would be like, ‘Don’t lose this game,’ and this year we are playing to win and we have so much talent and we are so together, I think that confidence has really done a lot for us,” Heyman said.Abraham said she feels a tough early schedule really helped the team.“I feel like we played real tough competition this year, and I feel like it definitely did prepare us mentally and physically,” Abraham said. “I feel like once we got that one big win, it just clicked, and we like to win. It’s something we don’t want to stop doing.”
(05/02/11 3:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior pitcher Morgan Melloh added upon an already record-breaking season, as the IU softball team swept its two-game weekend series against Iowa. This extends the Hoosiers win streak to 13 games in the Big Ten and 14 straight overall, improving its record to 34-15 (14-2).Melloh threw her eighth-straight complete game Sunday, coming within one out of a no-hitter before Hawkeye senior first baseman Stephanie Ochoa lobbed a single to center field. In the two games against Iowa, Melloh allowed only three hits while striking out 23 in 14 innings of work. She improved her overall record to 29-14 with a 1.70 ERA and 441 strikeouts on the year.With four games left in the regular season, the Hoosiers are in prime position to win the Big Ten outright, or at the very least, a share of the title with No. 2 Michigan.IU coach Michelle Gardner said she isn’t worried about any kind of a letdown in the last four conference games.“We just need to have everyone continue to do what they have been doing,” Gardner said. “We have been scoring runs and playing pretty good defense while Morgan has been outstanding in the circle .“It’s a combination of all of those things that we need to focus on.”With the Big Ten title in their sights, Melloh said she thinks the Hoosiers are confident because they believe in each other.“We all know that we have the support of everyone in the dugout so it makes it that much easier to go out there and perform at the highest level,” she said. “When you know that everyone in that dugout is pulling for you to succeed, it only motivates you to do your best each and every time you step out onto the field.”
(04/29/11 2:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team swept their rain-delayed doubleheader against Illinois Thursday to extend their winning streak to 12 and improve their record to 32-15 (12-2).The Hoosiers improved their road record to 19-14 on the year. The Hoosiers outscored the Illini 11-1 in the two games.Senior pitcher Morgan Melloh tossed two complete games while giving up only one earned run and striking out 21.Melloh surpassed the 400-strikeout mark for the third time in her college career. Junior outfielder Heather Nelson is continuously impressed with all the things that Melloh is able to do for the Hoosiers.“She’s given us the pitching that we needed, and she’s also got the confidence and the energy that we needed to bring to win the game,” Nelson said.The team has now not only won 12 straight but 20 of their last 23 overall since starting 12-12 and have won 11 straight conference games, the longest such streak in school history. Despite their success, senior first baseman Sara Olson doesn’t see the team becoming complacent as they are very focused on the task at hand.“We just need to keep working and moving from here,” Olson said. “We’re never really satisfied with anything that we are doing, because we are trying to keep getting better everyday. We’re never settling.”While the Hoosiers excelled at the plate in their first game Thursday, an 8-0 victory, defense was key in their second win, a 3-1 triumph. Up 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the Illini loaded the bases with one out when recently-inserted defensive replacement Nelson made an over-the-shoulder catch to preserve the lead.“It was a line drive over the left side of my shoulder,” Nelson said. “I took a drop step and made sure to catch the ball.”IU will welcome the University of Iowa for a two-game series this weekend in Bloomington, where the Hoosiers are 13-1 this season.
(04/27/11 3:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team will be in action today in Champaign, Ill., to take on Illinois in a doubleheader. The Hoosiers (30-15, 10-2) have won 10 straight games for the first time since 1994 and currently are tied for first place in the Big Ten with No. 2 Michigan with just eight games remaining in the regular season. IU will welcome Iowa to Bloomington this weekend.The Hoosiers have been excellent at home, posting a 13-1 record, but they have gone 17-14 on the road.“We have had some opportunities to score runs early in games recently, but have not been able to come up with the big hit,” Gardner said. “Thankfully we have gotten those hits later in the games and been able to get the wins, but I think if we continue to get those runners on base early in games, we will be able to find a way to get the hits we need to bring them around.”Senior pitcher Morgan Melloh again will be in the circle. Melloh has posted a 25-14 record this season with a miniscule 1.82 ERA, as well as 397 strikeouts in 253 1/3 innings.Senior Sara Olson said the team must continue to play well and be mentally strong.“I think as a team, we all need to continue to stay focused on the goals that we have set and do whatever it takes to achieve them,” Olson said. “We have all put the team above any individual goals, and we know that is what we have to do in order to continue having success.”
(04/25/11 1:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU senior pitcher Morgan Melloh stifled yet another Big Ten opponent.The IU softball team swept its two-game series during the weekend at Michigan State to record its 10th win in a row, its longest streak since 1994, and improve to 30-15 (10-2) on the season. The Hoosiers 30 victories are their most since the 2006 season. The victory gave the Hoosiers their fourth straight series win since splitting two with No. 1 Michigan three weeks ago. The Hoosiers are now tied for first place in the Big Ten standings. Melloh was once again dominant in the circle, striking out 22 Spartans while only allowing three earned runs in two more complete games during the weekend. The senior pitcher had two more outings of double-digit strikeouts, giving her 78 career games with 10 or more strikeouts. IU coach Michelle Gardner said Melloh’s consistency is an important factor in the Hoosiers’ success.“Morgan gives us a chance to win every game and we have to find a way to score runs early and take a little pressure off,” Gardner said.With her two victories against Penn State, Melloh improved her record to 25-14 with an ERA of 1.82. The senior southpaw has struck out 397 batters in 253.3 innings while allowing only 158 hits and throwing 30 complete games.Freshman Ashley Warrum, who stands third on the team with a .317 batting average, said while they have been able to count on Melloh to limit opponents, the offense still needs to continue to produce.“She does a lot for us and we don’t want to put too much pressure on her. Everybody has to do their job. Our hitters have to hit and our defense has to play good defense,” Warrum said.The Hoosiers came from behind to win yet again Saturday afternoon, scoring five runs in the sixth en route to a 7-2 victory. Gardner said her team needs to focus on the opposing pitcher to avoid the need for a late comeback.“It’s just making adjustments to hitters early,” Gardner said.The Hoosiers have won nine straight Big Ten contests and sit atop the Big Ten standings tied with No. 1 Michigan. “We really need to keep doing what we’re doing and keep our energy up. We just have such a great energy around the team,” Warrum said. “If everybody keeps doing their jobs like they have been doing, I think things look good for us.”