Defending champs roll through exhibition openers

FORT WAYNE ' After 67 minutes of flying mud and grass and brutal play, sophomore forward Mike Bock headed the ball into the goal to break a scoreless tie for the top-ranked Hoosiers, who defeated No. 20 Rutgers 2-0 in the final game at the IU-Purdue University at Fort Wayne Soccer Showcase Sunday.\nIU men's soccer coach Jerry Yeagley said his team's offense clicked during the first 30 minutes of the game when all starters were in the game. The substitution of Bock in the 70th minute, however, allowed the Hoosiers to end repetitive scoreless counterattacks from both teams. \n"I think tonight we did a really good job considering the conditions of the sloppy field," senior goalkeeper T.J. Hannig said. "(Junior sweeper) Josh (Rife) did a nice job of going deep and keeping any balls out of danger. It's coming along, and we're getting to where we want to be right now."\nIn the first half, the Hoosiers outshot the Scarlet Knights 8-5. Junior midfielder Ryan Mack had six of the eight shots, including three on goal. In the 22nd minute, sophomore midfielder Pat Noonan outmaneuvered two defenders to pass to Mack whose shot went wide. About a minute later, Mack's next shot was blocked by Rutgers' goalie.\n"We knew we had to be patient and (the goal) would come, and it finally did," Noonan said. "It was good to get that lead in the second half, and we said to keep pressing to get another, and we did. It kind of gave us a good advantage at the end of the game."\nAlthough IU's defense was more involved against Rutgers than it was against IPFW in the 4-0 win Saturday night, Yeagley said the defense wasn't too challenged Sunday.\n"Rife's playing well," Yeagley said. "We're waiting to see how he's going to do under pressure. We weren't pressured a lot today. There were a couple times where he seemed to be at the right place, he made a few position mistakes that we'll cover on tape, but overall I was very pleased with his play"