Backup goalie starts first collegiate game

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- IU fans leaned from the stands to pat Colin Rogers on his head to congratulate the junior goalkeeper for his performance in the Hoosiers' 3-2 win against Penn State.\nRogers settled down from a shaky first-half performance to secure the win and record eight saves in the victory. He allowed two goals, but tallied the most saves in a game by an IU goalie since Scott Coufal posted nine in a loss to Florida International in 1996.\n"Coming in here, playing a tough team in the Big Ten, it was an important win for us for positioning in the Big Ten tournament," Rogers said. "It feels great right now. It's good to go home with a win."\nRogers started his first collegiate game, replacing senior starter T.J. Hannig, who is out for three to four weeks with a knee injury. Rogers played the full 90 minutes of the game Friday night. Prior to this season, he had played a total of 77 minutes for IU.\nThroughout the first half, IU defenders rescued Rogers from Penn State offensive threats. About 15 minutes into the game, Rogers fell down on a save attempt, but junior midfielder Tyler Hawley cleared the ball from the defensive third. \nSix minutes later, Rogers was once again unable to smother a Penn State shot that sophomore forward Brett Forbrich later recovered and tapped into the net. \nAlthough he often had trouble stopping Penn State shots in the first half, Rogers made several spectacular saves in the second half. \n"As the game went on, I felt more and more confident," Rogers said. "I was maybe a little too aggressive in the first half. I had some jitters -- it being the first game and all. I felt comfortable in the second half and real confident."\nWith about four minutes left in the game, Rogers denied Penn State's best chance at tying the game at 3-3 with a diving save off a Nittany Lions' free kick.\nBefore the game, coach Jerry Yeagley said he didn't plan on using a different defensive strategy than the regular two marking backs and sweeper in front of Rogers. He also didn't want his Hoosiers to play passively.\n"We definitely didn't try to change our plan at all," junior sweeper Josh Rife said. "We have 100 percent confidence in Colin. He's a great keeper. So we just went out and played our game and relied on our experience back there."\nPenn State had a more experienced goalie in sophomore Ryan Sickman, who had tallied a 0.59 goals-against average in eight games before Friday night's match. \nRogers made the difference Friday, as he made six more saves than Sickman.\n"I think in the first half, it was his first play and a big game, I'm glad he settled down, because I thought first half was a little shaky," Yeagley said. "But as the game went on, he took charge and was calling out balls. \n"I'm going to remember his play at the end of the game, not at the beginning"