Men's soccer team advances

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The men's soccer team began its quest for a third consecutive national championship title Saturday, blanking previously undefeated San Jose State 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.\nBut the situation didn't look good for IU going into the match. The Hoosiers started the tournament on the road for the first time in eight years, playing the eighth-seeded Spartans and having lost their scoring touch in a three-game losing streak.\n"We know what it takes to win a game in the tournament," sophomore forward Pat Noonan said. "Before the game in the warm-ups, you can tell we were ready to play."\nIU didn't take long to carry its pre-game confidence into the match. In the fifth minute, Noonan collected a pass from senior midfielder Justin Tauber 12 yards from the goal and rifled a shot past senior goalkeeper Chris Humphreys into the upper right corner of the net to give the Hoosiers a 1-0 lead.\nWith the Hoosiers' recent scoring problems, the goal was crucial to IU's success that day.\n"I'll take any kind of goal at this point," said Noonan of his 10th goal this season. "I guess if it looked good, that's good too."\nFifteen minutes later, senior forward Matt Fundenberger fought through a crowd in front of the Spartan net and headed in a goal off junior midfielder Ryan Mack's corner kick to put IU ahead by two. The goal was Fundenberger's team-leading 11th of the season.\nSan Jose State outshot IU 9-4 in the first half and 21-11 overall. But the Hoosiers' tough, physical defense frustrated the Spartan attackers, allowing only six of San Jose State's 21 shots to go on goal. Spartan midfielder Jorge Martinez, who is in the nation's top 10 in points while averaging 2.14 a game, managed only three shots.\nAs the second half started, San Jose state came out with a more aggressive attack. But the IU defense held its own to limit San Jose State's quality chances to a minimum. When San Jose State did manage to get a good shot off, senior goalkeeper T.J. Hannig was in the right place to keep the Spartans off the board.\nHannig, in his second start since knee surgery six weeks ago, saved all six shots on goal to collect his 42nd career shutout.\n"I see T.J. had six saves here," Spartan coach Gary St. Clair said. "I think they probably were all huge saves. These were one-on-ones. The complexion of the game could have changed entirely if we could have put one past him."\nSt. Clair wasn't the only coach who was impressed.\n"This is the first game that T.J. has been healthy since his surgery," IU coach Jerry Yeagley said. "(Saturday) you saw the T.J. Hannig that has been there the last three Final Fours and two national championships."\nThe Spartans couldn't break through the stout IU defense, and as San Jose State pushed more players up to its offensive third of the field, the Hoosiers had plenty of counter-attack opportunities. \nAnd they capitalized.\nIn the 66th minute, sophomore defender John Swann got his second goal of the year as he positioned himself in the six-yard box and headed home sophomore midfielder Marcus Chorvat's corner kick, giving the Hoosiers a 3-0 lead.\nAt the 85:40 mark, Mack caught Humphreys off his line and put a low shot to the far post past him. IU had been in this position before, and San Jose State had not.\n"Perhaps our tournament experience could have been a factor," Yeagley said. "We have a group of guys who had been there the last two or three years, and we were focused and ready to play."\nSaturday's game was the Spartans' 13th NCAA appearance while it was IU's 25th showing in the tournament.\n"I know a bunch of us were nervous, and maybe that showed in the first 15 (minutes)," Spartan senior defender Ryan Suarez said. "Playing against Indiana is huge pressure as it is, but I still feel we played real well"