Hoosiers defeat Tribe, then shutout by St. Johns' Red Storm

Early season struggles have plagued the men's soccer team in recent years. After four games, the Hoosiers have sat at 2-2 each of the last three seasons. Some programs might take that record, but for a team often ranked in the preseason top 5 or 10 in the nation, a .500 start is usually disappointing.\nThis year is no different as IU forged two ties against Rutgers and Clemson in its opening season classic and headed to the St. John's Classic with an 0-0-2 record. No. 4 IU managed its first win of the season on Friday night with a 2-1 victory over William & Mary, but No. 15 St. John's downed the Hoosiers 3-0 on Saturday night.\nThe Hoosiers offense appeared to be back on track in the William & Mary match as they got on the board just 4:46 into the game. Redshirt freshman midfielder Pat Yates notched the first goal of his Hoosier career as senior forward Ryan Mack fed him a pass twelve yards out from the goal. Yates then drilled a shot past Tribe senior goalkeeper Trevor Upton to give IU a 1-0 advantage.\nWilliam & Mary (1-2) countered when junior midfielder Phillip Hucles beat Hoosier sophomore keeper Jay Nolly just under ten minutes after Yates' goal. Senior forward Carlos Garcia and junior midfielder Albert Graham were credited with assists on Hucles' goal. IU senior forward Pat Noonan scored the game-winning goal 41:01 into the first half with senior forward Michael Bock tallying the assist.\n"Vijay (Dias) gave me a good ball, and then I saw Michael (Bock) and passed it to him," Noonan said in a statement. "He gave me a good ball back at my feet, and I was able to put it away. It's good to get a win."\nThe Hoosiers outshot the Tribe 15-10 and also had six corner kicks to William & Mary's two. The victory gave Nolly his first win as IU's starting goalkeeper; he made two saves. Perhaps the most important save in the game for the Hoosiers came off the head of senior back John Swann, who with 3:33 remaining in the game headed a ball off the goal line to deflect a shot by William & Mary's Garcia.\nDespite the win, IU coach Jerry Yeagley said the Hoosiers were still in search of their team identity.\n"We showed the physical and mental toughness we needed to beat a tough team," Yeagley said. "We're not hitting on all cylinders yet. This team is still trying to find its personality."\nIU and St. John's met twice last year with the Red Storm winning the early season meeting, but the Hoosiers getting revenge in the College Cup semifinals with a 2-1 win. The Red Storm (2-1) again got the best of the Hoosiers (1-1-2) in the early season with a 3-0 victory.\nThe Red Storm jumped on IU early, scoring two goals off restarts in just the first five minutes. Junior Christopher Wingert scored the first goal off a corner kick by junior Timothy O'Neill 2:25 into the match. Senior Rich Bradley then put a header over Nolly off a throw-in by O'Neill 2:19 after Wingert's goal.\nSt. John's put the game out of reach when junior Angel Rodriguez shot a free kick from 30 yards out by Nolly to put the Red Storm up 3-0 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the match.\nYeagley said IU controlled the tempo in the first half, but were unable to capitalize on their chances.\n"Other than those two goals on restarts, they didn't have a good chance from scrimmage in the first half," he said. "In the first half, we played the better soccer. In the second half, St. John's had the better of it. They deserved to win today. I think they outfought us. We have got to generate more offensive against good teams in order to win."\nIU will look for another win as they return home to host Louisville at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at Bill Armstrong Stadium.