Physical presence leads to two wins over weekend

Heading into the Butler SoccerFest, the No. 9 IU men's soccer team struggled with teams that played them physically. In early season match-ups, Rutgers and Clemson both flustered the Hoosiers by playing physical and not allowing IU to utilize its premier technical skills.\nThe Hoosiers opponents in the Butler Classic were perennial tough teams as they faced the Air Force Academy Friday and Hartwick College Sunday. Physical play was what the Hoosiers got from both the Falcons and Hawks.\n"I was quite concerned after our trip to New York, because physically I didn't think we were as competitive as we needed to be," coach Jerry Yeagley said. "When we leave the field, generally the other team feels they have been outworked and that we have been the dominant team in terms of fighting power. I saw improvement with this weekend's games."\nIn a foul plagued match-up that had the referees blowing their whistles more than a police officer directing traffic, IU defeated Air Force 2-0. Senior forward Ryan Mack tallied both goals for the Hoosiers, giving him three for the season. Mack's first goal was assisted by both senior Pat Noonan and sophomore Ned Grabavoy, while sophomore Josh Reiher was credited with the assist on Mack's second goal.\nIU was whistled for 26 fouls in the contest, including five yellow card cautions. Mack and sophomore Greg Badger were carded in the first half, while Noonan, senior John Swann and sophomore Danny O'Rourke were tagged with yellows in the second session. Air Force (2-3) was also charged with 16 fouls with two yellow cards.\nSenior sweeper Phil Presser said IU improved their intensity in the second half and believed the foul discrepancy was a plus for the Hoosiers.\n"We were a little rusty (against Air Force) in the first half," Presser said. "We had a talk at halftime, and in the second half we started playing better both technically and physically. Our physical dominance still needs to improve a lot, but we are getting there. We always like it when we foul more than the other team because it shows we are being more physical and are willing to step up to the next level."\nAs the Hoosiers took on Hartwick College, IU was again prepared for a physical match and the two teams did not disappoint. The Hoosiers were tagged for 17 fouls including a yellow card on Presser, as Hartwick was whistled for 16 fouls in the match.\nNoonan tallied the lone goal in the second half of the match as IU (4-1-2) downed the Hawks (3-2-1) 1-0. Grabavoy and Mack were both credited with assists on Noonan's goal.\nHeading into the weekend, IU had committed only 82 fouls over five games. The Hoosiers' opponents had been called for 112 fouls over those same five games. But in the weekend matches, IU was whistled for 43 fouls while Air Force and Hartwick committed just 32.\nO'Rourke said the increased physical presence by IU this week was a credit to Yeagley doubting the team's attitude.\n"We are a small team, but we tried to keep our aggressiveness up, which has been a trademark of IU soccer since coach established the program," O'Rourke said. "We have all the talent in the world, but coach has been questioning our fight. And I think we came out here proved to him that our team can work really hard"