IU hosts Notre Dame in second round NCAA play

In recent years, November and December is when the IU men's soccer team puts it all together and begins another march to the College Cup. After being ousted from the Big Ten Championships by Penn State on penalty kicks, the Hoosiers were forced to wait and see where they would be placed in the NCAA Tournament. No. 5 IU (14-3-2) still received a first round bye and will host No. 21 Notre Dame (12-5-3) 7 p.m. Wednesday in second round action, but the Hoosiers were snubbed of a top eight seed which would offer more home field opportunities.\nIU coach Jerry Yeagley said the Hoosiers will look to use the seeding disappointment as motivation as they seek their sixth consecutive College Cup appearance.\n"We were down and in a funk, feeling sorry for ourselves for a few hours the first day," Yeagley said. "To really being upset and committed to prove that we are a team that deserves to be seeded higher in our opinion."\nIU's first tournament test in Notre Dame will not be an easy one as the Fighting Irish are the last team to beat the Hoosiers at IU's Bill Armstrong Stadium. Notre Dame downed IU 1-0 Oct. 17, 2001; it was the Hoosiers last loss until the National Championship game.\nThe Hoosiers will have the services of sophomore midfielder Ned Grabavoy, who is back for the NCAA Tournament after missing IU's final two regular season games with an ankle injury. Grabavoy missed the Big Ten Championships as he was playing with the U.S. Under-20 National Team in a FIFA World Youth Championship Qualifier competition. He finished regular season Big Ten play as the conference leading scorer with 15 points and will look to return where he left off.\nWhile Grabavoy said the ankle still bothers him at times, he will play through the injury and said he knows Notre Dame will present the Hoosiers with a tough test.\n"(My ankle) is still sore and it is going to be sore for a while, but I have to try and put it out of my mind," Grabavoy said. "We are in a win or lose situation right now and every game is basically like a championship game. Notre Dame is going to be tough, they are coached to be very tough and organized so we will have to be patient and finish our chances."\nNotre Dame defeated Akron 3-1 in first round NCAA action to advance to face the Hoosiers. Senior forward Rafael Garcia carried the Irish as he matched his two goals on the year with two goals against Akron. Senior forward Erich Braun leads Notre Dame with 23 points on the season including a goal in their first round NCAA match. Junior midfielder Chad Riley has also eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the Fighting Irish as he has 20 points on four goals and 12 assists.\nThe Hoosiers will look to their defensive core and sophomore goalkeeper Jay Nolly to shut down the Irish's offensive attack. Nolly said IU's experienced upperclassmen have helped him and others to prepare heading into tournament action.\n"The seniors and juniors have really taught us a lot about finding a way to win during a game," Nolly said. "We are going all out, it is tourney time for us now. IU has had a good tradition about being top notch during tourney time. Everyone looks good right now and we are healthy; we are going to go out all fired up."\nIU owns a 39-3 record all-time at Bill Armstrong Stadium in NCAA Tournament play and have not lost in Bloomington in NCAA action since 1995 when another in-state rival, Butler, upset the Hoosiers 1-0. If the Hoosiers get past the Fighting Irish they will play the winner of No. 7 seed Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Should UCONN defeat Penn, IU would likely be on the road for their match with the Huskies which would take place on Saturday, Nov. 30 or Sunday, Dec. 1.\nYeagley still remains optimistic about his tourney tested team and expects the Hoosiers to bring the best game throughout the tournament.\n"On our best day we are as good as anyone out there I feel," Yeagley said. "We have a tough road to hoe and we need to stay focused defensively and we have to execute better on our final touch to goal. I have a feeling this team will be focused, this team realizes we have performed well and have not achieved to our potential and hopefully that will come through in the tournament"