Team downs Irish in second round then falls to UConn

Heading into last Wednesday's second round NCAA Tournament match against Notre Dame, the IU men's soccer team was looking to avenge their last loss on their home turf at Bill Armstrong Stadium. While it was not a pretty game and in the words of Hoosier coach Jerry Yeagley it was not a good performance for IU offensively, the Hoosiers did advance with a 1-0 win over the Irish.\nNo. 5 ranked, but unseeded IU (15-3-2) managed just 10 shots in the game and a meager three in the second half, but one of those three netted the lone goal of the game. Sophomore midfielder Ned Grabavoy found freshman midfielder Brian Plotkin in the middle of IU's offensive box, and Plotkin found the back of the net for his first career Hoosier goal. Plotkin beat Notre Dame sophomore keeper Chris Sawyer as he chipped the ball over a sliding Sawyer and into the left side of the goal. The assist put Grabavoy over the 20-point plateau and was Plotkin's eighth point on the year.\n"It was great to get the goal to break the game open and get the lead," Plotkin said. "After that we were just trying to find a way to win the game, whether it be score another goal or just find a way to keep a one goal difference. To come through in the tournament and help the team, it was a great feeling."\nThe Hoosiers found a way to hold on and preserve the 1-0 victory as sophomore keeper Jay Nolly made two saves on Notre Dame's six shots. The shutout was Nolly's eighth of the season and lowered his goals against average to .77.\nYeagley said the defense he saw in the Hoosiers was the type of play he has seen in IU's other successful teams.\n"The one thread over the years that has won championships for us has been our defense," Yeagley said. "We have not had as many shutouts as we felt we should have this year and that was certainly a pleasing thing. I thought Notre Dame put up a terrific fight; they are a very good team. It was a defensive struggle tonight and we won it on a beautiful goal."\nThe Irish were forced to play a man down after their senior midfielder Justin Ratcliffe was given a red card for a hard sliding tackle on IU junior midfielder Vijay Dias. Despite playing a man down, Notre Dame (12-6-3) created multiple chances to tie the game but were unsuccessful. The Hoosiers were content to play defense and clear the ball throughout the final 27 minutes, allowing the Irish to keep up their attack.\nNotre Dame coach Bobby Clark said his team's task became much harder after Ratcliffe's red card.\n"It was a very competitive game. We are obviously very disappointed because we felt we could have gone farther in the tournament, but we knew this would be a very tough hurdle," Clark said. "The hard thing for us was obviously the ejection; to play Indiana is a fairly tough task when you play 11-on-11."\nThe Hoosiers did not get a shot off until nearly 27 minutes had passed in the first half, as Notre Dame controlled the ball for much of the first half. Yeagley said the first games in tournament play have often given his Hoosier squads some early jitters.\n"Historically the first games in tournament play have been some of the toughest for us," Yeagley said. "I think there were some nerves, even though this team has nothing to prove. "They have been to three Final Fours in a row, and nobody in the country is more tournament tested. We still came out and did not consistently play with the offensive ability we have"