IU returns to site of Yeagley's first victory

Coach Jerry Yeagley returns to the site of his first career coaching victory tonight when the men's soccer team (2-2-2) battles Notre Dame at 7 p.m. in South Bend, Ind., at Alumni Field.\nYeagley said he is aware of the challenge the Fighting Irish (2-1-2) present and added IU can't make any blunders against its in-state adversary.\n"Goals don't come easy against them," Yeagley said. "We're going to have to play close to the vest. It's going to be a chess match. They're good at forcing mistakes. We have to avoid mistakes against them. We can't make mistakes."\nYeagley, who is in his final season, has collected 528 career wins. He needs 15 victories to tie Stephen Negoesco on the all-time wins list.\nNotre Dame participated in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic at the end of August but did not face IU. Likewise, the Hoosiers competed in Notre Dame's tournament last weekend, but the two teams did not meet. \nThe Hoosiers edged the Fighting Irish 1-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season in Bloomington. But junior forward Ned Grabavoy said IU has to simply go in and play its game. He added they cannot get caught up with Notre Dame's fans and playing on the same field as they played on last weekend.\nGrabavoy said he knows the importance of this in-state confrontation.\n"It's big. It's the first game before conference play," Grabavoy said. "It's important that we come out playing well from the start. It's a must-win game for this team."\nGrabavoy has totaled four goals in the team's first six matches. Not yet a senior, he has accepted a leadership and scoring position on this squad.\n"It's a different role," Grabavoy said. "This past weekend, a lot of chances were created on offense because of good team defense. Other players are gaining confidence." \nYeagley said Grabavoy and sophomore midfielder/forward Brian Plotkin are the team's primary offensive threats at the moment. He said he has been pleased with the play of freshman back/midfielder Jordan Chirico and said he will receive more playing time. Yeagley also added the back three defenders, freshman backs Jed Zayner and Julian Dieterle, and sophomore back Drew Moor are improving every game. He said they will continue to get better with time.\n"Defense always takes some time for communication," Yeagley said. "And our freshmen haven't played that much with our other players. We do need more production from our forwards though."\nMeanwhile, Moor said the practice regimen and game plan has been tweaked this week to prepare for the Fighting Irish.\n"We changed things up a little bit," Moor said. "The players and coaches have seen a few things to change. Our focus is to deny their two forwards the ball."\nIU grabbed a lead against Fresno State on Sunday and was victorious over the Bulldogs, 3-1 in South Bend, Ind. At the same time, Notre Dame is coming off a scoreless draw with Akron. The Fighting Irish won last weekend's tournament title, while the Hoosiers finished in third place.\nEven though Moor transferred from Furman University and is originally from Texas, he said he knows the significance of this rivalry. \n"It's a regional battle," Moor said. "The fact that both teams are from Indiana -- it's for pride. Both teams put everything aside and focus on each other. It's going to be intense. Hopefully, we can bring more intensity." \nAfter Thursday's contest, IU returns home on Sunday to open Big Ten play with Michigan State and begins a three-game home stand. \nYeagley said IU has to remain focused on the job at hand. He added the Fighting Irish don't have any secrets, and he said he respects them as a team.\n"Notre Dame is like a machine," Yeagley said. "You know what you're going to get."\n"The last two games we've played have been one-goal games. You have to earn what you get against them. Nothing comes easy."\n-- Contact staff writer Zack Eldridge at zeldridg@indiana.edu.