Team hopes to add 5th win to streak

Prior to the current winning streak, the men's soccer team had one victory in its previous eight matches. But IU has rolled off four victories in a row, and welcomes the Ohio State Buckeyes at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Armstrong Stadium.\nThe Hoosiers (6-3-4, 3-0-1 Big Ten) have completed the road portion of their Big Ten schedule and three of the wins in the current streak have been away from home. Moreover, they have out-scored their opponents 9-1 in those contests, including posting three consecutive shutouts. The most recent victory came against IUPUI, 1-0 Wednesday in Bloomington. IU coach Jerry Yeagley said he hopes his team can carry that momentum over to the Ohio State match.\n"We're playing with more confidence out there," Yeagley said. "We're not going out there hoping to win. We're going out there expecting to win. We're developing communication on the field and understanding now that confidence plays a big part in the success of our team." \nThe Buckeyes (3-8-3, 2-1-0) are currently second in the league standings behind IU. They knocked off Penn State, 3-1 Oct. 12, a team that was predicted to finish second behind the Hoosiers in the Big Ten regular season standings.\nYeagley explained the unprecedented record and what will happen should it be snapped. \n"We take lots of pride in the record," he said. "All teams are getting better. It's difficult now compared to a few years ago. The coaches and I have discussed this. When we lose, it's not going to be a result of our poor performance. We want the other team to have earned the victory." \nWhile the conference unbeaten streak has endured over eight years, Yeagley said the team is focusing on learning from its last match. \n"We need to take the (IUPUI) match as a positive. We created a number of scoring chances and dominated in performance," Yeagley said. "But the mental game can be a factor when you do what we did. We can't let the mental game enter into our mind." \nThe Hoosier defense has only allowed .08 goals per game, in addition to posting five shutouts.\nJunior goalkeeper Jay Nolly has started all the games in goal for IU and has notched 34 saves this year.\nAnother component of the Hoosier defense has been junior midfielder Danny O'Rourke.\nWhile O'Rourke's impact has not been made on the stat sheet, he is a veteran with experience. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2002.\nYeagley said O'Rourke is an unsung hero. He added he is an anchor in the midfield and important to the success of the team.\n"He's sort of like a lineman in football," Yeagley said. "He doesn't get a lot of recognition. I wouldn't trade him for anything." \nIU will be attempting to win its fifth straight match and fourth conference victory of the season. The Hoosiers last loss came Sept. 18 at Notre Dame, when they lost 1-0 in double-overtime.\nThis match is part of a soccer doubleheader, as the women's soccer team hosts Northwestern before the men's match.