Hoosiers win 10th title

The drama continued for the men's soccer team in the championship match of the Big Ten Tournament Sunday. Top-seeded IU outlasted No. 6 seed Penn State on penalty kicks, 4-1, in the championship of the Big Ten Tournament at Armstrong Stadium. \nThe Hoosiers (12-3-5, 5-0-1 Big Ten) clinched their 10th conference tournament title and extended their unbeaten streak to 13 games.\nSophomore midfielder Brian Plotkin netted the game-winning penalty kick on IU's fourth attempt, and junior goalkeeper Jay Nolly saved two Penn State shots to earn the Big Ten title.\nAfter two scoreless sudden death overtime periods, the match was tied 1-1. Plotkin scored the winning kick to the lower left corner of the goal, giving the Hoosiers a 4-1 advantage in penalty kicks and breaking the tie. IU outshot the Nittany Lions 17-4 in the contest.\nThe game is officially ruled a tie at 1-1, according to NCAA rules.\n"I felt we played so well today," IU coach Jerry Yeagley said. "It was a dominating performance. We should have put some chances way in the first half in the first 20 to 30 minutes, and I thought that might come back to haunt us. We should have had two goals in the early going. But I credit Penn State. To play three games in four days, they hung in there."\nIU improved to 9-0 all-time in Big Ten Tournament championship matches. \nBesides out-shooting Penn State (9-10-1, 1-5-0) by 13 for the match, IU outshot the Lions 9-3 in the second. In addition, the Hoosiers didn't allow a Penn State shot in either 10-minute overtime period. \n"Just a super performance by all our players," Yeagley said. "They were determined. We practiced penalty kicks. We did. Because we remembered how we were eliminated last year. We practiced some last year, but perhaps not as much. We've been practicing for a couple of weeks, everyday after training. The players picked their own order, and they buried them."\nIU lost to Penn State in penalty kicks, 2-1, in the conference tournament last year in State College, Pa. Last season marked the first time the Hoosiers had not won the Big Ten tournament in the last decade. But this time, IU prevailed on penalty kicks over its conference rival.\nLast weekend, the Hoosiers upended the Lions by scoring three unanswered second half goals at Armstrong Stadium. That 3-2 win gave IU the regular season Big Ten title. \nSunday, the Hoosiers also continued another streak -- their home unbeaten streak. IU has gone unbeaten in its past 24 matches at Armstrong Stadium.\nBoth teams scored one goal in the first half, and it was knotted at the half, 1-1. IU recorded the first goal of the match on a low shot by Plotkin in the 24th minute. It was his sixth goal of the season. Junior forward Ned Grabavoy tallied the assist on the play.\nMeanwhile, the Nittany Lions registered their goal right before the half. Penn State scored with 1:57 left in the first on a header by sophomore forward Mike Lindemann off a corner kick. \n"That's the game of soccer," said Grabavoy, who was named the tournament offensive MVP. "You can totally dominate a team so much, then they can get a free kick, and then it's tied 1-1. In the second half and the first overtime, we had so many chances. It's hard to stay positive with the past things that have happened to us throughout your soccer career for all these guys. But we did."\nAt the same time, Yeagley credited Nolly for his presence in goal, especially on the penalty kicks. \n"Jay on our penalty kicks, he's our man," Yeagley said. "During the game he wasn't called upon to make any great saves, but he had to handle some balls in the air. He kept us clean, except for that one mistake."\nNolly, who was named the defensive MVP of the tournament, tallied two saves for the game and posted two huge saves on the penalty kicks.\nIn the penalty kicks, sophomore defender Drew Moor netted IU's first penalty kick, while Grabavoy made the team's second. Grabavoy was one-of-three on penalty kicks for the season going into this game. Senior midfielder Vijay Dias made the third penalty kick, before Plotkin connected with the game-winner.\n"We were focused on winning this game," Plotkin said. "Hopefully, by winning this game we get a top-eight seed in the NCAA tournament, which means we get two home games, which is really crucial. Being at home was important, so we know we had to go out and get a victory today."\nThe Lions compiled 32 fouls in the contest, compared to 13 IU fouls in what was a tough physical affair. Penn State was also called for two yellow cards. \nTo advance to the championship game, IU edged the No. 5 seeded Wisconsin Badgers, 1-0 Friday. Sophomore midfielder Pat Yates recorded the only goal of the match in the second half in the 79th minute. After a barrage of IU shots, in which the Hoosiers had four shots in a span of three minutes, Grabavoy passed the ball forward to Yates, who chested the ball down and one-touched it into the lower left corner of the net.\nIt was his third goal of the season and was his second goal in as many games. \n"It was a total team effort in the second half," Yeagley said after Friday's match. "I was very pleased. We deserved to win, and I am glad we got it. I have seen teams that all of a sudden lose their balance, lose their shape trying to get their people forward and they give up a counter and a silly goal, and they lose. And I am proud of our team for continuing to fight." \nYeagley summed up the thrilling victory over Penn State Sunday that gave IU the tournament title. \n"I wanted my last Big Ten game here at IU to have the kind of performance that I would be proud of, and it really was," Yeagley said. "The score was disappointing, but the performance and chances we created and the way they played with heart ... I was very proud of their performance."\n-- Contact staff writer Zack Eldridge at zeldridg@indiana.edu.