Hoosiers boast solid defense in quest to defend title

The IU men's soccer team returns many pieces from their championship run last season, including 16 letterwinners, of which nine are starters. However, there is one important piece of the puzzle that needed to be replaced.\nThe winningest coach in collegiate soccer history, Jerry Yeagley.\nAfter last season's magical run to the title, which included winning the final 18 matches of the season, Yeagley retired following the Hoosiers' win over St. John's 2-1 in the NCAA Championship at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Yeagley retired after 31 years at the helm, including six national titles and six national coach of the year honors, and handed the program over to longtime assistant coach Mike Freitag.\nFreitag said although there is a new face leading the program, there is no need to change a good thing.\n"We are keeping a similar format by going over the fundamentals and principles of the game to start off this season," Freitag said. \nThe team, which finished last season 17-3-5, lost its leading goal scorer, forward Ned Grabavoy (11 goals, 11 assists) to the Major League Soccer draft, along with midfielders Vijay Dias and Drew Shinabarger. What the Hoosiers lose, they gain with two players who sat out last season, senior midfielder Josh Reiher and junior forward Mike Ambersley.\n"The return of Mike Ambersley is big as he will be able to step in right for Ned," Freitag said. "He is a very talented soccer player and is a player who feels he needs to redeem himself. He is a man on a mission and I think he is a young man that has matured in the last year. You will see some very good things from him this year."\nThe Big Ten Conference named Ambersley co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2001 and he scored eight goals during the 2001 and 2002 campaign. Reiher has 28 career games under his belt, including 11 starts in his last season, 2002.\nOne of the mainstays to the Hoosiers in their championship run last season was fifth-year senior goalkeeper Jay Nolly. Nolly started every game for the team over the last two seasons and chosen the Most Outstanding Defensive Player at last season's College Cup.\n"With Jay Nolly in goal, he continues to prove that he is one of the top goalkeepers in the country," Freitag said.\nDefensemen Julian Dieterle and Jed Zayner are two sophomores that made an impact by starting all 25 games last season, along with garnering Freshman All-American honors. The Big Ten named Zayner co-Freshman of the Year along with Northwestern's Gerardo Alvarez.\nJunior Drew Moor is another part of the Hoosier defensive backfield, which ranked fifth nationally last season with 0.64 goals against. Moor earned first team All-Big Ten honors and is on the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy watch list.\n"Defense is definitely our strong point," Nolly said. "Defense wins championships."\nMoore is not the only Hoosier named to the pre-season Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy watch list, as senior midfielder Danny O'Rourke has his name on the list as well. O'Rourke is a three-year starter and will anchor the center midfield for the team this season along with serving as tri-captain with Moore and Nolly.\nSophomore Josh Tudela and junior Brian Plotkin fill out the remainder of the center midfield for the Hoosiers. Tudela earned College Cup All-American honors while Plotkin was the second leading scorer for the team last season with seven goals and nine assists.\nJunior midfielder Pat Yates said no spot is secure for the Hoosiers and Yates is one of a handful of midfielders vying for a starting spot along with Reiher, juniors Jordan Chirico, sophomore John Michael Hayden and Kevin Robson, and redshirt freshman Charley Traylor. Yates came through for the Hoosiers in last year's postseason play as he scored against No. 1 UCLA in the quarterfinals and against Santa Clara in the semifinals.\n"I'll never be the star," Yates said. "I will lead by hard work and my leadership as an example to others. My hard work ethic will always be with me."\nAlong with Ambersley stepping back onto the pitch for the team in the forward slot, sophomore Jacob Peterson returns having earned numerous post-season accolades for his play. The most memorable moment for Hoosier fans is when Peterson scored the eventual game winning goal during the 21st minute in last season's College Cup Championship game against St. John's.\nThe Hoosier forwards will look for help from Chirico, Robson, and redshirt freshman Lake Hubbard.\nAccording to College Soccer News, Freitag assembled the 14th best recruiting class in the nation, including California's player of the year Brad Yuska and Michigan's Mr. Soccer Billy Weaver.\n"My initial impression of the recruits is that it is a good class," Freitag said. "Whether they are good enough to warrant playing time is still to be seen. They are coming into a team that has the experience that won a national championship."\nThe team's schedule has already taken them to the northeast portion of the state as they opened up with exhibition matches against St. John's and Indiana-Purdue Ft. Wayne in the IPFW Soccer Showcase. The Hoosiers open up the regular season at home in Bill Armstrong Stadium with the 22nd annual Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic with the team first facing Boston University and then Oregon State.\n"We're excited (for the season)," Freitag said. "It is nice to have a team that has been through it already, a team that learned some valuable lessons last year. I hope they didn't forget last year, because last year wasn't a cake walk. It wasn't an easy road, we were young, but we learned a lot of good lessons. This is one group that will retain those lesson and build on them."\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.