Penn State next for No. 6 IU

It is a matchup of streaks.\nThe No. 6 IU men's soccer team takes its 47-match regular season Big Ten Conference unbeaten streak to State College, Pa., today to take on No. 3 Penn State (5-4-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten). PSU enters the game riding the nation's longest unbeaten streak -- 12 games -- which dates back to last season.\n"These are the kind of games as a player you get psyched up for," IU coach Mike Freitag said. "Going into Happy Valley, you're number two or three in a poll -- depending on which (poll) -- undefeated, (in a) new stadium that they are going to kick off and have a good crowd and that's the kind we like. We strive on that."\nLast weekend, IU (6-2-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) defeated Michigan State 3-1 on sophomore forward Jacob Peterson's hat trick, which came entirely in the second half. Two of Peterson's three goals came on assists from senior midfielder Danny O'Rourke.\nPeterson now has six goals on the season\n"It was a great win up there at Michigan State. It's always a tough place to go play," junior forward Brian Plotkin said. "Traditionally, we always just have that one-game weekend and the only trip up to Michigan State. We haven't traveled very well up there, but luckily we went up there and played pretty well and got the result we need to start the season back up."\nJunior Chris Pomeroy made his first start of the season last weekend as he filled in for sophomore back Julian Dieterle, who has a sprained knee.\n"Chris played well at Michigan State," Freitag said. "I have a number of players that can play in that role, and we really haven't decided who is going to play in the back yet."\nThe Nittany Lions won the Tulsa Hurricane Classic last weekend with two 3-2 wins over then-No. 25 Tulsa and then-No. 15 Southern Methodist University. Penn State senior forward Chad Severs scored twice against Tulsa and is currently the team's leading goal scorer with five goals and 12 points.\nLast season, the Hoosiers and the Nittany Lions faced each other twice, with IU winning the rescheduled regular season match on a 3-2 come-from-behind effort. With IU up and three minutes remaining before the game became official, Mother Nature's lightning cancelled the first scheduled matchup between the two teams.\nSix days after IU's 3-2 win over Penn State, both teams met again in the Big Ten Championship at Bill Armstrong Stadium, with the Hoosiers taking the Big Ten Tournament title and victory over Penn State 4-1 in penalty kicks.\n"We're going to have to play tough; we're going to be on top of our game because they are going to have a huge crowd. They are going to be pumped up and ready to play us," junior midfielder Pat Yates said. "They are as high as No. 2 in the nation in some of the polls, and they are undefeated, so it will be a tough game."\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.