Hoosiers ready for Penn State, Big Ten tourney

The last time the women's soccer team matched up against the Penn State Nittany Lions, IU suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss. But this time the Hoosiers are aiming for an upset.\nThe eighth-seeded Hoosiers will face the No. 1-seeded Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament at 10:30 a.m. today in Columbus, Ohio.\n"We played (Penn State) really well the first time," senior midfielder Kim Grodek said. "And we're pretty confident about our play against them, and last year they lost in the first round of the tournament so it's possible to beat them."\nAccording to junior midfielder Kristen Zmijewski, the overall attitude of this IU squad is one that is focused. \n"(Penn State) is the No. 1 team in our conference but we only lost to them 1-0," Zmijewski said. "So we know we just have to go in there and play well like we did Friday against Butler and just give it our all."\nIU coach Mick Lyon said there has been no major changes with the Penn State team the Hoosiers faced earlier this season. \nThe Hoosiers have made changes in their game plan to try and keep their Big Ten hopes alive. Lyon plans to play a game of frustration with the Nittany Lions by slowing the pace of the game down and keeping as many players behind the ball as possible.\nLyon plans to play a 4-3-3 formation this time rather than the 4-5-1 formation last time, but not to be so aggressive with their offense that they leave gaps open on the field.\nThis will be the Hoosiers' third straight Big Ten appearance and the eighth overall appearance. IU has amassed a record of 4-6-1 in that span. \nIU and Penn State have met only one time in the postseason -- where the Hoosiers posted a 1-0 win versus the Nittany Lions. Penn State also has lost as the top seed the last two years.\nIU won its only Big Ten championship in 1996, rising to the top after coming into the tournament as a seven seed.\n"It's kind of better going in as underdogs because you have something to prove," Zmijewski said. \n-- Contact staff writer John Fischer at jbfische@indiana.edu.