Washed out

A steady downpour at Armstrong Stadium put a damper on the IU men's soccer team as the Hoosiers tied Michigan State 0-0 in the opening game of their Big Ten campaign. \nThe No. 1 Hoosiers moved to 4-0-2 on the season and 0-0-1 in the Big Ten. After a slow start, the Hoosiers had several chances to score, but they could not convert any of their 27 shots during the game.\n"I thought we got stronger as the game went on, but we came out a little slow," IU head coach Mike Freitag said. "I would like to have seen us not waste the game. If we played like we did at the end of the game, I think we would have walked away with a victory."\nRight before the final buzzer sounded, senior midfielder Brian Plotkin launched a desperation shot from the sideline, 25 yards out. At first, the shot seemed like it would sail harmlessly over the goal, but it began to sink as it drew nearer before nailing the crossbar. Plotkin's shot symbolized the entire afternoon for the Hoosiers: a great attempt, but just not good enough for a goal.\n"Time was running out, so I just looked up and kicked it," Plotkin said. "For a second or two, I thought maybe I had it, but it just didn't go."\nIU dominated the stat sheet, outshooting the Spartans 27-7. While the Hoosiers had plenty of chances to score, their best opportunities came during the second overtime period. When an apparent Spartan foul in the box went uncalled, the IU bench exploded, pleading for a penalty shot with six minutes remaining in the final overtime period. The Hoosiers rallied from the no-call to get six scoring opportunities in the final minutes. Freshman forward Lee Nguyen had four shots within 20 yards, but failed to score as the overtime progressed.\n"Outplaying them the way we did today, it's kind of frustrating," Plotkin said. "That's the name of the game; sometimes you can outplay the other team and not get the result you want."\nThe IU defense preserved the tie after the offense was shut out for the first time in 17 games. The Hoosier defense, which entered the contest having the 10th best goals against average in the nation (.47), only allowed one shot on goal as they claimed their fifth shutout of the season. The best Spartan opportunity came toward the end of regulation when the ball bounced around behind IU goalkeeper Chris Munroe before junior defender Jed Zayner cleared it from danger.\n"We are very pleased to get another shutout," Zayner said. "We were lucky, but we created our own luck. I am very proud of our defense."\nThe last defeat for the Hoosiers came at the hands of the Spartans, who knocked IU out of last season's Big Ten Tournament. Since that game last year, the Hoosiers have gone on an 11-game unbeaten streak. As the Big Ten season continues the Hoosiers will look to extend another streak -- IU has been the Big Ten regular season champion or co-champion for nine consecutive seasons. Although a tie is not the best way to start a title defense, Freitag was happy with the way his team finished the game.\n"I'm proud the way we played all the way through the very end," Freitag said. "It's one thing I keep telling the guys is to play to the very end. You never know what's going to happen"