IU beats Kentucky 1-0 in overtime

The IU men's soccer team got its first home win of the season as the Hoosiers defeated boarder-rival University of Kentucky 1-0 in overtime Wednesday night.\nThe game-winning goal came four minutes into the first overtime when sophomore midfielder Brian Ackley headed in his team-leading forth goal of the season.\nThe play developed as senior forward Kevin Robson took the ball down the left side of the field. Robson dropped the ball back to sophomore midfielder John Mellencamp, who found Ackley to seal the victory for the cream and crimson.\n"I saw him look up and spot me," Ackley said. "He played a perfect ball (to me), and I just put it back post."\nThe goal came after a frustrating night offensively for the Hoosiers. While the cream and crimson dominated possession, they were unable to translate their control of the game into goals.\n"I thought we dominated, but it was a hard nut to crack," IU coach Mike Freitag said. "Scoring is the toughest thing to do. It is very easy, if you concentrate, to keep people from scoring."\nStorms soaked the field and delayed the game an hour before the two teams took the pitch at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The soggy conditions did not affect the Hoosiers, who controlled play in the first half while keeping possession in the Kentucky half of the field.\nThe Hoosier's best scoring opportunity came one minute before halftime. A pass from Robson found freshman midfielder Lee Hagedorn running through the Wildcat penalty box. Kentucky goalkeeper Dan Williams pushed Hagedorn's shot wide of the goal for a corner kick.\nDespite holding a 6-2 advantage on shots, the Hoosiers went into half-time tied 0-0 with the Wildcats. Scoring is something the Hoosiers will battle all year, junior defender Charley Traylor said.\n"I think we are going to be a team that doesn't score a lot of goals this year," he said. "We are going to win a lot of 1-0 games, so I think the key is keeping the ball out of the net, and forwards are going to get the job done."\nThe Hoosiers again dominated the pace of play in the second half, but the Wildcat defenders kept the cream and crimson from scoring.\nThe Wildcats created a few chances of their own in the final minutes of regulation, but sophomore goalkeeper Chay Cain denied Kentucky's hopes of sneaking out of Bloomington with a victory.\nEven as the game headed into overtime, the Hoosiers felt like it was their game to win.\n"I felt very comfortable that we were going to get a result throughout the whole game," Traylor said. "Our team is getting a lot more confident, and we are starting to mesh well together."\nFreshman defender Ofori Sarkodie got his second start of the season in place of senior defender Julian Dieterle. Sarkodie's physical play kept Wildcat forward Riley O'Neil, the second leading scorer in the nation, from finding the back of the net.\n"Ofori did well tonight," Freitag said. "He has some things that he needs to get better at, but I think in games he is a little more clicked in than he is in practice."\nThe win gives the Hoosiers a little momentum heading into the second game of the Big Ten season against Michigan State on Sunday.\n"Hopefully (the win) carries on through the rest of the season," Ackley said. "We've had many team talks. I feel like this win will get us going through the rest of the season. Hopefully it will get our fight back in us"