Hoosiers set to take on Buckeyes Saturday

After a 3-2 overtime win against in-state rival IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis, sophomore midfielder Brian Ackley said the IU men's soccer team would win every single game from that point on.\nHis coach called it a strong statement, but Ackley's teammates are confident they can beat any team in the country, especially since the Hoosiers are on a five-game win streak and seven-game unbeaten streak.\nThose streaks are on the line Saturday night when IU travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Hoosiers' fourth Big Ten game of the season.\nThe Buckeyes themselves are riding a four-game win streak, during which they defeated two ranked opponents and the reigning Big Ten champion Penn State Nittany Lions.\n"Ohio State's gonna be a very good challenge," sophomore forward Kevin Noschang said. "They're good at home. We're on a win streak. They're on a win streak. It's going to be a battle."\nFreshman forward Darren Yeagle is siting out his third game since contracting mononucleosis.\nNoschang scored his first goal of the season Tuesday against IUPUI, and IU coach Mike Freitag said he believes Noschang can be a factor.\n"If he plays the way he's been playing, he's going to contribute," Freitag said. "Goals are going to come. I don't care who they come from, but if he plays with the conviction he has the last couple weeks, Kevin Noschang can be a threat for teams."\nFor the third time this season, IU will compete in a particularly hostile environment. The Hoosiers recorded two wins -- against the University of Akron and Michigan State -- when those schools attempted to bolster attendance for the cream and crimson's visit. Saturday's game will be the "Scarlet and Gray Game" for the Buckeyes, as they push for a large crowd in an attempt to "Jam the Jesse" -- Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.\n"That's what college soccer's all about, going into somebody's home," Freitag said. "They're looking for their record crowd. They're going to be pumped up to play the Hoosiers. I know my guys will rise to the occasion. They love that environment."\nTo quiet the crowd, the Hoosiers must stop Buckeye forward Xavier Balc, who leads the Big Ten with 19 points (six goals, seven assists).\n"I know that if we come out and play our best we should be able to get a result," sophomore midfielder John Mellencamp said. "It just comes down to making sure we stay focused and tight defensively."\nSaturday's game is also a chance for Mellencamp to battle against some of his good friends who don the scarlet and gray.\n"They're going to come out fired up," he said. "It's a rivalry with me and some of them that none of us are going to want to lose."\nThe Hoosiers are 31-1-1 all-time against the Buckeyes. Last year IU tied OSU 2-2 at home but beat the Buckeyes 3-0 in the Big Ten tournament. The Hoosiers' only loss came in 2000 when Ohio State beat IU in the Big Ten Tournament.