IU tops Ohio State 1-0 in Columbus

With a header from junior defender Greg Stevning and a career game from sophomore goalkeeper Chay Cain, the IU men's soccer team spoiled Ohio State's party.\nThe Hoosiers defeated the Buckeyes 1-0 in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday night in front of a record crowd at Ohio State's "Scarlet and Gray Game."\n"We squeaked one through tonight," Stevning said.\nSaturday's victory ensured IU remained the only undefeated team in the Big Ten.\n"(Saturday's game) was a test, a tough test against a team who plays a style that puts us in a position to have to make plays," IU coach Mike Freitag said.\nThe No. 10 Hoosiers are the only Big Ten team to defeat the Buckeyes in Columbus this year. IU is now 32-1-1 all time against the scarlet and gray.\n"This was a continuation of the process of building a team and gaining confidence in every game," Freitag said.\nIn the first half, the Hoosiers and Buckeyes each had their opportunities to score, but neither team found the back of the net.\nWhen the teams took the pitch after halftime, it took the Hoosiers less than six minutes to score.\nAfter IU took a corner kick that Ohio State cleared out of its penalty box, sophomore midfielder John Mellencamp blasted a ball toward Buckeye goalkeeper Casey Latchem.\n"I could kind of tell it wasn't going to go in," said Stevning, who was playing in OSU's penalty box because of the IU corner kick.\nUsing his head, Stevning deflected Mellencamp's shot past Latchem and scored the lone goal for the Hoosiers.\nHowever, Stevning's goal didn't deter the Buckeyes.\n"After the first goal they stepped up," Stevning said. "They took it to us."\nBetween the 57th and 65th minutes, Ohio State attacked the Hoosier goal. In those eight minutes, the Buckeyes launched seven shots, five of which were within range of IU's goal, forcing Cain to make five saves. Ohio State outshot IU 21-12.\n"There were probably three quality chances," Cain said. "They got through on a couple restarts, and luckily I was there to make a few key saves in the second half."\nCain made seven saves Saturday night en route to his third consecutive shutout. Cain did not play in IU's 3-2 win against IU-Purdue University Indianapolis on Tuesday.\n"I feel like I'm gaining more and more confidence in each of the games," he said.\nNot only did the weekend win preserve IU's first-place status in the Big Ten, it also earned Freitag's players a couple days' rest Sunday and Monday, since they won't practice. The Hoosiers don't play again until Saturday when they travel to Penn State.\n"They're going to have a couple days off to regenerate the batteries and clear their minds a little bit," Freitag said. "Then we'll come back and get prepared to go into Happy Valley"