IU defeats Notre Dame in Indianapolis

Although the winter weather is making a late appearance in the year, a key spring win for the Hoosiers soccer team couldn’t have come sooner. Overcoming sleet, wind and freezing temperatures, IU pulled out a 2-0 victory this weekend against in-state rival Notre Dame. \nBoth goals were scored by sophomore forward Kevin Noschang, one off an assist by freshman forward Darren Yeagle and the second off an assist by sophomore midfielder Doug Reisinger. Freshman midfielder Eric Alexander and sophomore midfielder John Mellencamp led the team in shots with three each. The Hoosiers outshot Notre Dame 15-6 on the night, due to both organized offense and a tight defense. \n“We’ve been working on both sides of the ball (during practice),” said IU coach Mike Freitag. “We defended well (Saturday), and we moved the ball well, too.” \nNoschang’s strong performance was key for the Hoosiers. From the very beginning, Noschang had high hopes for the evening. \n“We wanted to come out and get a win,” Noschang said. “We wanted to make a statement, and I think we did tonight.” \nThe game was not played in ideal conditions. During the game, it began to sleet, which worsened an already wet pitch. The grass in Indianapolis’ Kuntz Stadium was also longer than what is typical on a soccer field. \nStill, that didn’t deter the cream and crimson.\n“I think we were focused,” Freitag said. “We dealt with the elements well, like the wind, the sleet and the field.” \nFreshman defender Ofori Sarkodie attributes this focus to the growing chemistry of the team. \n“We made some big strides as a team,” Sarkodie said. “We had organized defense, we attacked the ball as a team and we did well communicating.” \nNotre Dame’s biggest threat, Joseph Lapira, made only a short appearance in the game because he is still recovering from a recent surgery. The M.A.C. Hermann trophy winner, soccer’s version of the Heisman Trophy winner, did not start and only played half the game as a substitute. His only shot of the night was blocked by Sarkodie.