Hoosiers beat top-ranked foe

A record 7,423 people packed Bill Armstrong Stadium on Sunday to see the No. 7-ranked IU men’s soccer team battle No. 2-ranked UCLA, shattering the previous attendance mark of 6,000 set in 1987. No Hoosier left disappointed.\nIU defeated UCLA by a score of 1-0, and tied No. 9-ranked Maryland 1-1 on Friday night in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. This weekend’s play gives the Hoosiers something they can build upon as Big Ten season approaches.\nFriday’s game saw major moves on the pitch early, with a shot attempt by freshman midfielder Daniel Kelly just five minutes into the game. Despite this early action, the first half proved difficult for the Hoosiers, especially for the defense, which was facing the setting sun. \n“(The sun is) a big disadvantage to the team, especially the backline, because you’re just not seeing the ball when it’s coming over the top,” said junior goalkeeper Chay Cain.\n“You just got to do the best you can.”\nOnce the sun dropped below the tree line, both teams raised the intensity. At the 24:03 mark, junior forward Kevin Noschang got his foot behind the ball off a header from junior midfielder Brian Ackley to score the first goal of the game. \n“I thought I was offsides, to be honest,” Noschang said. “It took a second to register.”\nAfter the goal, the crowd of over 4,000 fans stood on their feet and cheered. But those cheers were quickly silenced as the second goal of the game came less than a minute later, off the foot of Maryland junior forward Graham Zusi. Terrapin junior midfielder Rich Costanzo fed Zusi to help tie up the game at the 25:14 mark. \nThe second half was physical, as both teams battled to score the winning goal. The crowd erupted into boos several times as tough foul calls were made on both sides of the ball. Junior midfielder Brad Ring saw some of the most physical contact during the match, but said it’s all just part of the game. \n“It usually is (a battle) in the back midfield,” Ring said. “I got guys always surrounding me. There’s always contact.”\nDespite two overtime periods, neither team managed to score another goal and were forced to settle with a tie. IU coach Mike Freitag said he knew his team could play better than they did, but expects to see growth as the season goes on. \n“Am I disappointed? Yeah. Are the guys disappointed? Yes. But it’s early in the season.” Freitag said after the game.\nThe team spent Saturday resting under Freitag’s orders, citing a sluggish Sunday game in last year’s Classic, when Notre Dame scored five goals on the Hoosiers. However, Sunday’s game was far from sluggish as IU fought hard to upset the Bruins, who were also upset by No. 10 Notre Dame on Friday.\nBoth teams played quick on offense and displayed stalwart defense, but the Hoosiers were the first and only team able to break its opponent’s defensive block. UCLA had several close calls inside the 18-yard box, resulting in their nine total corner kicks on the game. Cain had only four saves to Bruins’ goalkeeper Brian Perk’s six. \nNoschang scored the lone goal of the game at the 15:10 mark of the second half. The Hoosiers brought the ball forward into Bruin territory when several players were tripped up near the goal. Some players lost their concentration as they waited for a foul to be called, and it was during this brief pause that Ackley fed the ball out to Noschang, who sent it soaring over the goalie’s head and into the right corner of \nthe goal. \nThe game was nearly tied up less than 10 minutes later, when the Bruins headed the ball toward the goal. It bounced off the top post and back into play as Cain went up for the block. \nUCLA was unable to bring the ball close again, and the Hoosiers took the win in the final game of the tournament. Freitag was much more impressed with his team’s play Sunday than Friday and noted how important this win was for his team.\n“We were pretty good today. I’m very proud of everybody,” Freitag said. “When you play a game against a quality opponent and come out with a win – a quality win – it speaks a lot for these young men.”