IU mens soccer scores Big Ten win against Michigan State

Sophomore back Kevin Alston has been a standout defender and playmaker for the No. 17 IU men’s soccer team (7-3-1) for two years, but the one thing that eluded him was a goal. He finally broke through that barrier in fine fashion when he scored two goals in the Hoosiers’ 2-0 win against the No. 24 Michigan State Spartans, moving their Big Ten record to 2-0.\nIU coach Mike Freitag said he was impressed with Alston’s performance on both sides of the ball.\n“I was happy to see him get those two goals,” Freitag said. “He had a great season up to this point and time, and I expect him to get better and better. I like when he makes things happen, sometimes he can click off and watch the game, but tonight I thought he was a 90-minute player.”\nPreviously undefeated Michigan State (7-1-2) is a largely one-dimensional team that couldn’t muster any offense because their offensive leader – junior forward Doug DeMartin, who has six of his team’s 15 goals on the season and leads the Big Ten in shots with 36 – was kept at bay by the Hoosiers, who only allowed him two shots all game. \nIU found their way offensively in the game when Alston capitalized on a defensive lapse by the Spartans, who left him open several times before he scored. Alston’s strike down the middle from ten yards out came in the 39th minute of the first half, giving IU a 1-0 halftime lead. \nThe goal was the first of Alston’s career, and he said it was an \nexciting one.\n“It was a rush,” Alston said. “I’ve been trying all season, and it feels great to finally get in the back of the net. It’s definitely a big \nconfidence booster.”\nA repeat of Michigan State’s first half defensive breakdown led to another Alston goal in the 54th minute on the left side of the field, which freshman midfielder Daniel \nKelly assisted. \nAlston scored his two goals in a 16-minute span after being held scoreless over his entire IU career. \nIU also played effective defense against the Spartans in their shutout and kept Michigan State contained for much of the game. Still, Michigan State had opportunities on goal in a series where the Spartans grabbed two corner kicks and let loose a desperate shot that junior goalkeeper Chay Cain – who had three saves on the game – jumped to save, knocking the ball off the top of the goal.\nThis exchange almost resulted in a score for Michigan State. Cain said the stops were the product of luck and positioning.\n“Most of it’s just luck, you just get in the right position and hope for the best,” Cain said. “Luckily for me, (the Spartan attacker) was able to put it kind of around me, and I was able to put a hand on it and keep it out of the net.”\nThough IU had a more offensively successful game than usual and also shut out the Spartans, Freitag said the Hoosiers have to play perfect before he’s satisfied.\n“I’m proud of the way they played, but I always feel like I’m the party pooper, because I always have to tell them they made some mistakes that could cost us,” Freitag said. “My object is to play the perfect game. That’ll never happen, but I’m going to keep pushing these guys until we get as good as possible.”