IU men's soccer edged by 1 goal, lose championship

MADISON, Wis. – This past week, Michigan State senior forward Doug DeMartin was named the Big Ten men’s soccer Player of the Year.

He lived up to his billing Sunday afternoon, as his goal in the 58th minute gave his team a 1-0 advantage and, in the end, a conference championship.

DeMartin’s goal was his Big Ten-leading 17th score of the season.

“They have a kid that is a proven goal-scorer,” IU coach Mike Freitag said. “DeMartin has proven it all year. Sometimes the better team doesn’t win ... it is all about putting the ball in the net, and they did it and we didn’t.”

The Hoosiers (12-6-3) were primarily in control of possession in the first half, resulting in a multitude of scoring opportunities.

Their best look came just five minutes into the match, when junior midfielder Eric Alexander set up sophomore midfielder Rich Balchan, who was sprinting full force toward the goal. Balchan went one-on-one with Spartan sophomore goalkeeper Avery Steinlage, but his hard shot went wide left.

In the 12th minute of play, sophomore midfielder/forward Andy Adlard’s corner kick went straight to junior defender Kevin Alston at the far post. Alston fired a low shot on goal, but Steinlage was again able to make the save.

The remainder of the period saw offensive attacks from Adlard, senior midfielder John Mellencamp and freshman forward Will Bruin, but to no avail. The score remained 0-0 going into halftime.

But while the Hoosiers seemed to be in control of the offensive production early on, it was a different story in the second half.

In the 58th minute, Michigan State (13-5-1) senior forward Louis Stevens III fed a pass to an open DeMartin at the top of the box. He drilled the ball from the six-yard stripe into the bottom left corner of the net past senior goalkeeper Chay Cain for the 1-0 lead.

Anxious to even the score, the Hoosiers then produced a barrage of scoring chances.
In the 66th minute senior midfielder Brian Ackley headed a shot toward goal, but Steinlage was able to make the fingertip save to send it over the crossbar. Ackley was involved in the action again in the 73rd minute, when he sent a cross to sprinting sophomore forward Neil Wilmarth. Though on target, Wilmarth’s diving header was sent directly at the opposing goalkeeper.

Despite a late push from the Hoosiers, they were unable to reach the back of the net and fell to the No. 1-seeded Spartans, 1-0.

“I felt we played well today,” junior defender Ofori Sarkodie said after the game. “Throughout the tournament we were consistent, creating opportunities, battling well and had team unity. I am fairly confident that we were the better team today, but they capitalized on their opportunity, and that is what it came down to.”

The Hoosiers will find out their first-round opponent and game location for the 48-team NCAA Tournament on Monday night.

Although IU was on the losing end Sunday afternoon, Alston said the loss would not hinder the team’s confidence going into NCAA play.

“The NCAAs are what you build for all season,” he said. “The attitude will be raised with everybody. We are at a good position right now and playing well.”