Bruin's late goal lifts men's soccer team

Time was winding down, and the Penn State fans in the bleachers were likely on the edge of their seats, ready to count down the last 10 seconds of regulation.

All they needed was for the number on the scoreboard to tick off one more digit.

But IU junior forward Will Bruin didn’t feel like going into overtime.

At least that’s what he joked after the game.

“I knew time was winding down, but I didn’t realize how much time was left,” Bruin said.

Only 11 seconds remained.

After 89 minutes and 48 seconds of play — the point where most teams give up and take a 2-2 score into overtime — Bruin drove forward.

The junior’s fourth shot of the game hit the back of the net to give IU the 3-2 victory and its first win of the Big Ten season Friday against the No. 20 Nittany Lions. The goal was Bruin’s sixth of 2010.

“You could tell we had a lot of fight tonight, and we stuck in it,” Bruin said.

Play the full 90. That’s what IU coach Todd Yeagley has stressed this season.

The Hoosiers listened to their coach, scoring early.

Freshman midfielder Nikita Kotlov gave IU the initial edge when he scored his second goal of the season eight minutes into the game.

Kotlov then helped fellow freshman midfielder Harrison Petts score his first goal as a Hoosier. Kotlov kicked Petts a split pass just outside the box in the 78th minute.

“The defender kind of dove in too early, and I took a touch past him,” Petts said.

While Bruin, reminiscing back two years, described the act of getting one’s first goal as a monkey off the back, Petts was more relaxed about the whole idea.

“I’ve been kind of unlucky,” Petts said. “I’ve hit the crossbar a couple times and earlier in the game tonight, I had one clear off the line that was probably a handball. It was going to come. It was just a matter of time. I was just glad to get it tonight so I could help my team get back in the game and eventually win.”

The rest of the Hoosier squad was eager to score as well, taking 13 shots — seven on goal — to give the team its first Friday victory of the season and its first burst of the .500 bubble. IU is now 4-3-0 in the regular season and 1-0-0 in the Big Ten.

“That’s a good team and a tough place to play historically and a great way to start the Big Ten season — 1-0 on the road against arguably one of the top teams in our league and in the country for that matter,” Yeagley said. “This was a good Penn
State game.”