Undefeated Hoosiers begin Big Ten play against No. 16 Penn State

Against ranked opponents this season, the IU men’s soccer team has seen only zeros. IU Coach Todd Yeagley’s team has played then-No. 12 Notre Dame and then-No. 14 St John’s to 0-0 ties.

But as the team opens its Big Ten season Friday night at home against No. 16 Penn State, Yeagley and his players hope to add both goals and a win to
their resumé.

“In both games (against ranked opponents) we had our chances to get results, and we’ve shown up in both games on the road in tough environments,” Yeagley said. “We’ve just got to be aggressive, get after them, dictate the rhythm and be sharp, and I think we do that well.”

The No. 7 Hoosiers are entering this Big Ten season as the defending regular season champions after going 4-1-1 conference play during the 2010 regular season. Last season, IU beat Penn State, 3-2, at State College, Pa.

But when it counted most in last year’s Big Ten conference semifinals, also hosted by Penn State, the Hoosiers fell 2-1 to the Nittany Lions after giving up two unanswered goals.

Yeagley says this year’s team is different. It isn’t concerned with the past, and it doesn’t need any extra motivation to give Penn State its best come
Friday night.

“We aren’t worried about what happened last game, let alone last year,” Yeagley said. “This one has Big Ten ramifications and we want to keep our streak alive, but these guys are already mentally tough. It’s a different team, a different challenge.”

Sophomore Jamie Vollmer will face his own challenge Friday night.

Vollmer, who played his first years of college soccer at Butler, will face former teammate Julian Cardona, who also transferred after last season.

“I’m excited. It’ll be the first time since the end of last year that I’ve seen him (Cardona), so it’ll be nice to play against an old teammate,” Vollmer said. “But at the same time, we’re in for a good game against them. They have five wins, too, so it’ll be a tough way to start out the Big Ten season.”

Through seven games last season, IU was just 4-3 with 14 goals to its name. But this season, the Hoosiers have started the season with a 5-0-2 record and 16 goals, which they credit to their speed at the start of games.

The team has outscored its opponents 11-2 in the first half this season, but with Penn State shutting out its last four opponents and yet to give up a first-half goal, Yeagley said getting out to a quick start against the Nittany Lions will be Friday’s key.
“We always want to be the aggressor every game, but we also have to be consistent for 90 minutes,” Yeagley said. “So far this year, our mentality has been rewarded. It’s shown that we’re starting games ready
to roll.”
It’s that fighting mentality, Yeagley said, that will be the difference Friday. With four Big Ten Player of the Week awards in four weeks and the Big Ten leaders in points, goals scored, assists and saves, the Hoosiers will come onto Jerry Yeagley Field on Friday night with a target on their backs, Yeagley said.

But even without all the accolades and awards, Yeagley said his players know that pressure for the IU men’s soccer program is second nature.

“We talk to the team all the time. Whether we’re unranked or number one, IU is always going to have a target,” he said. “It’s why people come here, to get every team’s best, and it really makes our team better in the end.”