After racking up three straight shut-outs, the No. 11 Hoosiers will get another stiff test in last year’s regular season Big Ten Champion.
No. 16 Penn State comes to town Saturday to take on the Hoosiers at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
“It’ll be nice to get back going in the Big Ten,” IU sophomore midfielder Tanner Thompson said. “Penn State especially. We lost to them in the regular season last year. It’s always a battle with them. We’re all excited for Saturday.”
The Nittany Lions will be without starting goalie Andrew Wolverton, who received a red card in his team’s last game and, therefore, won’t be eligible to play Saturday.
IU Coach Todd Yeagley said it doesn’t change his team’s approach much and believes Penn State will have a capable backup.
His own goalie, sophomore Colin Webb, has gotten very confident after playing well this season.
Yeagley says his confidence is spreading to his teammates.
“The confidence of everyone has been boosted with the results,” Yeagley said. “And the play of the individuals has helped everyone up the field to have more confidence.”
IU will be the first ranked team that the Nittany Lions (3-0-1) will face this season, while Penn State will be the third ranked opponent for the Hoosiers (3-0-1).
“I think it’s nice that we always challenge ourselves early,” Thompson said. “We got some ranked teams in, and they were challenging games. We’re used to that and used to playing at that kind of level.”
Penn State has defeated Oakland, St. John’s andTemple so far this season. After starting the season unranked, IU has jumped in the national polls and regained the attention that was lost after last year’s disappointing season.
“It’s nice,” Thompson said. “We don’t look into it too much, but it’s nice to get the recognition. I think our team deserves it. We’re a good team and people overlooked us at the beginning of the year.”
Yeagley said the key to a victory Saturday night will be the continuation of a strong defense and keeping the shut-out streak going.
“We have to continue to be very good in the back half of the field and not put ourselves in harm’s way,” Yeagley said. “Make teams earn goals — which I think we’ve done a pretty good job at.”
He also said Penn State has been one of IU’s most consistent rivals since 1991.
“We’re excited,” Yeagley said. “The Big Ten play is getting more competitive every year from front to back, and Penn State’s been a rival of ours.”
The Hoosiers have spread out their scoring so far, with four different players each scoring once.
Penn State is a different story, as sophomore Connor Maloney has scored four of his team’s six goals this ?season.
The match is set to start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Jerry Yeagley field.
“Each week, each game is its own little battle,” IU senior defender Patrick Doody said. “We just have to make sure we stay zoned in for those 90 minutes and try to get shut-outs.
“It’s a huge game. The Big Ten is a separate season. We’ve done well in the Big Ten throughout the years, so coming out Saturday and getting the win will mean a lot for this team.”
