Foldesy, Thompson score two unanswered to earn IU's second win of the season
Sep. 04, 2015 Men's Soccer
Box Score
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Indiana men's soccer team played their first game of the 2015 Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament on Friday afternoon on the Notre Dame campus. The Hoosiers surrendered an early goal to UAB, but closed with two unanswered scores for a 2-1 win.
Tanner Thompson stepped up for a crucial performance in Indiana's win, assisting on the Hoosiers' equalizer and sending home the go-ahead penalty shot in the second half. Matt Foldesy was Indiana's other goal scorer on the day. His opportunistic conversion in the eighth minute equalized the game at 1-1, equalizing the early score from UAB.
"It's a big win," said Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley. "We had an early mistake on our end, but I thought the guys bounced back well. We showed great resilience quickly to get a goal back."
An early mistake from the defense put the Hoosiers at a disadvantage within the first five minutes of play. UAB forward Karl Chester slipped past the Indiana back line on the fast break, and slotted a shot low towards the right post before both teams had truly settled into the contest. The Hoosiers sprung to life, squeezing the gameplay into Indiana's attacking third.
Within four minutes of UAB's score, the Hoosiers found their equalizer. Thompson sliced his attack run through the back line and left the ball at the top of the six-yard box for Foldesy, who forced his shot into the back of the net.
Yeagley believes that Foldesy's appearance on the score line is hard earned by the senior midfielder. "It's nice to see Matt there," Yeagley said after looking at the box score. "He does a lot of work for us that doesn't necessarily land on the stat sheet."
From there, Indiana didn't let up on offense. The Hoosiers closed the half with 14 shots and six corners, the play rarely leaving their attacking third. A game-winning goal was sure to come, but the Hoosiers were locked in a draw at half time.
Their attacking efforts yielded the sought-after goal ten minutes into the second half. Indiana senior Kyle Sparks sent a shot towards the goal, which was only interrupted by a handball from a UAB defender. Thompson stepped up to the penalty spot and struck it home with aplomb.
According to Yeagley, that penalty score was a reward for his fantastic play on Friday afternoon. "Tanner was phenomenal," Yeagley said. "They had no answer for him. What he did to set up the first goal and the chances he created showed why he's a player-of-the-year candidate."
Indiana finished the night with 25 shots to UAB's eight, a testament to their relentlessness on offense. But most of that was a direct result of the Hoosiers' defensive efforts all over the pitch. Most notably, sophomore center back Grant Lillard had a blue-collar performance on the back line, thwarting nearly every play that crossed his path.
"It really came down to individual principles. They wanted to create chances with their front three, so we had to be patient, wait for doubles and stand them up. At times, we were a bit overzealous in our tackling, but they were pretty good attackers."
Above all, Yeagley and the Hoosiers are happy to return to their winning ways, as they came into the contest seeking a result above all else. "We had tons of chances today," said Yeagley. "If we get the third score, maybe we get a fourth, but all we needed today was one more tonight and we'll take a good win."
Up next, the Hoosiers face a test from South Florida, who earlier this week upset the third-ranked Georgetown Hoyas. Indiana and South Florida will kick off on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at Alumni Stadium in Notre Dame, their second and final game of the 2015 Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament.
Go Hoosiers!
http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2015/9/4/MSOC_0904150312.aspx
Sep. 04, 2015 Men's Soccer
Box Score
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Indiana men's soccer team played their first game of the 2015 Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament on Friday afternoon on the Notre Dame campus. The Hoosiers surrendered an early goal to UAB, but closed with two unanswered scores for a 2-1 win.
Tanner Thompson stepped up for a crucial performance in Indiana's win, assisting on the Hoosiers' equalizer and sending home the go-ahead penalty shot in the second half. Matt Foldesy was Indiana's other goal scorer on the day. His opportunistic conversion in the eighth minute equalized the game at 1-1, equalizing the early score from UAB.
"It's a big win," said Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley. "We had an early mistake on our end, but I thought the guys bounced back well. We showed great resilience quickly to get a goal back."
An early mistake from the defense put the Hoosiers at a disadvantage within the first five minutes of play. UAB forward Karl Chester slipped past the Indiana back line on the fast break, and slotted a shot low towards the right post before both teams had truly settled into the contest. The Hoosiers sprung to life, squeezing the gameplay into Indiana's attacking third.
Within four minutes of UAB's score, the Hoosiers found their equalizer. Thompson sliced his attack run through the back line and left the ball at the top of the six-yard box for Foldesy, who forced his shot into the back of the net.
Yeagley believes that Foldesy's appearance on the score line is hard earned by the senior midfielder. "It's nice to see Matt there," Yeagley said after looking at the box score. "He does a lot of work for us that doesn't necessarily land on the stat sheet."
From there, Indiana didn't let up on offense. The Hoosiers closed the half with 14 shots and six corners, the play rarely leaving their attacking third. A game-winning goal was sure to come, but the Hoosiers were locked in a draw at half time.
Their attacking efforts yielded the sought-after goal ten minutes into the second half. Indiana senior Kyle Sparks sent a shot towards the goal, which was only interrupted by a handball from a UAB defender. Thompson stepped up to the penalty spot and struck it home with aplomb.
According to Yeagley, that penalty score was a reward for his fantastic play on Friday afternoon. "Tanner was phenomenal," Yeagley said. "They had no answer for him. What he did to set up the first goal and the chances he created showed why he's a player-of-the-year candidate."
Indiana finished the night with 25 shots to UAB's eight, a testament to their relentlessness on offense. But most of that was a direct result of the Hoosiers' defensive efforts all over the pitch. Most notably, sophomore center back Grant Lillard had a blue-collar performance on the back line, thwarting nearly every play that crossed his path.
"It really came down to individual principles. They wanted to create chances with their front three, so we had to be patient, wait for doubles and stand them up. At times, we were a bit overzealous in our tackling, but they were pretty good attackers."
Above all, Yeagley and the Hoosiers are happy to return to their winning ways, as they came into the contest seeking a result above all else. "We had tons of chances today," said Yeagley. "If we get the third score, maybe we get a fourth, but all we needed today was one more tonight and we'll take a good win."
Up next, the Hoosiers face a test from South Florida, who earlier this week upset the third-ranked Georgetown Hoyas. Indiana and South Florida will kick off on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at Alumni Stadium in Notre Dame, their second and final game of the 2015 Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament.
Go Hoosiers!
http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2015/9/4/MSOC_0904150312.aspx
