IU Travels to Penn State for Big Ten Opener

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The No. 10 Hoosiers face their first Big Ten test against the Nittany Lions

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 10 Indiana University Men's Soccer Team travels to State College, Pa. for their first Big Ten Conference match of the season. Indiana will face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions in what has become one of the most compelling matchups Big Ten soccer.

Sunday, Sept. 13
#10 Indiana (3-1-0) vs. Penn State (2-1-1)
3:00 p.m. ET • Jeffrey Field • State College, Pa.
Live Stats

SETTING THE SCENE

• The Hoosiers open their Big Ten Conference schedule with a road trip to State College for a meeting with the Penn State Nittany Lions.
• In the 2013 regular season, Indiana's last meeting with Penn State, the Nittany lions won 1-0 at Armstrong Stadium.
• Recently, the matches between Indiana and Penn State have been some of the most hard-earned conference wins in the Big Ten. Indiana's last win against the Nittany Lions came from a 5-3 penalty shootout in the Big Ten Tournament in 2013.
• In recent action, the Hoosiers added two wins to their record at the Mike Bertecelli Memorial Tournament. Indiana rallied from an early deficit for a 2-1 win over UAB, then followed that with a 2-0 shutout against No. 24 South Florida.
• Three Hoosiers were named to the Mike Bertecelli Memorial All-Tournament Team. MidfielderTanner Thompson (1 goal, 1 assist), midfielder Francesco Moore, and defender Grant Lillard (1 goal) earned All-Tournament honors.
• Indiana's other goals from the tournament included an equalizer against UAB from Matt Foldesy and a 1-0 goal against USF from Femi Hollinger-Janzen.
• With Indiana's wins over UAB and South Florida, the Hoosiers vaulted to the No. 10 spot in the NSCAA Division-I National Poll.

NEWS AND NOTES

• Indiana returns 21 players from last year's roster, including 19 letterwinners.
• Among those returning include junior midfielder Tanner Thompson, who was a First Team NSCAA All-American last year after leading IU in goals (6) and points (15).
• Femi Hollinger-Janzen, a senior from Goshen, Ind., also returns for his final season after scoring five goals last year on his way to First Team All-Big Ten honors.
• Grant Lillard, a sophomore defender, will once again be a big part of the attack as a defender that stands 6-foot-4 and scored five goals as a freshman.
• Junior Colin Webb played every minute of all 22 games in goal last year and posted a 0.96 goals against average and made 70 saves.
• The team features a freshman class of nine players and a pair of transferes in forward Ben Maurey(Brown) and goalkeeper Christian Lomeli (IUPUI).
• After qualifying for the NCAA Tournament last year, the Hoosiers extended their streak to 28 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Go Hoosiers!

http://www.iuhoosiers.com/news/2015/9/11/MSOC_0911151120.aspx

 

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Webb, Indiana Staying Connected Defensively
The Indiana back line is galvanized by their junior goalkeeper

Indiana men's soccer defenders have reached a point where it's rare the word "connected" doesn't come up in post-practice conversations.

"Connected" has become a buzzword of sorts for the Hoosiers. Junior goalkeeper Colin Webb said he's more connected with the backs. The backs say they're more connected with the midfielders. The midfielders with the forwards—the connections are everywhere.

Indiana's players have begun to apologize for repeating themselves, but they've embraced their connectivity. Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said it's been the difference maker in making Indiana's entire defense stronger this season.

"When we have the ball in our attacking half like we like to have it, you have to be connected," Yeagley said. "It's kind of a generic term, but there really is a lot of truth to it."

Indiana's connectivity starts and ends with Webb, who Yeagley and teammates have said looks as comfortable as ever in his third year with the program.

Webb has emerged as the leader of a group of goalkeepers Yeagley called the best he's had in his tenure at Indiana. Webb has made the position his own, leading vocally and by example in practice and emphasizing the importance of pushing one another to get stronger as individuals.

"He really feels ownership of that group, and we like that," Yeagley said. "I think it's making him be even better versus, 'Oh, I'm taking my fluff pillow because I'm in control of the group.' I think it's actually empowered him to be better, so that's a positive."

Webb himself shied away from describing himself as the leader in the back line, passing credit off to the teammates around him. He said he feels more comfortable now being one of the elder defensive players and it's reflected in his play on the field.

The battle-tested keeper has a .763 win percentage in 32 career games. He's posted a .98 goals allowed against average and has made 106 career saves, including seven so far this season.

Like nearly everyone else on the defense, Webb said he feels more connected to a group of defenders he's gotten used to playing with. His increased comfort has allowed him to play further off his line and take more risks than in previous seasons because he knows he has other defenders there to cover for him.

"I feel a whole lot more comfortable with the game experience. It helps because you can't replicate what goalkeepers have to do in training," he said.

Webb started playing further off the line in practice last spring and began to adjust in games to playing further away from the goal. It's allowed him to play more aggressively and get to balls quicker and limit opposing teams' opportunities.

Yeagley said he's been able to push Webb more this season in training. He's holding him more accountable and pushing him to maintain fitness and maintain communication on the field.

"I think my biggest gains have come with connectivity in the back line," Webb said. "Through the first four games, you've noticed I've come out and picked a lot of through balls. That was something I wasn't doing my freshman or sophomore year as much. I think that's really helped relieve pressure and eliminate breakaways that we might have had to deal with in the past."

Webb's confidence has rubbed off on his teammates around him and allowed everyone else on the defense to play more aggressively, sophomore defender Grant Lillard said.

Through four games, Indiana has allowed just two goals on 28 shots. Only 10 of those opposing shots have been on frame.

"I keep saying (Webb has been more) connected, but you can't emphasize it enough," Lillard said. "He's just been so connected with the back line helping us talk with the runners and stuff. I know that we can stay higher and play higher up the field because Colin's there to clean up whatever we can't get to."

Indiana may need to lean on Webb and the rest of the defense more than usual this weekend.

The Hoosiers begin Big Ten competition Sunday on the road against Penn State, a team Indiana hasn't scored a goal against in regulation in 372 minutes.

Webb said he didn't know about the streak until it was brought up to him Friday. Lillard said he didn't know anything about it either, only adding that it was ending this weekend.

Considering the way Indiana's defense has played of late, it won't take much for Indiana to get the job done. It's a group the Hoosiers will look to rely on the remainder of the season.

"I think that this group is confident with how our defense is performing right now," Webb said. "We've had good defensive shape, been really connected and been limiting the other team's chances."

Go Hoosiers!

http://www.iuhoosiers.com/news/2015/9/11/MSOC_0911150821.aspx