ND MEN'S SOCCER: Irish, Hoosiers rekindle intrastate rivalry
By CHRIS FEDERICO
Sports Writer
It's an ugly stat. Notre Dame and Indiana University faced each other 20 times in men's soccer competition from 1978 to 1997. The Hoosiers won 18 of those matchups.
The lone victory for the Irish came back in 1987 when they topped the Hoosiers 4-3 in overtime in the South Bend. The following year was the only other time the Irish did not suffer a defeat in the series, hanging on to a 1-1 tie.
Tonight, the two teams will rekindle the rivalry when the Irish travel to Bloomington for a matchup with Indiana.
"I'm very happy the series has been started up again," head coach Bobby Clark said. "Indiana is one of the top teams in the country, and that's what we aim to be. There's no better preparation for that than to play teams like them on a regular basis."
The game provides a break from Big East competition for Notre Dame, and gives the team a chance to prove itself against some top-notched competition. Indiana enters tonight's matchup with a 9-0-2 record and ranked sixth in the nation.
"Going into Indiana [University] is no small task," said Clark. "We've got to play well, and we even have to be a little bit lucky. This is an opportunity that we can look at as a gauge to see where we are in terms of the top teams."
The Irish should be challenged by a stellar Indiana defense. The Hoosiers have posted four straight shutouts and have outscored their opponents this season 26-4. Hoosier goalkeeper Colin Rogers' 0.40 goals against average this season is the lowest in the nation.
Indiana is led offensively by junior forward Pat Noonan, who is tied for first in the Big Ten this season with 24 points.
Clark, the first-year head coach of the Irish, relishes the opportunity to play such talented non-conference competition. These games give Notre Dame a chance both to improve and prove itself against highly touted teams.
"We're in a great position," Clark said. "We've certainly got nothing to worry about, because this is a win-win situation for us."
The Irish take the field against the Hoosiers tonight at 7 p.m.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, October 17, 2001
