Indiana — Coached by Jerry Yeagley, the powerful Hoosiers opened their Big Ten season with a 6-1 victory over No. 22 Michigan State Sunday. The Hoosiers (5-1-2) are ranked No. 9 in the Adidas/NCSSA poll.
With his assist in the 25th minute Sunday, senior forward Pat Noonan became the 14th player in IU history to score 100 points in his career. After his milestone game he received the award of Big Ten offensive player of the week for the second week in a row. Leading the team are three seniors who were named Preseason All-Americans by College Soccer News. Senior forward/midfielder Ryan Mack and Noonan each named first team, while defender John Swann was named second team. IU was the only team in the country with two first-team selections.
Indiana also has momentum on their side; they are on a 31-game regular-season Big Ten winning streak. Mack and Noonan each have five goals and four assists. Sophomore Neb Grabavoy leads the team with five assists. Indiana finished first in the Big Ten last year, and they are once again the favorite in the league, if not the country, this season.
Michigan State — Coach Joe Baum is in his 26th year with the Spartans. They are 5-2-0 and were ranked No. 22 in the Adidas/NCSSA poll before falling to IU.
Brett Konley leads the team in points (13) with five goals and three assists. Senior goalkeeper Tyler Robinson should be tough in the net for the Spartans. He was named the Big Ten defensive player of the week Sept.16 after recording back-to-back shutouts against Hartford and Massachusetts.
The Spartans had won their previous four games before they opened the Big Ten season with a loss and should finish near the top of the conference.
Ohio State — Ohio State is coming off from its first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA tournament last year. Buckeye coach John Bluem returns eight starters from last season’s successful Ohio State team. The team will rely on a new goalkeeper in sophomore Chad Brown. The defense has shown promise, but strength of the team will lie in the middle. The team must also overcome the unforgettable and unfortunate loss of Connor Senn. Senn died last season, collapsing after a match from a congenital heart defect. Coach Bluem knows it will be tough to get past that tragedy but is attempting to get OSU back to business as usual.
The Buckeyes have a record of 4-3 as they head into Big Ten play. They will host the Badgers Sept.27.
Penn State — Coach Barry Gorman comes into this season as the coach with the most wins of all time at school. The Nittany Lions finished second in the Big Ten last year and return eight starters. Their freshman recruiting class was ranked 7th in the country by College Soccer News.
Look for a strong season from sophomore forward Chad Severs, who was co-Big Ten freshman of the year last season. Sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Moate was named Big Ten defensive player of the week Monday for his efforts over the weekend. Moate is a transfer from West Virginia. The Nittany Lions’ schedule includes ten teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament last year. They will face defending Big Ten champion Indiana Sept.27.
Wisconsin — The Badgers have a potent offensive trio in captain Valentine Anozie, freshman Phil Doeh and sophomore Nick Van Sicklin. They know it is crucial for them to finish any chances they create and are attempting to improve on their execution in the offensive third. Junior goalkeeper Eric Hanson has four shutouts but credits the defense under the leadership of captain John McGrady.
Coach Jeff Rohrman is confident his team will be ready and mentally prepared for the Big Ten.
The Badgers will take a record of 6-2-0 into their Big Ten season opener at Ohio State Sept.27.
Michigan — Coach Steve Burns’ seven-member recruiting class was ranked 27th in the nation by College Soccer News despite the fact that the Michigan men’s soccer team is only in its third season of existence.
Sophomore forward Knox Cameron was named Big Ten offensive player of the week Sept. 9 after being named to the preseason All-American second team by College Soccer News. Cameron leads the team with 13 points on five goals and three assists. Michigan lost 1-0 to a tough Penn State team in its Big Ten opener and is 2-3-1.
Northwestern — Coach Tim Lenahan finds his team with a record of 3-4-0 as they prepare for the Big Ten. The Wildcats have one more non-conference game against Northern Illinois before they open their Big Ten season at Michigan State. They have lost two consecutive games, and coach Lenahan is waiting to see how his team will respond to that pair of losses. Tito Lara and Brad Napper lead the team in three goals and two assists, respectively.
