Nov. 3, 2006
Final Stats
Columbus, Ohio - No. 1 Indiana advanced to the championship game for the second consecutive year after shutting out No. 4 Penn State, 1-0, in the semifinals of the 2006 Big Ten Men's Soccer Championship at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
It was a rematch of the 2005 Big Ten Championship game which the Nittany Lions defeated the Hoosiers, 1-0, to claim their third conference crown. However, Indiana came out on top this year, playing a tough, physical game to defeat the defending Big Ten Champions.
The teams exchanged opportunities throughout the first stanza, but both defenses held strong and the game remained scoreless until the Hoosiers seized their first opportunity of the second half.
In the 55th minute, freshman forward Darren Yeagle, who received the ball off a rebound from a Brian Ackley header, drilled the ball past Penn State's keeper Conrad Taylor from about 20 yards out to put Indiana ahead 1-0.
Penn State looked to get on the board at the 83rd minute when senior David Gray broke through the Hoosier defense and notched a header, but Indiana goalkeeper Chay Cain nabbed his fifth save of the game to hold off the Nittany Lions.
Penn State held a 9-8 shot advantage in the first stanza, however both teams finished with 13 shots each.
The Hoosiers, who improve to 13-4-2 on the season, will now face the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan game on Sunday at noon EST. Indiana will be competing in its 12th championship finale and vying for its 11th title in school history.
