Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Butler
No. 19 Indiana Dominates in 2-0 Win Over Butler
9/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 26, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - An aggressive, attacking Indiana men's soccer team took to the pitch against Butler on Wednesday night, and it paid off with a 2-0 victory over the Bulldogs in front of 1,054 fans at Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
With the win, the 19th-ranked Hoosiers improve to 4-3-1 on the season. Butler falls to 4-3-2.
Trying to fight off the sting of three-straight losses, a rejuvenated squad took to the field and it was evident in the first-half play as the Hoosiers held a commanding 11-2 advantage in shot attempts.
"I think the message has gotten through," said head coach Mike Freitag. "The guys who get on the field are the guys who are going to hustle and get things done.
"This is the best hustle I have seen from the team all year and I liked our focus today. Guys were tuned in for 90 minutes."
Despite the dominant performance, the Hoosiers would not get on the board until 64:03. Lee Hagedorn's first goal of the season was a perfectly placed header that was the culmination of a play that began with midfielder Eric Alexander. After Alexander was able to dribble out of traffic, he dished off the ball to Billy Weaver. Looking across the field, Weaver saw a wide-open Hagedorn and served the ball across the goal mouth in a perfectly-placed spot where Hagedorn was able to send the ball down past goalkeeper Fabian Knopfler for the score.
"I was doing a one-two touch with Eric and saw Lee open on the back post," Weaver said. "I was just trying to get it on his head.
"Getting the victory today was big. Hopefully it helps put the pieces together now that we are heading into Big Ten play."
After setting up the play that created the first goal, it was Alexander who came up with the second score with Weaver once again picking up the assist. The second goal came off a restart at 68:26. From just outside the top of the right side of the penalty area, Weaver sent the ball into play and Alexander was able to get a light touch on it with his head, sending the ball past Knopfler for the score.
Alexander, who had a solid night with aggressive play that resulted in balls won in the midfield, had the first good look of the night when his shot bounced off a Butler defender and forced Knopfler to make a leaping save. Alexander finished with three shots on the night, all of which were on-goal.
Getting his first start of the season, redshirt freshman Neil Wilmarth nearly came up with a spectacular bicycle kick score at 19:03. Coming off a restart, a bouncing service came in to Wilmarth who just missed wide from about four yards out.
Continuing to attack the Butler goal, Daniel Kelly came up short on a prime opportunity as a give-and-go with Wilmarth put goalkeeper Knopfler on the ground and out of position. Kelly got a touch on the ball but missed just wide.
Freshman Rich Balchan, making his second-consecutive start, put Kevin Alston in position to score late in the first half with a ball across the goal, but Alston's shot was stopped by Knopfler as quick reflexes allowed the goalie to get his hands up just in time.
The Bulldogs finished with nine shots to the Hoosiers' 16, but IU goalkeeper Chay Cain was forced to make several spectacular saves for his second shutout of the season. Six minutes into the second half of play it was a leaping punch-over from Cain that prevented Ben Sippola's blistering shot from finding the back of the net. Exactly three minutes later it was a nearly identical shot from Sippola which Cain again was able to push over the cross bar. Cain finished with six saves in 90 minutes of action.
With 12 minutes remaining in the match, sophomore Darren Yeagle made his first appearance of the season on the pitch, finishing out the night up top. Yeagle is back on the field just over five months after an ACL injury during spring ball.
"I was at full go, and it felt good to get back out there," Yeagle said. "I still need to get more tackles in, but everything felt good."
The Hoosiers open Big Ten play on the road this Saturday as they travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on the Wolverines. Match time is 7 p.m. at U-M Soccer Field.
