Indiana University Athletics
NIKE/SNICKERS SoccerFest THIS WEEKEND
9/15/1997 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
NIKE/SNICKERS SoccerFest THIS WEEKEND
GAME DATA: The Indiana soccer team travels to Indianapolis to participate in the Nike/Snickers SoccerFest this weekend. Saturday (Sept. 20) the Hoosiers face Bowling Green at 6:30 p.m. and IU plays Rhode Island Sunday (Sept. 21) at 12 p.m. Also participating in the tournament will be Butler, which plays Rhode Island Friday and Bowling Green Sunday. Both games are at Kuntz Stadium on West 16th Street in Indianapolis.
THE SERIES: The Hoosiers lead the Bowling Green series, 13-3-1, with IU defeating the Falcons, 2-0 in their last match in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Bowling Green also handed the Hoosiers one of their only two regular season losses last season. Indiana has faced Rhode Island just once in school history, with the Hoosiers defeating the Rams, 2-0 in 1978.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Hoosiers won two games this week as they captured their second tournament title in as many weeks. In the first match of the Duke Classic, IU defeated North Carolina State, 5-1 behind two goals from Dema Kovalenko. Chris Klein and Yuri Lavrinenko both had a pair of assists in the victory over the Wolfpack. In the final game on Saturday night, Matt Fundenberger's goal at the 73:05 mark gave the Hoosiers the 2-1 win against Duke in front of over 4,500 fans. Aleksey Korol scored Indiana's first goal early in the second half but Duke evened the score at the 61:02 mark.
HOOSIERS RANKED NO. 1: With the two victories this week, coupled with a UCLA defeat, the Hoosiers are now the No. 1 team in the nation this week according to all three national polls. IU held the number one spot in both Soccer America's and the national coaches poll last week, and moved up from the No. 2 spot in Soccer News. Bowling Green is ranked No. 20 in the national coaches poll.
LAVRINENKO NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Midfielder Yuri Lavrinenko was named the Big Ten's Player of the Week. He had three assists including the one on both game-winning goals at the Duke tournament. His assist against the Blue Devils came with 17 minutes to play against the 10th-ranked Blue Devils.
SENIOR CAPTAIN NAMED TOURNAMENT MVP: Co-captain Caleb Porter was named the MVP of the Duke Classic for his play in IU's two victories. Porter, who scored the Hoosiers' first goal on Friday night against North Carolina State, battled through a shoulder injury he suffered during Saturday night's contest to help lead Indiana to the victory over Duke. Also earning All-Tournament honors for Indiana were Lazo Alavanja, Dema Kovalenko, Nick Garcia, and T.J. Hannig.
INDIANA HEAD COACH JERRY YEAGLEY: The Indiana mentor is in his 25th year at the helm of the Hoosiers. He has a career record of 416-77-37. He has led the Hoosiers to national titles in 1982, 1983 and 1988, 10 Final Four appearances and five Big Ten titles.
UKRAINIAN TRIO AT IT AGAIN: IUUs three players from the Ukraine P Yuri Lavrinenko, Dema Kovalenko, and Aleksey KorolP rank first, third, and fourth for the Hoosiers in scoring. Lavrinenko leads the team with nine points, including a team-high seven assists. Kovalenko (four goals) and Korol (three goals, two assists) have each tallied eight points. The trio has accounted for almost half (25 of 51) of the HoosiersU points this season.
HANNIGUS HANDS HELP BEAT DUKE, N.C. STATE: Redshirt freshman T.J. Hannig has emerged as the starting goal keeper for the Hoosiers, earning both victories in the Duke Classic. Hannig registered one save in the 5-1 victory over the Wolfpack and three saves in IUUs 2-1 win against the Blue Devils. Hannig has allowed just two goals in 270 minutes for an 0.67 GAA, while registering 10 saves.
ASSISTS ADDING UP FOR LAVRINENKO: Sophomore Yuri Lavrinenko added three more assists this week and now has a team-high seven assists in the Hoosiers' first five games. He is just three assists short of last season's team-leading total of 10. Lavrinenko also leads the Hoosiers with nine points.
FRESHMAN FINDING NET WITH EASE: Freshman Matt Fundenberger scored a goal in each of the Hoosiers' victories this weekend, giving him a total of three on the season. Fundenberger scored on his first two career shots against Clemson and North Carolina State, and added another goal on three shots against Duke.
SILENCING THE CROWD: IU's victory over Duke came in front of an estimated crowd of 4,500, the largest crowd to watch an Indiana match since September 8, 1995. That night, the Hoosiers defeated Rutgers, 1-0 in overtime on a goal by Caleb Porter before 5,493 fans at Yurcak Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Indiana is averaging 2,444 fans through the first five matches.
INDIANA NOTEBOOK: Lazo Alavanja fired five shots against Duke, increasing his team-leading total to 14. Senior midfielder J.T. Cerroni registered his first point of the season with an assist against Duke. B.J. Snow, last season's team leader in minutes, started both games of the Duke Classic and registered his first shot against N.C. State. Three Hoosiers, Dema Kovalenko, Matt Fundenberger and Aleksey Korol, each had a pair of goals in the Duke Classic. All three members of the Hoosier backfield - Andrew Parrish, Gino DiGuardi, and Nick Garcia - have played all 458 minutes so far this season.
NEXT UP: The Hoosiers return home for two games against Kentucky and Michigan State. IU will face the Wildcats on Thursday (Sept. 25) at 7:30 p.m. and the Spartans on Sunday (Sept. 28) at 2 p.m..
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