Indiana University Athletics
HOOSIERS FINISH REGULAR SEASON AT UCLA PACIFIC SOCCER CLASSIC
10/27/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
HOOSIERS FINISH REGULAR SEASON AT UCLA PACIFIC SOCCER CLASSIC
Game Data: The top-ranked Indiana Hoosiers play finish off the regular season this weekend in Los Angeles at the UCLA Pacific Soccer Classic. The Hoosiers play Loyola Marymount Friday (Oct. 30) at 5:30 PT and then meet No. 3 UCLA Sunday (Nov. 1) at 1 p.m. PT.
Indiana Head Coach Jerry Yeagley is in his 26th year at Indiana and is the winningest coach in collegiate soccer history. He has a career record of 449-79-37. He has led the Hoosiers to national titles in 1982, 1983 and 1988, 11 Final Four appearances and six Big Ten titles.
Hoosiers In the Polls: This week the Hoosiers are ranked No. 1 in all four national polls (Soccer America, Soccer News, NSCAA and Soccer News). Indiana remains the top team in the Great Lakes Region. Indiana has been ranked No. 1 eight of the nine weeks this season.
Indiana Wins Regular Season Big Ten Title: Indiana defeated Ohio State 1-0 in overtime last Sunday to win the Big Ten regular season crown with a perfect 5-0 record. It is the fifth time (in eight years) the Hoosiers have won the regular season crown. The title also means the team has the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament to be played Nov. 13-15 in Evanston.
More on a Dominating Conference Season: While two of Indiana's five conference victories were of the overtime variety, the Hoosiers dominated their conference opponents. IU did not allow a goal in league play marking the first time that has happened in league history. The team allowed just 24 shots in the five games while registering 76 shots itself. Indiana goalkeepers had to make only 12 saves in 469 minutes of action as well.
Indiana is the Big Ten's Best: Since soccer became a Big Ten sport in 1991, the Hoosiers have been the dominant team in the conference. Indiana is 34-4-2 in league play over the last eight years and has won the league tournament six times.
Series Matchup: Indiana and Loyola Marymount are meeting for the first time. The Hoosiers and UCLA are meeting for the 11th time and the series is tied at 5-5-0. Last year the Bruins ended Indiana's title hopes with a 1-0 triple overtime victory in the national semifinals. That loss was Indiana's only blemish on a 23-1 season. The Hoosiers lead the all-time series 2-1-0 in games played in Los Angeles.
A Look at the Opponents: LMU is 4-8-1 this season and is led in scoring by Brad Myrand who has 4 goals and 8 points. Jerad Bailey is the team's top 'keeper with a 1.39 GAA. The Lions have had trouble scoring this season as they have only 9 goals in 13 games. UCLA is 11-2 this year and is led in scoring by Seth George who has 10-7-27. Martin Bruno (6-2-14) and Shaun Tsakiris (3-4-10). Nick Rimando has a 0.53 GAA.
Last Week Recap: IU defeated Kentucky 5-0 and Ohio State 1-0 in overtime. Five different players scored in the UK game as the Hoosiers had a 2-0 halftime lead. The team scored twice in the 52nd minute to seal the victory. Lazo Alavanja scored in the 98th minute in Columbus for the 1-0 win at Ohio State. The Buckeyes held the Hoosiers to a season-low 7 shots.
Better as the Year Goes On: The Hoosiers have posted some impressive numbers in recent October's and November's. Indiana has won its last 19 October games which dates back to Oct. 13, 1996. The Hoosiers have also won 10 consecutive November games over the last two years.
Time to Finish: Indiana had scored just 4 goals on 45 shots two weeks ago but improved their finishing last weekend. The scored 5 times on 12 shots against Kentucky and once on just 7 shots against Ohio State.
Defense Clicking As Well: The key to this year's team has been a tough defense. The Hoosiers have allowed just 4 goals all season and have posted 13 shutouts. The team's GAA is a nation's-leading 0.24. The team is allowing opponents just 5.6 shots per game and the IU 'keepers have been forced to make only 43 saves in 1,473 minutes. Over the last five games, goalkeeper T.J. Hannig has only had to make eight saves.
Tough Defense Earns National Rankings: Indiana has allowed only four goals in 16 games this season and the team GAA stands at a stellar 0.24. This week the Hoosiers are the top defensive team in the nation, allowing just .25 goals per game and in shutouts per game at .813 (13 of 16). Goalkeeper T.J. Hannig also appears in the NCAA stats as his GAA is first in the nation this week (0.26). This week Indiana is tied for 12th in scoring offense (2.63) and tied for 1st in winning percentage (.938).
Have to Shut Them Out: If a team is going to beat Indiana they have to shut them out. In Indiana's last seven losses (which dates back to Oct. 13, 1995), the Hoosiers have been shutout each time. The last time Indiana scored at least one goal and lost was Oct. 8, 1995 at Bowling Green (2-1).
Extra Time: Indiana's overtime victory over Ohio State was its fourth such game of the season. However, the Hoosiers are a good overtime team. Over the last three seasons, the Hoosiers have played 12 overtime games and are 9-1-2 in those games. The lone loss in that span was to UCLA in the national semifinals last season.
Big Ten Stat Rankings: Aleksey Korol leads the Big Ten in scoring with 24 points (9 goals and 6 assists) while Lazo Alavanja is second (8-7-23) and Dema Kovalenko third (8-4-20). Alavanja's seven assists ties for the best in the league while Korol's total of six is second. Matt Fundenberger's total of 5 is tied for fourth. Korol's 9 goals is also the top mark in the conference. T.J. Hannig is the top goalkeeper in the league with a 0.26 GAA. He also leads in shutouts with 13. As a team, the Hoosiers lead the league in scoring with 42 goals and with a 0.24 team GAA.
Hoosier News and Notes: The Hoosiers have registered 20 or more shots four times this season. By contrast, they have allowed five or fewer shots eight times. Dema Kovalenko enters the week tied for 9th on IU's all-time goals list with 38. He needs one more to take over 8th place. His 85 career points are 15th on the all-time scoring list. His 4 assists this year are a career bestLazo Alavanja's 30 career assists is 8th on IU's all-time list. He is also 12th on the all-time scoring list (94), and tied for 12th on the all-time goals list (32). He is bidding to become the 11th player in IU history to register at least 100 career points. . .Goalkeeper T.J. Hannig now has 23 career shutouts. His GAA stands at 0.26 heading into the week. The school record for a season is 0.26 by John Putna set in 1979. He also has 13 shutouts this season. . .The Hoosiers have scored 17 first half goals this season while allowing just one in the first 45 minutes. They have out shot their opponents 243 to 90. That's an average of 15.1-5.6 per game. . .The Hoosiers have won 16 consecutive conference games. That streak includes Big Ten Tournament games. The current conference-game unbeaten streak now stands at 23 games (21-0-2).
Next Up: The Hoosiers have the week off from regular season competition but will play an exhibition game against at team of IU Alumni Saturday (Nov. 7) at 7 p.m. at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
© Indiana University Athletics, 1998
Go back to the Top
