Indiana University Athletics
HOOSIERS DOWN WISCONSIN, HALFWAY TO CHAMPIONSHIP
11/14/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
HOOSIERS DOWN WISCONSIN, HALFWAY TO CHAMPIONSHIP
Evanston, Ill., The Indiana Hoosiers completed one half of their way to capturing their seventh Big Ten conference title in eight years as they defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 4-0 in Evanston today.
The Badgers beat Michigan State 2-0 on Friday to reach the semis. "This was a step in the right direction for us," senior co-captain Andrew Parrish said. Coach Jerry Yeagley added, "There are a possible seven games (to win the NCAA title), and we have to win them one step at a time."
Earlier this season in Bloomington, IU dominated the Badgers, holding them shotless in the first half and just two attempts total, but the Hoosiers knew this was a different game.
Indiana came out strong looking to score early, and that's exactly what they did. They got the offense going right away and never looked back.
Due to his energetic play, Coach Yeagley inserted Tyler Hawley into the starting lineup at forward. That decision proved to be wise. Around the 12-minute mark, after a near goal by Hawley, Parrish picked up the ball about six yards back and charged it into the net for the first goal of his career.
Dema Kovalenko credited Hawley's quick play as the cause of the Parrish goal. "Tyler hustles a lot," Kovalenko said. "That first goal happened because of him. He puts so much pressure on the ball."
At 24:11, the Hoosiers got their second goal off a long cross by Aleksey Korol Kovalenko drilled in the ball from 22 yards out.
Then it was Korol's turn. At the 40-minute mark, Korol had a clear look at the goal and took advantage of it. He hammered the ball into the right corner of the net. Only two minutes later, Kovalenko and Lazo Alavanja, the Big Ten Player of the Year, passed the ball to Korol, which quickly resulted in his second goal.
At the half Indiana held a 4-0 lead and had out-shot the Badgers 14-1. That score turned out to be the final. Coach Yeagley heralded the first half of the match as the Hoosier's finest play of the year. "The first half was our best half of the season. Everything was clicking," Coach Yeagley said. "We had great mental toughness, good movement with the ball, and beautiful combination play. We came out playing hard and very sharp. We were extremely pro-active."
The second half was a chance to give the reserves some opportunities. Back-up goalie Colin Rogers played the entire second half, as did Justin Tauber at back.
"Our reserves got some time which is beneficial to us," Yeagley said. "That gives us an advantage for the championship game."
Although the Hoosiers did not score in the second half, their defense still held the Badgers from any quality shot attempts. Wisconsin finished the match with just three attempts total.
The second half of Indiana's road to a Big Ten Championship title begins tomorrow, November 15,1998, at 1:00 p.m. The Hoosiers play the No. 2 seed Penn State, which beat Ohio State 3-2 in overtime.
Yeagley knows the key to the match will be finishing their scoring chances. "I'll be surprised tomorrow if we have the same offensive production," Coach Yeagley said. "If we move off the ball like we did in the first half today, we'll generate chances."
Scoring summary
IU: 11:56 - Parrish (Hawley, Lavrinenko)
IU: 24:11 - Kovalenko (Korol)
IU: 40:54 - Korol
IU: 42:42 - Korol (Kovalenko, Alavanja)
IU led 16-3 in shot attempts
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