Indiana University Athletics
HOOSIERS NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND NOTEBOOK
11/17/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
HOOSIERS NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND NOTEBOOK
Game Data: The third-ranked Indiana Hoosiers begin their quest for an NCAA Championship this week as they host Akron University at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Game time is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22.
Radio: All of the Hoosier's game in the NCAA Tournament will be broadcast on Bloomington's WGCL (AM 1370). Chris Doran will call the play-by-play.
Hoosiers in the NCAA Tournament: Indiana is making its 23rd NCAA appearance which now ties them for the fourth-highest mark in NCAA history. The Hoosiers also hold the best winning percentage in the NCAA with a mark of 45-19 (.703). IU has won the NCAA title three times 1982, 1983, 1988- which is the fourth best mark in history. IU's 45 tournament victories is also a top the NCAA ranks.
Series Matchup: Indiana holds a 21-2-1 edge over Akron. The last meeting between IU and Akron occurred on September 26, 1996 when the Hoosiers won 5-0. These two teams have also met before in the NCAA Tournament dating back to 1976. The Hoosiers won 2-1 in 1976, 2-1 in 1983, and 2-0 in 1985.
A Look at the Akron Zips: Akron owns a 17-2-1 overall record. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Mid-American Tournament. This is the Zips first NCAA appearance in 12 years. They currently rank 13th in the Soccer America poll, and second behind the Hoosiers in the Great Lakes Region. The Zips are led by Michael Apple who has scored 11 goals and tallied 15 assists good for 37 points. In total, Akron has outscored their opponents 53-17.
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 452-80-37. He has led the Hoosiers to national titles in 1982, 1983 and 1988, 11 Final Four appearances and seven Big Ten titles.
Yeagley on the NCAA Tournament: "I'm not shocked but I am surprised. I told our players this had nothing to do with anything that was under our control. The objective measures and the formulas that are used in determining seeds and bids every team rank teams 1-5 and then they come up with your strength of schedule. And our strength of schedule must have really hurt us. Teams like Wisconsin are usually a No. 1 but this year they were a 5 and we played other teams like this during the season.
"Akron is the team everyone is talking about this season in our region as perhaps the most improved and the most dangerous. I was hoping for a top four seeding. The polls haven't had us out of the top four all season long. To have us paired with Clemson this early in the tournament doesn't make enough sense as perhaps coaches or media would have done.
Hoosiers In the Polls: This week the Hoosiers are ranked No. 2 in all four polls (Soccer America, Soccer America, ESPN and Soccer News). Indiana remains the top team in the Great Lakes Region. Indiana has been ranked No. 1 eight of the 12 weeks this season.
NCAA Record Breakers: Indiana has played well enough this season to etch its name in the NCAA Record Books. The Hoosiers .800 shutouts per game currently ranks first in the all-time NCAA books. The old mark of .783 is held by the 1979 Hoosiers. IU is also among the NCAA all-time leaders in another shutout record. Evansville holds the NCAA best of 20 shutouts in 27 games, followed by the 1979 Hoosier's total of 18. This year the Hoosiers are tied for 8th place with 16 shutouts in 20 games.
Home and Conference Record: Indiana's 25 conference game unbeaten streak ties for second place in the NCAA record books. The streak dates back to October 13, 1995 when the Hoosiers lost to Wisconsin and continues to the win over Penn State last Sunday, November 15, 1998. The Hoosiers also have recorded 23 consecutive home victories which ties for second best all-time mark in the NCAA. With one more home win, IU will solely hold second place.
The 1998 Indiana Hoosiers: This season has been another successful one for Jerry Yeagley and his Hoosiers. While the team has not put up the same numbers offensively as they did last year en route to a 23-1 record the defense has helped IU to its 18-2 record.
The offense has had trouble finishing at times and that was evident in the loss at UCLA which snapped a 13-game winning streak. After falling behind 2-1 with close to 40 minutes remaining in the game, the team had at least 8 quality chances to score but could not tie the game. While the goal total is down (83 in 24 games last year to just 46 in 18 games this season) the offense has been able to create many opportunities against just about any team.
Yeagley did some shuffling this year, moving Dema Kovalenko from forward to wide left midfield and inserting Matt Fundenberger into the starting lineup full-time up front with Aleksey Korol. Ryan Mack mans the other wide spot and at times, Yeagley has moved he and Kovalenko up front to create a quick, potent frontline. The move has paid dividends as Kovalenko and Mack have used their speed and ball-handling abilities to create those aforementioned opportunities.
Lazo Alavanja and Yuri Lavrinenko have combined for another outstanding season in the center of midfield. The two have given the the opposition problems all season with their attacking frame of mind. Gino DiGuardi moved into the defensive midfield spot vacated by the graduation of Caleb Porter, from the back and has provided a great deal of leadership and quality play.
The defense has been the key for the Hoosiers. They have allowed just 6 goals all season (the school record for the least by an opponent is 6 set in 1979). Nick Garcia runs the defense as the sweeper with Andrew Parrish and Dennis Fadeski as the marking backs. All three are capable defenders who can just about mark any player in the nation. Goalkeeper T.J. Hannig has been excellent all season and is improved from a year ago. The defense has also helped register 14 shutouts this year and the school record is 18 which was set in 1979. The Hoosiers have allowed single figures in goals only three times in the previous 25 years with 1979 being the last season (6).
The team went through the Big Ten regular season undefeated as they won its fifth such crown in eight years. IU did not allow a goal in those five games which was the first time in league history that has happened. As this weekend's tournament begins, the Hoosiers have not been scored on in a league game (including the 1997 tournament) in nine contests.
Indiana Grabs Big Ten Tournament Title: Indiana received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Big Ten Tournament. As the no. 1 seed, IU cruised through its semifinal game against the Wisconsin Badgers by 4-0 score. In the final, they faced the Nittany Lions of Penn State. At the end of regulation, the score was tied 0-0. But in the 93 minute, Lazo Alavanja received a pass from Dema Kovalenko and Yuri Lavrinenko to tally the winning goal. With the victory, Indiana recorded its seventh tournament title in eight years. All-time in the tournament the Hoosiers are 13-1-1 (the tie was decided in penalty kicks which the Hoosiers won 3-2). IU has also outscored their conference opponents in tournament play 34-7.
Indiana Wins Regular Season Big Ten Title: Indiana defeated Ohio State 1 0 in overtime (Oct. 25) 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.
More on a Dominating Conference Season: While two of Indiana's five regular season conference victories were of the overtime variety, as was the conference title game, the Hoosiers dominated their conference opponents. IU did not allow a goal in league play (five regular season, two tournament games) marking the first time that has happened in league history. The team allowed just 41 shots in the five games while registering 113 shots itself. Indiana goalkeepers had to make only 18 saves in 679 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 seven times.
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 20 October games which dates back to Oct. 13, 1996. The Hoosiers are also 12-1 in November games over the last two-plus years with the only loss in that span coming two weeks ago at UCLA.
Defense is the Best: The key to this year's team has been a tough defense. The Hoosiers have allowed just 6 goals all season and have posted 16 shutouts. The team leads the nation in team defense as they have allowed just .286 goals per game. IU's team GAA also leads the nation at 0.29. The team is allowing opponents just 6.1 shots per game and the IU 'keepers have been forced to make only 54 saves in 1,863 minutes. Over the last 10 games IU 'keepers have only had to make more than 3 saves only once.
Tough Defense Earns National Rankings: Indiana has allowed only six goals in 20 games this season and the team GAA stands at a stellar 0.29. This week the Hoosiers remain the top defensive team in the nation, allowing just .286 goals per game and in shutouts per game at .800 (16 of 20). Goalkeeper T.J. Hannig also appears in the NCAA stats as his GAA is first in the nation this week (0.29). This week Indiana is 10th in scoring offense (2.55) and 2nd in winning percentage (.900).
Have to Shut Them Out: Usually a team has to shut the Hoosiers out to record a victory. However, things come to an end sooner or later. The 2-1 loss at UCLA was it the first time in three years Indiana scored and failed to win. They last time IU scored and did not win, prior to the UCLA game, was October 8, 1995 when IU lost to Bowling Green 2-1.
Extra Time: Indiana's overtime victory over Penn State was its fifth such game of the season. However, the Hoosiers are a good overtime team. Over the last three seasons, the Hoosiers have played 13 overtime games and are 10-1-2 in those games. The lone loss in that span was to UCLA in the national semifinals last season.
Big Ten Stat Rankings: Dema Kovalenko and Aleksey Korol lead the Big Ten in scoring with 30 points. Kovalenko's totals are12 goals and 6 assists while Aleksey Korol 11 goals and 8 assists. Lazo Alavanja is third (8-7 23). Alavanja and Korol are tied for the best in the league with eight assists. Kovalenko's 12 goals is also the top mark in the conference. T.J. Hannig is the top goalkeeper in the league with a 0.31 GAA. He also leads in shutouts with 16. As a team, the Hoosiers lead the league in scoring with 51 goals and with a 0.29 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 nine times. Dema Kovalenko enters the week in 8th on IU's all-time goals list with 42. He needs three more to take over 7th place. His 95 career points are 12th on the all-time scoring list. His 6 assists this year are a career best...Lazo Alavanja's 33 career assists is 7th on IU's all-time list. He is also 12th on the all-time scoring list (97), and tied for 10th on the all-time goals list (33). He is bidding to become the 11th player in IU history to register at least 100 career points... Goalkeeper T.J. Hannig now has 26 career shutouts. His GAA stands at 0.31 heading into the week. The school record for a season is 0.26 by John Putna set in 1979. He also has 16 shutouts this season...The Hoosiers have scored 24 first half goals this season while allowing just two in the first 45 minutes. They have out shot their opponents 311 to 122. That's an average of 15.6-6.1 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 25 games (23-0 2).
Next Up: The winner of this game faces the winner of Butler-Cincinnati
game in the round of 16 of this year's NCAA Tournament.
© Indiana University Athletics, 1998
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