Indiana University Athletics
INDIANA FINAL FOUR NOTEBOOK
12/7/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
INDIANA FINAL FOUR NOTEBOOK
Game Data: The Indiana Hoosiers go for their fourth NCAA Championship this weekend at the Final Four in Richmond, Va. IU plays Santa Clara Friday (Dec. 11) at a time to be announced. Maryland and Stanford play in the other semifinal. Indiana is the only remaining seeded team still playing in the tournament.
Television: All three games of the Final Four will be broadcast. The semifinals will both be shown on ESPN2 while the championship game is on ESPN on Sunday at 2 p.m.
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, and IU All-American and Columbus Crew midfielder Todd Yeagley will add the color commentary.
Indiana in the Final Four: The Hoosiers are making their 12th Final Four appearance and their third in the last five years. Indiana won the title in 1982, 1983 and 1988. IU also advanced to the national title game five other times (1976, 1978, 1980, 1984 and 1994). Indiana has gone 8-8 in its previous 11 Final Four appearances.
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 48-19 (.716). IU has won the NCAA title three times 1982, 1983, 1988- which is the fourth best mark in history. IU's 48 all time tournament victories is the second-highest total in NCAA history.
A Look at Santa Clara: Santa Clara owns a 15-4-2 record. The Broncos reached the Final Four by defeating St. John's 2-1. They began the NCAA Tournament shutting out SMU 1-0. In the second round, Santa Clara handled UNC-Greensboro 4-1. Sophomore Aristotle Rodopoulos leads Santa Clara with 24 points (11-2-24). Shawn Percell and Brett Davis are the only other Broncos that have scored in double figures. Keeper Dave Alexander has started all 21 games and has tallied 68 saves. He holds a GAA of 0.57 and boasts 9 shut outs. In 2051 minutes, Alexander has allowed just 13 goals.
Series Match-up: Indiana and Santa Clara are meeting for the fourth time. The Broncos have won all three of the previous meetings. This is also the third time the schools will meet in the National Semifinals. Santa Clara won in 1989 (4-2) and in 1991 (2-0). The Broncos won 2-1 in overtime in a 1988 regular season matchup. Santa Clara has out scored IU 8-3. Santa Clara is the only team who has played IU a minimum of three times and holds a winning record over the Hoosiers.
Hoosiers Finalists for National Awards: Lazo Alavanja, Dema Kovalenko and Nick Garcia have been named finalists for the two National Soccer Player of the Year awards. Alavanja and Kovalenko have been named to the list of five finalists for the Hermann Trophy. The Hermann is the college soccer's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy and is presented by FILA USA. The other finalists include Jay Heaps of Duke, Wojtek Krakowiak of Clemson and Maurizio Rocha of Connecticut. The winner will be announced at Soccer America's FanZone at the NCAA Final Four in Richmond, Va. on Saturday, Dec. 12th. Alavanja and Garcia are two of four finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club National Player of the Year award. The M.A.C. Sports Foundation award is presented to the top American-born or naturalized player. The other finalists include Heaps and Seth George of UCLA. The winner of this award will be announced Dec. 8 and they will receive the crystal ball trophy Jan. 8, 1999 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
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 455-80-37. He has led the Hoosiers to national titles in 1982, 1983 and 1988, 12 Final Four appearances and seven Big Ten titles.
Hoosiers In the Polls: The Hoosiers are back to the top spot in the nation this week. Indiana finished the regular season as 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 .696 shutouts per game currently ties for 9th in the NCAA books. The leading average of .783 is held by the 1979 Hoosiers. IU also is among the NCAA ranks in another shutout record. Evansville holds the NCAA best of 20 shutouts in 27 games, followed by the 1979 Hoosier's total of 18. The 1998 Indiana campaign is tied for 10th place with 16 shutouts in 23 games.
First Round Overtime: The last two trips Indiana has made to the Final Four have a strange resemblance to this year...an overtime first round NCAA game. Three weeks ago, Akron gave IU all they could handle taking the Hoosiers to two overtime periods. Last year, Butler went the distance with Indiana. But after three overtimes, Indiana came out on top 2-1. Ironically, last year Indiana travelled to the Final Four. The 1994 NCAA Tournament paired IU and Notre Dame in the first round. The Fighting Irish took the Hoosiers to overtime, but IU prevailed winning 1-0 and later advanced to the Final Four.
Home and Conference Record: IU owns a 25 conference game unbeaten streak which 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 on Sunday, November 15, 1998. The Hoosiers also have recorded 25 consecutive home victories which is good for second best in the NCAA. Indiana needs 15 more home wins to take over first place held by Tulsa.
What a Run: Indiana is making consecutive Final Four appearances for only the third time in school history but that should not come as a surprise. Over the last two years, IU has been the dominant team in college soccer. They have posted a 44-3 record. During this stretch they have scored 141 goals while allowing just 24. That includes allowing more than one goal only five times in the last 47 games.
Teams Scoring in Three Straight a Rarity: Indiana has allowed at least one goal in each of the last three games. That is the first time this has happened all season and only the third time in the last four years this has taken place.
Tournament Time: Winning in the NCAA Tournament is never easy and the Hoosiers have found that out this season. They have been held to just 12.7 shots per game which is almost three less than their season's average of 15.1 a contest. They have also allowed 4 goals in the three games and have a team GAA of 1.09 which is way above the season's average of 0.43. The opponent's have also averaged 9 shots a game while their season's average stands at 6.5 per game.
Indiana Holds Off Clemson: The No. 2 Hoosiers knew the odds were against them going to Clemson, S.C. Not only were they playing the No. 1 team in the nation, Indiana held a 1-8 NCAA road record. But those things did not seem apparent as Indiana defeated the Tigers 2-1. Unlike either NCAA game thus far, Indiana scored first. Aleksey Korol opened the scoring at18:46. Clemson defender Mike Potempa attempted to clear the ball to teammate Nathan Rawlins, but the ball was intercepted by Indiana's Ryan Mack. Mack then passed to Gino DiGuardi who fed Korol. It was the first goal allowed by Tiger Josh Campbell in 590 minutes and 42 seconds dating back to an October 28 match with Elon. The Hoosiers' goal also put Clemson behind in a gamefor the first time since the September 27 game against North Carolina State. At 47:08, Korol notched his team-leading 14th goal for a 2-1 advantage, putting Clemson behind in the second half for only the second time this season.
Indiana Nips Butler: Similar to the Akron game, the Butler Bulldogs were ready to score. On Butler's first shot attempt, Stephan Armstrong scored the game's first goal. Butler held onto the 1-0 lead until the 53:17 mark when Aleksey Korol evened things up. For the remaining 37 minutes of regulation, the game stayed tied at 1-1. No one could score in the match's first overtime, but senior Lazo Alavanja came through in overtime for the third time. At 111:59, Alavanja became the 11th player to score 100 career points as he drilled in a 19 yard shot to record the 2-1 overtime victory.
Indiana Overcomes Akron: Despite out shooting Akron 17-12, the Hoosiers had their hands full with the Zips. Akron attacked first as Christer Larsen scored at the 32 minute. As a result, the Zips went into the locker room at half with a 1-0 lead. The only other team to post a half time lead over IU was SMU. Early in the second half, the Hoosiers picked it up scoring at 62:58 when Yuri Lavrinenko tapped in a pass from Aleksey Korol and Dema Kovalenko. At 1-1, the game went into overtime. The Hoosiers struck first in OT as Lazo Alavanja nailed in a pass from Ryan Mack to mark IU's first lead. But IU could not seal the victory, Akron's Michael Apple scored at the 111 minute mark to take the game to double overtime. The game remained tied at 2-2 through most of the second OT until 1:08 was left on the clock. At the 118:52 mark, Kovalenko bombed in a shot from 7 yards out to make the final score 3-2.
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.
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 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.
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 14-1 in November games over the last two-plus years with the only loss in that span coming a month ago at UCLA.
Defense One of the Best: The key to this year's team has been a tough defense. The Hoosiers have allowed just 10 goals all season and have posted 16 shutouts. The team leads the nation in team defense as they have allowed just .454 goals per game. IU's team GAA also leads the nation at 0.41. The team is allowing opponents just 6.77 shots per game and the IU 'keepers have been forced to make only 65 saves in 2,193 minutes. Over the last ten games IU 'keepers have only had to make more than 3 saves two times in those games.
Tough Defense Earns National Rankings: Indiana has allowed only 10 goals in 23 games this season and the team GAA stands at a stellar 0.41. This week the Hoosiers remain the top defensive team in the nation, allowing just .434 goals per game and in shutouts per game at .695 (16 of 23). Goalkeeper T.J. Hannig also appears in the NCAA stats as his GAA is first in the nation this week (0.43). This week Indiana holds10th in scoring offense (2.55) and is 2nd in winning percentage (.913).
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 Butler was its seventh such game of the season. However, the Hoosiers are a good overtime team. Over the last three seasons, the Hoosiers have played 15 overtime games and are 12-1-2 in those games. The lone loss in that span was to UCLA in the national semifinals last season.
The 100 Point Club: Player of the Year finalist Lazo Alavanja became the 11th Indiana player to record 100 career points against Butler two weeks ago when he grabbed one assist and one goal against the Bulldogs. Alavanja has 103 points to his name which ranks as 10th on the all-time scoring list. After picking up one assist versus Clemson, junior Dema Kovalenko needs just one more point to become the 12th IU player to tally 100 points. If he registers one more point this season, he will be only the third player in IU history to reach the mark in his junior year. Armando Betancourt and Angelo DiBernardo were the first two to do so.
Big Ten Stat Rankings: Aleksey Korol leads the Big Ten in scoring with 37 points while Dema Kovalenko is second with 34 points. Korol's totals are 14 goals and a career high nine assists. Kovalenko's totals are13 goals and 8 assists . Lazo Alavanja is third (11-10-32). Alavanja leads the league with 10 assists. Korol's 14 goals is also the top mark in the conference. T.J. Hannig is the top goalkeeper in the league with a 0.43 GAA. He also leads in shutouts with 16. As a team, the Hoosiers lead the league in scoring with 58 goals and with a 0.41 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 43. He needs two more to take over 7th place. His 99 career points are 11th on the all-time scoring list. His 7 assists this year are a career best. . .Lazo Alavanja's 33 career assists is 7th on IU's all-time list. He is also 10th on the all-time scoring list (103), and holds for 10th on the all-time goals list (35). . . Aleksey Korol's 86 career points currently ranks 14th on the all-time scoring list. His nine assists are a career high. . .Goalkeeper T.J. Hannig now has 26 career shutouts. His GAA stands at 0.43 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 25 first half goals this season while allowing just five in the first 45 minutes. They have out shot their opponents 349 to 149. That's an average of 15.1-6.47 per game. . .The Hoosiers 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 the Maryland Stanford game for the National Championship.
Updated Player Bios
Lazo Alavanja: Hermann and M.A.C. Player of the Year Finalist. . .Big Ten
Player of the Year...assisted on game-winning goal at Clemson. . . scored
one goal and tallied one assist against Butler to become the 11th IU player
to record 100 career points...scored second goal in Akron game...scored
game-winning goal against Penn State in overtime to give IU the Big Ten
Championship...has started all 23 games and is third on the team with 29
points (10 goals, 9 assists). . .tallied season-high 5 points (2g, 1a) against
Jacksonville. . .4 points (2g) vs. Florida International and Wisconsin.
. .season-high 6 shots vs. the Badgers. . .team's leading scorer in conference
play with 3 goals and 1 assist for 7 points. . .scored the game-winner in
the conference clinching game at Ohio State. . .fourth on the team with
42 shots.
Tony Cerroni: Has served as the Hoosiers backup goalkeeper all season. . .missed trip to UCLA Classic with a sprained ankle. . .has appeared in a career-high 6 games and has not allowed a goal in 65 minutes. . .made saves vs. Miami (O.) and Jacksonville. . .most minutes (18) came against Kentucky. . .has a career GAA of 0.51 in 176 minutes and 10 games.
Simon Deery: One of the top Hoosier reserves. . .has come off the bench in all 16 games that he has appeared in. . .has not scored this season or attempted a shot. . .solid contributor when he is one the field.
Gino DiGuardi: Moved into the defensive midfield position from the back and has performed well this season. . .second team All-Big Ten...has registered a career-high 2 goals and added an assist for a career-high tying 5 points. . .scored against Jacksonville and Michigan State. . .his 24 shots are also a career-high. . .excellent at moving the ball to the front out of the defensive portion of the field.
Dennis Fadeski: Has started 22 of the 23 games in the back. . .has played well all season after spending most of his first two seasons in the midfield. . .tough, hard-nosed player. . .has attempted just one shot all season.
Matt Fundenberger: Has enjoyed a solid sophomore campaign with 2 goals and a career-high 8 assists. . .has not scored like last season but has done a workman-like job on the frontline. . .has been looking for teammates in and around the box. . .scored against Central Florida and Michigan State. . .both of those goals were game-winners. . .had a season-high 2 assists vs. Loyola Marymount.
Nick Garcia: M.A.C. Player of the Year finalist. . .first team All-Big Ten...the heart and soul of the nation's best defense. . .has not scored this season but does have one assist. . .set-ups a great deal of the Hoosier offense with long runs from his sweeper position. . .has registered 7 shots. . .excellent passer and organizer. . .smart heady player who rarely makes mistakes. . .can mark the physical or quick offensive player.
Ryan Hammer: Has appeared in 3 games this season but has not registered a shot or an assist.
T.J. Hannig: The nation's top goalkeeper. . .enters the weekend with a 21-2 record and 0.43 GAA. . .GAA is the top mark in the nation. . .has played all but 122 minutes of the season in the nets for the Hoosiers. . .has played better than last season as he is making better decisions and has come up a number of times with great saves. . .has made 63 saves this season. . .has really exerted himself in the air this season and is excellent at grabbing crosses and corners. . .has a career record of 40-3-0.
Tyler Hawley: Inserted into the starting line-up during Big Ten Tournament. . .started Butler and Akron games ...strong, physical player who possesses good speed. . .assisted game-winning goal versus Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament...scored 2 goals on 14 shots this season. . .scored against Miami (O.) and Michigan State...recorded three shots during Big Ten regular season play.
Tommy Keenan: Appeared in 17 games and started once. . .has 10 shots but did not score or notch an assist this season. . .quality reserve who has played in 62 career games.
Aleksey Korol: First team All- Big Ten...has appeared in all 23 games. . .scored both goals in win at Clemson. . .second on the team in scoring with 14 goals and career-high 9 assists good for a career-high 37 points. . .scored tying goal in Butler game. . .leads Big Ten in scoring. . .his 14 goals are tops in the league while the 9 assists leads the league. . .scored two goals and tallied one assist in Big Ten tournament against Wisconsin...scored 2 goals and had 2 assists in victory over Florida International. . .had a goal and 2 assists vs. Louisville and scored twice against Butler. . .has posted 3 or more shots 12 times. . .composed player around goal who is quick with or without the ball.
Dema Kovalenko: Hermann Trophy Finalist. . .first team All-Big Ten...Indiana'ssecond-leading scorer with 13 goals and a career best 8 assists for 34 points. . .scored the winning goal against Akron...also leads the team in shots with 66 and in game-winning goals with 6. . .one of the top offensive threats in the nation. . .has played this season from a wide midfield position but quite often moves up front. . .out wide has been able to use his speed and ball-handling abilities to create many opportunities for the Hoosiers. . .has been excellent on re-starts around the box in delivering the ball to a teammate. . .scored 2 goals against both Louisville and Loyola Marymount. . .season-high eight shots vs. Penn State in Big Ten Tournament..recorded 6 shots vs. Northwestern and had 5 vs. Central Florida. . .overall had 3 or more shots 12 times. . .his 13 goals and 33 points lead the Big Ten.
Yuri Lavrinenko: A key member of the Indiana midfield. . .first team All Big Ten...has 5 goals and 4 assists this season for 14 points. . .assist totals are down this year but has been solid in creating plays and getting the ball to the front-runners. . .had game-winning goals against the College of Charleston and Penn State in overtime... four out of five of his goals have come off of re-starts. . .combines with Lazo Alavanja to give the Hoosiers a pair of potent midfielders in the center of the field.
Ryan Mack: The one true freshman who has made a contribution to the team. . .second team All-Big Ten...fourth on the team in scoring with 7 goals and 4 assists for 18 points. . .quick , aggressive player out wide who is also a great finisher. . .a consistent performer all season who can also move up front and play just as well. . .has registered 3 or more more shots 9 times with game-winners coming against California and Wisconsin. . .third on the team with 47 shots.
Andrew Parrish: Key member of the Hoosiers defense. . .scored first career goal vs. Wisconsin at Big Ten Tournament...second team All-Big Ten...started all 22 games and usually draws the toughest marking assignment. . .takes the corner kicks from the (goalkeepers) left side of the field. . .has tied a career best with 3 assists. . .has proven to be able to mark just about anyone whether that be a quick or physical player.
Eric Ripley: Reserve in the center of midfield. . .has appeared in 11 games and registered 2 shots and scored vs. Kentucky. . .has provided solid play off the bench.
Austin Ripmaster: Freshman who has played in six games. . .recorded an assist against Miami (O.). . .played in one Big Ten game vs. Northwestern... also got time against Wisconsin at Big Ten Tournament.
Colin Rogers: Played in two games this season...started the second half against Wisconsin and did not record a save in those 45 minutes... also played in Loyola Marymount match. . .did not have to make a save in 12 minutes in that contest.
B.J. Snow: One of the top IU reserves. . .has appeared in 21 games, starting 3 including game at Clemson. . .recorded 6 shots and has 2 assists which he got against Central Florida and Kentucky. . .quick player who Yeagley can use in the wide midfield or in the defense.
Justin Tauber: Has provided quality play as a reserve in the back. .
.appeared in 13 games and started vs. Kentucky as Gino DiGuardi was forced
to sit out with a yellow card suspension and registered a shot in that game.
© Indiana University Athletics, 1998
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