Indiana University Athletics
SOCCER HOOSIERS TIE SAINT LOUIS IN COLLEGIATE EXHIBITION OPENER
4/3/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
SOCCER HOOSIERS TIE SAINT LOUIS IN COLLEGIATE EXHIBITION OPENER
Bloomington, Ind.- The Indiana men's soccer team played it first exhibition against a college team Friday, tying fellow Final Four participant Saint Louis University, 1-1.
The Hoosiers fell behind 1-0 on Brian Hadican's goal at the 37:06 mark, despite outshooting the Billikens 7-2 in the first half. IU dominated offensively, keeping the ball on its offensive third for the majority of the match.
Indiana was finally able to tie the score when freshman Matt Fundenbeger took a pass from Dema Kovalenko on the right side of the goal and blasted it to the upper right post at the 57:43 mark. That would be all of the scoring, as the two teams did not play overtime in the rainy, wet conditions.
Head Coach Jerry Yeagley, who likened the match to the Hoosiers' national semifinal loss to UCLA, was nevertheless impressed with IU's performance.
"It was similar (to the UCLA) game," Yeagley said of the Hoosiers' inability to knock the ball in the net. "We can't be satisfied without a victory, but based on performance I think we did some real nice things and deserved to win."
One of Yeagley's concerns was how he would be able to play his three top forwards- Kovalenko, Fundenberger and sophomore Aleksey Korol, at the same time. He was able to do so for the full 90 minutes, as Fundenberger led the team with four shots while the trio accounted for seven of the teams' 16 shots.
Nick Garcia was named the Ron Wigg Most Valuable Player of the match, an award named for the soccer mentor who passed away earlier this year.
The Hoosiers will next see action at the Legacy Cup at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis. Indiana will take on Evansville on April 18 at 8 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY:
SLU: Hadican, 37:06
IU:Fundenberger (Kovalenko), 57:43
Shots:IU-16, SLU-3;
Corners:IU-5, SLU-2;
Saves:IU-1, SLU-5;
Fouls: IU-14, SLU-16;
Offsides:IU-1, SLU-2.
