Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Headed to No. 1UCLA (12-05-03)
12/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana (14-3-5) travels to Los Angeles, Calif., to take on the top-ranked and NCAA No. 1 seed UCLA Bruins (20-1-1) on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. (PST). A 16th trip to the NCAA College Cup is at stake for the Hoosiers when they meet the defending national champion Bruins. The match will be played at Drake Stadium on the UCLA campus. Tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for youth and students.
Radio: The match will be broadcast live by Bloomington's WGCL 1370 AM. Chris Doran will handle play-by-play and former IU player and assistant Sean Phillips will provide color commentary.
Setting The Scene
• After a first-round bye, Indiana defeated Kentucky, 2-1, in double overtime in the second round and cruised to a 5-0 victory over No. 9 Virginia Commonwealth in the third round.
• UCLA beat Tulsa, 3-2, in the second round and shut out Florida International in the third round, 2-0.
• Saturday night will mark the 14th meeting between the Hoosiers and the Bruins. UCLA holds a 7-6-0 advantage in the all-time series. Three of those meetings have come during NCAA Tournament play. Indiana holds a 2-1 lead in those matches.
• Indiana (5) and UCLA (4) have combined to win a total of nine NCAA Championships, including four of the last six titles. The Hoosiers captured back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999. The Bruins were victorious in 1997 and against last season in 2002.
• The Hoosiers will be playing away from the confines of Bill Armstrong Stadium for the first time since Oct. 29 and just the second time in their last 10 games.
• UCLA owns a 12-0-0 record in home matches at Drake Stadium this season. Indiana is 4-2-0 on its opponents' home field, including a four game winning streak.
• With eight teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten Conference is the only conference represented by more than one team. Michigan will play at Santa Clara on Saturday, Dec. 6. The Hoosiers and Wolverines were the only two league teams that received NCAA berths.
Yeagley is NCAA Divsion I All-Time Wins Leader
Indiana got a nice surprise on Monday afternoon this week. After discovering a records error, the NCAA informed Indiana University that Jerry Yeagley is the all-time winningest coach in Division I soccer history. With Indiana's 5-0 victory over Virginia Commonwealth in the NCAA Tournament third round, Yeagley captured his 541st career win. This passes former University of San Francisco coach Stephen Negoesco, who actually has 540 wins, not the 544 originally noted.
The error was discovered after Indianapolis Star reporter David Woods contacted the NCAA Statistics Department regarding the Division I men's soccer coaching records. The NCAA Statistics department thoroughly reviewed the record book and found that, in error, four of San Francisco's 1978 NCAA Tournament victories were being counted on Negoesco's record. Those four wins, including a 2-0 national title match over Yeagley's Indiana team, had been vacated due to an ineligible player. Therefore those four victories do not count on Negeosco's official coaching record.
It should be noted that although San Francisco defeated Indiana in the 1978 title match, that match does not count towards Yeagley's career record.
Until Monday, it was assumed that Yeagley could only tie the all-time record of 544 wins. He has coached Indiana to a 541-101-45 record in 31 seasons, is Division I soccer's winningest active coach in terms of percentage (.820). He also ranks third all-time in winning percentage, but he has the highest percentage of any coach with more than 14 years experience. Yeagley has won five national championships (1982, 1983, 1988, 1998, 1999) and every four-year player at IU has experienced an NCAA College Cup. The legendary coach announced his plans to retire following the season in January 2003, and longtime assistant and former Hoosier player Mike Freitag will succeed Yeagley at the start of the 2004 season.
The Hoosiers and the NCAA Tournament
Since the inception of the varsity program in 1973, Indiana has been a staple in the NCAA Tournament. This season, IU is making its 17th consecutive appearance in the tournament. The Hoosiers have earned a bid 28 times and made 15 trips to the College Cup. In 11 of the those trips, IU has played in the national title game and won the championship five times. Here's a look at the numbers:
Overall NCAA Record: 65-22 (.747) Ranks first in the Nation
At Home: 49-3 (.942)
At Bill Armstrong Stadium: 42-3 (.933)
NCAA Championships: 5 Ranks second in the Nation
NCAA Appearances: 28 Ranks third in the Nation
NCAA Tournament Wins: 65 Ranks tied for first in the Nation
NCAA College Cup Appearances: 15 Ranks second in the Nation
Indiana Update
The No. 8 seed Hoosiers own a 14-3-5 record and a 15-match unbeaten streak heading into the NCAA Quarterfinals at UCLA. Indiana is coming off a pair of home wins over Kentucky, 2-1 in overtime, and Virginia Commonwealth, 5-0.
After a slow start with a 2-3-4 record at the halfway point, IU went unbeaten in the months of October and November, including a stretch of nine straight victories in the second half of the regular season.
Junior Ned Grabavoy, who is a semifinalist for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy and has led the Hoosiers in scoring with 31 points, and sophomore defender Drew Moor, a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten pick, were selected to the United States U-20 team that is currently playing in the United Arab Emirates. Both Grabavoy and Moor were absent for the Hoosiers' two tournament win and will not be available in the quarterfinals.
Though the team has holes to fill, the Hoosiers have shown they has the depth to do it. Sophomore Brian Plotkin, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, is IU's second-leading scorer with 22 points on seven goals and eight assists. Freshman and second-team All-Big Ten honoree Jacob Peterson is third on the team with 16 points on six goals and four assists. Sophomore Pat Yates' 12 points, on five goals and a pair of assists, rank fourth on the club.
In addition, five different Hoosier players scored goals in the third round win over Virignia Commonwealth. Josh Tudela scored his first career goal and sophomore Chris Pomeroy recorded the first assist of his career.
Junior goalkeeper Jay Nolly, who is a two-time first-team All-Big Ten pick, owns an 0.64 GAA, the 10th-best mark in the country (as of Nov. 30). Nolly has also collected 58 saves and has posted all 10 Hoosier shutouts
A Look at the Bruins
The No. 1-ranked Bruins sport the nation's best record at 20-1-1 entering Saturday's match, including a 12-0-0 mark at home. UCLA is a senior-laden team with eight players in their final college season.
The Bruins have scored 54 goals while allowing just 10 this season. Senior Matt Taylor, the Pac-10 Player of the Year, leads the team offensively with 36 points on 14 goals and eight assists. Chad Barrett is second with 26 points on nine goals and eight assists. Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy semifinalist Adolfo Gregorio ranks third with 21 points on four goals and 13 assists. UCLA defensive midfielder Aaron Lopez is also a semifinalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy.
Goalkeeper Zach Wells has an 0.45 goals-against average to go with 73 saves and 11 shutouts.
Bruin head coach Tom Fitzgerald is in his second season at UCLA. Fitzgerald coached the MLS' Columbus Crew from 1996-2001.
Indiana vs. UCLA All-Time Series
The all-time series between the Hoosiers and Bruins is filled with classic battles, and is about as close as it can get. Though UCLA owns a 7-6-0 overall advantage, Indiana is 2-1 against the Bruins in Los Angeles.
The two teams have squared off three times in NCAA Tournament play with the Hoosiers owning a 2-1 edge.
UCLA emerged victorious from the last meeting, defeating IU, 2-1, at Armstrong Stadium on Sept. 2, 2000, in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic.
Both teams have scored a total of 17 goals in the 13 matches
Indiana-UCLA Connections
• IU (redshirt) sophomore forward Trey Meek is originally from Corona Del Mar, Calif., and attended Newport Harbor High School. UCLA senior goalkeeper Zach Wells is also a Newport Harbor graduate.
• Meek's cousin is former UCLA standout Joe-Max Moore. Moore currently plays for the MLS' New England Revolution along with former Indiana standout Pat Noonan.
• UCLA head coach Tom Fitzgerald coached the Columbus Crew from 1996-2001. Hoosier volunteer assistant and former IU All-American Todd Yeagley played for Fitzgerald in all six of those seasons. In addition, former Indiana players Brian Maissoneuve and Mike Clark also played for Fitzgerald and remain with the Crew.
Getting It Done on Defense
If the adage "Defense Wins Championships" is any indication, don't count Indiana out of the title hunt. Consider the following:
• Indiana shut down the nation's 11th-highest scoring team (2.27 goals per game) last Sunday when it rolled over Virginia Commonwealth, 5-0, in the thrid round of the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers will have an even stiffer challenge ahead of it on Saturday as UCLA ranks fourth nationally in scoring (2.45 goals per game).
• IU owns the nation's seventh-best team goals-against average at 0.64. and has recorded 10 shutouts.
• Junior goalkeeper Jay Nolly ranks 10th nationally in GAA (0.64) and has made 58 saves.
• In Indiana's first nine games of the season, the Hoosiers allowed nine goals. In the last 13 games, the team has given up just six goals and recorded eight of its 10 shutouts.
• Indina had started a pair of freshmen (Julian Dieterle and Jed Zayner) and a sophmore transfer (Drew Moor) in the back for the majority of the season. Moor has been with the United States U-20 team in the United Arab Emirates and in his absence, senior Drew Shinabarger has moved from his starting midfielder position to the back.
Poll Position
Indiana was ranked in the top 10 each of the four national polls at the conclusion of the regular season. The Hoosiers owned the No. 5 spot in the Soccer America poll and were also No. 8 in the NSCAA poll, No. 7 in the College Soccer News poll and No. 7 in the Soccer Times poll.
UCLA was a unamious No. 1 in all four of the polls.
Shinabarger a Seasoned Senior
Drew Shinabarger, who is one of just two Hoosier seniors, has played an integral role on this season's Indiana squad. Now in his fifth season at IU, he has moved from the role of half-time starter in 2002 to full-time starter in 2003. Shinabarger started in the midfield for the majority of the season, but transitioned to Drew Moor's starting marking role for the last two games.
Badger the Hero
Greg Badger anwered his teammates' call in the IU's second-round victory. The junior striker scored the game-winning goal, the first of his career, to lift Indiana over Kentucky. It was just Badger's seventh appearance this season, but when the IU coaching staff prepared to make a substitution, the team called for him to enter the game.
Tudela Stepping Up
Redshirt freshman Josh Tudela had done his part to step up in the NCAA Tournament. The midfielder assisted on both Hoosier goals in the victory over Kentucky. After assisting on the first goal, Tudela got his head on John Michael Hayden's corner kick in and placed the ball in front of the goal for Greg Badger. Badger knocked the ball in to give IU the 2-1 victory in overtime.
Tudela followed his second-round effort by scoring his first career goal against Virgina Commonwealth.
Five Goals In NCAA Play
Indiana's five goals in the third round win over Virginia Commonwealth marked the highest scoring output of the season for the Hoosiers, bettering the team's previous 2003 best of three (on six occassions). The last time IU scored five goals was on Oct. 11, 2002, in Bloomington against Wisconsin.
Though Indiana's five goals were just shy of its NCAA Tournament high of six, the Hoosiers have scored five goals in three other NCAA games. Here's a look at IU's high-octane offensive performances in NCAA play:
Year Opponent NCAA Game Final Score
1980 Hartwick Semifinals 5-0
1981 Wisconsin Regional Finals 5-1
1984 Evansville Regional Finals 5-0
1993 Memphis Regional Semfinals 6-0
1997 South Florida Quarterfinals 6-0
Comeback Kids
Indiana has come back from a deficit to win or salvage a tie five times this season, including the NCAA second round victory over Kentucky.
• On Nov. 26, in the NCAA second round, Kentucky jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first half. Peterson scored for IU with just more than a minute to play before halftime. In the second overtime period, Greg Badger knocked in the game winner.
• On Nov. 8, Indiana turned in its best comeback of the season. IU trailed, 2-0, to Big Ten rival Penn State at halftime. The Hoosiers scored three second-half goals in a 22-minute span to clinch the Big Ten Conference regular season title and a victory in Jerry Yeagley's final regular season home match.
• On Oct. 5 at Michigan, Indiana fell behind the Wolverines, 1-0. Ned Grabavoy's penalty kick tied the game up. Just 2:41 into the first overtime period, Peterson struck against his home state to give the Hoosiers a 2-1 win. The victory began a stretch of nine straight for the Hoosiers.
• On Oct. 2, Butler went ahead of Indiana, 1-0. Trey Meek evened the score with his first goal of the season and IU walked away with a 1-1 draw.
• On Sept. 21, Indiana trailed Michigan State, 1-0, heading into the final 10 minutes. Jacob Peterson tallied the game-winner and IU avoided its first Big Ten loss since 1995.
The U-20 World Youth Championships
Two Hoosier players were called up to play on the United States Under-20 Team that will compete in the World Youth Championships in the United Arab Emirates, starting Nov. 28 . Junior Ned Grabavoy and sophomore Drew Moor are two of nine collegians named to the 20-man roster. In fact, of the eight teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament, four are missing players that are with the U-20 team. In addition to the Hoosier duo and UCLA defender Jordan Harvey, Michigan and Santa Clara both have plaeyrs on the team. Here's a look at the team's results in group play thus far.
Group F
Nov. 29 United States 3, Paraguay 1
Dec. 2 Germany 3, United States 1
Dec. 5 United States vs. Korea
