Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Face Aces in Non-Conference Clash
10/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 3, 2006
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Setting the Scene
Indiana plays its final non-conference contest of the season on Wednesday, as it takes to the road for a contest against Evansville. The Hoosiers are 7-0-3 in their last 10 games, and have moved their way into the national spotlight with that streak. The Purple Aces have one of the top offenses in the nation, averaging 2.30 goals per game, and are 5-4-0 entering Wednesday's contest.
The All-Time Series
This will be just the second meeting between Indiana and Evansville in the history of the two programs, with the only other contest coming on Oct. 4, 1995, where the Hoosiers triumphed with a 4-1 victory. On the opposing sidelines in that contest were Evansville head coach Mick Lyon and assistant coach Ian Rickerby, who now lead the Hoosiers. This will be the first time in Lyon's coaching career that he faces his alma mater and former team. Lyon went 107-65-18 in his coaching career at UE, winning four MVC Coach of the Year honors, and also played for UE from 1985-87, winning all-America honors in 1987. Lyon was inducted to UE's Hall of Fame in January, 2003.
Last Time Out
Indiana continued its winning ways, taking a pair of conference contests on the road from Michigan State (1-0) and Michigan (2-1). The Hoosiers improved their unbeaten streak to 10 games, and have not lost since Aug. 27, against Creighton.
Carrie DeFreece scored the game's only goal in the 47th minute as the Indiana women's soccer team remained perfect in Big Ten play with a 1-0 victory over Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 29. DeFreece lofted a ball toward the far post and it carried over leaping Spartan keeper Nicole Galas and landed just inside the post.
IU followed that up with a 2-1 victory over Michigan Oct. 1, with freshman Christie Kotynski scoring the game-winner with under 15 minutes to play. Kristin Arnold added her first career points in the victory, netting a goal and an assist.
Media Information
Indiana Athletic Media Relations Staff Assistant Matt Brady is the primary media relations contact for the women's soccer team. He can be reached at his office (812-856-0215), via cell phone (413-222-2788) or e-mail (mlbrady@indiana.edu).
Scouting the Opponents
The Purple Aces enter the weekend 5-4-0 after winning their conference opener on Saturday, Sept. 30, with a 2-0 victory over Illinois State. Mia Tofano and Kayla Lambert scored goals for UE in the contest, while Whitney Raeon made three saves for her second shutout of the season. Lambert and Tofano are tied for the team lead with 16 points, while Lambert leads the squad with seven goals. Evansville is ranked 24th nationally in scoring, while Lambert and Tofano are tied for 24th in the country in points.
Babcock Gains Recognition
Junior defender Jenna Babcock earned her first-career Big Ten honor on Monday, Oct. 2, being named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week. Babcock, who was also named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Team of the Week, has been the leader of a Hoosier defense that has allowed just five goals in its last 10 games. Over the weekend, IU held Michigan and Michigan State to an aggregate 13 shots and one goal. The Hoosiers are tied for the conference lead with their eight goals allowed.
Using Her Head
Christie Kotynski has had a stellar season for the Hoosiers in the air this season, netting three goals, all on headers. Kotynski has also shown a flair for the clutch, as two of her three tallies have gone for game-tying goals and her goal against Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 1, was the game-winner. All three of Kotynski's goals have come in the final 16 minutes of regulation, and all three have been the final goal of the game.
In the Books
Freshman Kristin Arnold entered Sunday's contest against Michigan as one of the team's leaders in shots, but she had yet to score a point in her IU career. The Beavercreek, Ohio, native responded with a goal and an assist in IU's 2-1 win over Michigan for her first three career points. Arnold became the fifth IU freshman to register points on the season, joining Christie Kotynski (three goals, six points), Liz Holby (one goal, two points), Taylor Fallon (one assist, one point) and Kelly Lawrence (one assist, one point).
DeFreece Strikes Again
Carrie DeFreece scored her fourth goal of the season in IU's 1-0 win over Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 29. DeFreece has scored all four of her goals of the season in shutout victories, and has netted three game-winning goals for the Hoosiers. The Olathe, Kan., native now has seven goals in her Indiana career to go along with five career assists.
Earning Brownie Points
Senior Ali Brown doubled her career goals output on Sept. 24 with her first career multi-goal game. The midfielder netted both of IU's goals in the contest, and both came off free kicks. She also added the lone assist on Lauren Lamping's goal against Minnesota on Sept. 22. Brown now has four goals and 10 assists in her Hoosier career. The senior joined classmate Carrie DeFreece as the only Hoosiers with multi-goal games this season. Brown was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com and SoccerBuzz.com National Teams of the Week for her performance on the weekend.
Senioritis
The Hoosiers have seen significant contributions from their senior class this season. The top three scorers on the team (Lauren Lamping, Carrie DeFreece and Ali Brown) are all seniors, while Megan Pipkens and Lauren Dieter have combined for two assists on the season. The senior class is the second-smallest on the Hoosiers (there are two sophomores on the team), but the party of five has represented more than half of IU's points on the season.
Scoring by class:
Seniors: 8-9-25 (53.2 %)
Juniors: 4-1-9 (19.1 %)
Sophomores: 0-0-0
Freshmen: 5-3-13 (27.7 %)
Going Streaking
With the Hoosiers' 2-1 victory over Michigan, Indiana extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games, the second-longest in school history. Indiana won 14 games in a row between Oct. 3, 1993, and Sept. 14, 1994. The Hoosiers wrapped up an undefeated September (6-0-3) with their 1-0 win over Michigan State on Sept. 29, marking the first time in program history that IU has gone unbeaten in a full month. The Hoosiers are also 4-0-0 in the Big Ten for the first time in school history, with the previous best Big Ten start being a 3-1-0 mark to begin the 1998 season, when the Hoosiers took the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In the Polls
Indiana's 10-game unbeaten streak has vaulted the Hoosiers into the Great Lakes regional rankings by both the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) and SoccerBuzz.com. The Hoosiers are ranked sixth in the Soccer Buzz poll, and have climbed to No. 4 in the NSCAA polls, ahead of Big Ten rival Purdue by a slim margin. The Hoosiers are also receiving votes in both the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz national polls, the first time since 2003 that IU has garnered national recognition.
LL Cool Shot
Lauren Lamping's goal against Minnesota on Sept. 22 was her second of the season and her career. Lamping has added four assists this season, giving her the team lead in both assists and points (eight). Each is a career-high for the senior defender. She has also been a starter on the defense in all 10 contests and has played the entirety of each of the last six matches for the Hoosiers, a stretch of 580 minutes of action.
Watching the Milestones
Against Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 23, the Hoosiers recorded their 125th win in the history of the program, with Stacey Van Boxmeer registering the victory. The Hoosiers also reached the 600-save mark in Big Ten play in program history. Additionally, Ali Brown's first-half goal against Ohio State on Sept. 24 represented the 350th point in IU history during Big Ten play. IU is just two scores away from reaching 400 goals as a program and is just three away from reaching 125 goals in Big Ten play.
Keeping `em Blank
When Charlotte scored with just 20 seconds to play in the first half of the Hoosiers' 1-1 tie with the 49ers on Sept. 15, it stopped the second-longest shutout streak in IU history. Heading into the game, the Hoosiers had run off three straight shutouts, the seventh time in program history that Indiana has recorded three or more shutouts in a row and the first since Oct. 3-10, 2003, when IU shut out Iowa (1-0), Marshall (4-0) and Michigan (0-0).
Climbing the Ladder
Several other Hoosiers are approaching individual milestones, including senior forward Megan Pipkens. Pipkens is tied for sixth on the Hoosiers' list in career assists (12) and is eighth in career shots (117). The Holt, Mich., native is tied with Kris Fosdick for sixth and is one behind Carrie Watts on the all-time assists list. The senior is just two assists behind Emily Hotz, who is fourth in IU history.
Right behind Pipkens on the career assists list is her classmate, Ali Brown. Brown's assist against Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 1, was the 11th in her career, which ties her for eighth on the school's all-time list.
Stacey Van Boxmeer's 106 career saves and her 13 career wins are fifth-most in IU history. The junior needs two wins and 27 saves to move past Lauren Fabbro into fourth on both lists. Her 1.13 career goals against average is fourth all-time for the Hoosiers.
Shot Down
Against Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 29, each team registered five shots, marking the first time this season that the Hoosiers have not outshot an opponent. Indiana now has 202 shots on the year, 16.8 per game, which is third-most in the Big Ten behind Purdue's 267 and Penn State's 210. IU has allowed just 99 shots on the season, which the lowest total in the conference this season. Indiana has more than double the number of shots that its opponents have, a total of 103 shots more than the opposition.
First Goal Wins
Indiana has scored the first goal of the contest in eight of its 12 contests this season. IU is 7-0-1 when it has scored first this year, but 0-2-2 when its opponents score first. In 2005, Indiana recorded a 7-1-0 record when scoring first.
Home Sweet Home
The Hoosiers have played five games this season on Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium, and so far the results have been very strong for IU. Indiana has won all five contests, scoring 10 goals, and had not allowed a goal until OSU's Lara Dickenmann scored in the 46th minute on Sept. 24. The five-game home win streak is the longest for the Hoosiers since 1998, when IU went a perfect 8-0-0 at Armstrong on the way to a berth in the NCAA Tournament. In 2005, the Hoosiers were 5-3-1 at Armstrong Stadium and outscored their opponents 15-10 at the venue.
Consistently Defensive
Defense has been a strong point for the Hoosiers this season, as they have allowed 99 shots (tops in the Big Ten) and seven goals (tied for first in the Big Ten) this season. Part of that strength has come from Indiana's consistency on the back line, as IU has started the same back four in each of the last 11 games.
Those four - Kelly Lawrence, Jessica Boots, Lauren Lamping and Jenna Babcock - have played nearly every minute for the Hoosiers recently, as Lamping has been on the field for the entirety of each of the last eight games and Boots has played all but 12 minutes of the last seven.
Everybody Plays
Indiana head coach Mick Lyon can't say that he hasn't had a look at any of his players this season, as all 26 players saw action on Saturday, Sept. 2, against Texas Tech. Thirteen different players recorded shots in the contest and eight recorded shots on goal.
