IU heads west to battle No. 1 UCLA

They have won nine national soccer titles and recorded 26 trips to the College Cup combined. \nIU and UCLA are both programs rich in tradition, and they will compete head-to-head again as they battle in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament this weekend in Los Angeles. The respective programs have glaring similarities, as their records of success indicate. \n"IU and UCLA are definitely the two most prestigious programs," sophomore forward Trey Meek said. "So when you look at IU, you look at our five national championships, and then UCLA has four now after winning last year. UCLA is just as prestigious and first-class as Indiana."\nThe Bruins won the national title in 2002, outlasting Stanford for the championship. UCLA has also won national titles in 1997, 1990 and 1985 and has reached the tournament for 21 consecutive years. The Hoosiers (14-3-5) last won the championship in 1999. \n"UCLA is year in and year out a top program," IU coach Jerry Yeagley said. "They're right up there. We're side by side with them in the record book on many things. They have a chance to go back-to-back." \nWhile UCLA (20-1-1) is attempting to repeat as champions, the Hoosiers are looking for their first national title of the new millennium. Besides IU's two national titles in the 90s, during a 14-month stretch in the 80s the Hoosiers went 46 games without being beaten. They compiled a 40-0-6 mark during that span, including a win over Columbia to win the 1983 NCAA title.\nBoth schools have had players on the U.S. National Team. In fact, this year a total of three IU and UCLA players are participating in the Under-20 FIFA World Youth Championships in the United Arab Emirates. For IU, junior forward Ned Grabavoy, the Hoosiers' leading goal-scorer, and sophomore defender Drew Moor are playing in the event.\nMeek said the players have been integral to the success of both programs.\n"They always bring in top-quality players," Meek said. "Over the years, there's so many players coming from IU that have played professional soccer and UCLA has just as many or more. That definitely contributes a lot to their success."\nMeek, who is the only player on the IU roster from California, said UCLA recruited him too, but he visited IU first and fell in love with it. Meek added he wanted to get out of California and said it just felt right to come to Bloomington and attend IU.\nMeek's cousin is former UCLA standout Joe-Max Moore, who currently plays with the MLS' New England Revolution with former IU All-American Pat Noonan.\nJunior midfielder Danny O'Rourke said UCLA will be a formidable challenger.\n"Once you get a program that gets a couple of good national championships, it's easier to recruit, and they keep getting good players," O'Rourke said. "(ULCA) usually has a basis of just California players and they go there, and Indiana's mostly Midwest, so it's basically Midwest versus West. The best players of the West and the best players of the Midwest."\nO'Rourke said he practiced with the MLS' Columbus Crew when UCLA head coach Tom Fitzgerald was head coach of the Crew from 1996-2001.\nO'Rourke said he believes winning starts first and foremost with the head coaches.\n"The coaches instill the winning tradition in both programs," O'Rourke said. "They both just keep the tradition going."\nYeagley, who is the all-time winningest coach in Division I soccer history, said he knows Fitzgerald and added he has brought a new zest to the game.\n"Tom Fitzgerald, who is their coach, was my son's coach in the pros at Columbus for seven years," Yeagley said. "I know him very well and respect him."\nTodd Yeagley, who is a volunteer assistant coach with the Hoosiers, played for the Crew from 1996-2001.\nMeanwhile, the Bruins have a lone player on their roster from outside the state of California, as freshman forward Chad Barrett is from Oregon. Yeagley said that contributes to their success. Yeagley also recalled the type of soccer UCLA plays and added that the California influence plays a role in it.\n"A lot of their players have played together in youth soccer. They're familiar with each other," Yeagley said. "They play a similar style, different parts of the country, different regions of the country and different states. They represent a different style. The California style is a combination of the Hispanic influence of individual flair and ball control and sophistication along with the California influence of good hard work and hard-nosed play." \nWhile Yeagley focused on UCLA's style, O'Rourke named the best programs in the nation and said he's looking forward to the showdown on Saturday.\n"I'd say Indiana, UCLA and Virginia are probably the top three programs in the nation," O'Rourke said. "Just to have a quarterfinal match between two very top teams, it's going to be a great game."\n-- Contact staff writer Zack Eldridge at zeldridg@indiana.edu.