Hoosiers end tourney at home with win, tie

Heading into this weekend’s adidas/IU Credit Union Classic, the IU men’s soccer team stood undefeated, having given up a single goal thus far in the regular season.

After the team’s two games in the Classic last weekend, the record remains true.

The Hoosiers continued to shut out opponents with a 3-0 win against Clemson on Friday night followed by a 0-0 draw against San Diego State on Sunday afternoon.

The Hoosiers had few difficulties finishing their scoring chances Friday against the Tigers.

The first goal came in the first two minutes from a throw-in by junior midfielder Nikita Kotlov to the head of sophomore forward Eriq Zavaleta. Zavaleta used his height and body to muscle his way between two defenders and get a head on the long throw.

“Nikita threw a perfect ball in, and throw-in passes are tough to finish because you are not facing the goal,” Zavaleta said. “But just a good ball into the box in general, whether it be from the hands or the feet, is what I’m looking for.”

After the half ended with IU ahead 1-0, the Hoosiers came back on the pitch looking for a buffer, which was found from freshman forward Kyle Sparks as he clinched his first collegiate regular season goal.

Sparks earned his first goal in a rebound from freshman forward Femi Hollinger-Janzen’s shot directly into the keeper’s chest.

Senior goalkeeper Luis Soffner said the team poked fun at the freshman following the game.

“Sparks has been working since day one,” Soffner said. “Finally he got a shot in the spring and made some goals, but we were joking with him after he made tonight’s goal that you don’t get your first official one until it’s the regular season.”

Following Sparks’ goal, sophomore midfielder Dylan Lax committed a foul on a late challenge and was given a yellow card. Trainers and other medical personnel attended to the injured Ian Smith of Clemson. After Smith was taken off the field, the referee changed the ruling to a straight red card, ejecting Lax from the game.

Not to be shaken, IU scored a third goal late in the second half from Zavaleta. While playing a man down, Zavaleta picked off a rebound and added the third and final goal.

As the showers from Hurricane Isaac reached Bloomington Sunday, so did the kickoff for the San Diego State match.

On Friday against Clemson, IU converted its chances. But on Sunday, despite outshooting the Aztecs 29 to 10, the Hoosiers failed to convert a single goal.

“You hope with 19 corners that you generate good chances,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “Some of those might be second chances. I didn’t think our second chance spacing on corner or restarts was that good today.”

Despite picking up second chance opportunities, Yeagley was pleased with his defensive unit’s ability to control the game and keep on the pressure.

“Sure, we need to find a way to get a result, but I’ve been on a lot of benches where you get undisciplined after so much control and give up a goal,” Yeagley said. “I was proud to say that we did not lose discipline or focus.”

The Hoosier defense has been strong lately, conceding only one goal in 380 minutes of play. The Hoosiers have shut out their last three opponents.

Despite being unable to score thus far in the season, the freshman forward Andrew Oliver said he saw more of the ball and had better opportunities against San Diego State.

“I definitely had an improvement today,” Oliver said. “I had a rough start not being able to find my offensive placement, but today I just had something, and I just got into it."

The freshman said the atmosphere of playing at home may have made the difference.

“It’s exciting to have the crowd behind you and have family getting to come down,” Oliver said. “Yeagley Field is just an awesome environment with such a great feeling to it.”

Despite the draw, the Hoosiers remain undefeated heading into their matchup with Akron, their first ranked opponent, Friday. Yeagley told his players not to get down on themselves with a draw.

“When the team you are playing against cheers after a draw, that is a compliment,” Yeagley said. “I told the guys that. Them cheering as they walk off the field is a compliment to you.”