Fundenberger's formula: right place, right time

Jet fuel, he says.\nJet fuel powered Matt Fundenberger, a senior forward on the men's soccer team, to his third-career hat trick Sunday against Michigan.\nIn a 7-0 victory, Fundenberger showed flashes of quickness, scoring three goals in the first 26 minutes of play and assisting an another.\nHe darted past two defenders and drew a penalty kick on his first goal. \nAnd he moved quickly enough to get open on the next two.\nFundenberger claims jet fuel put the bounce in his step Sunday, but he doesn't credit his goal-scoring skills to his speed or the fuel.\n"I think it's really just getting in the right spot at the right time," he said. "Knowing when someone's going to serve it in, and then making a run from there. So maybe I just have a little bit of a knack of getting at the right place at the right time."\nHe brought that knack with him from high school.\nAs a freshman, Fundenberger scored 13 goals and was named a Soccer America Freshman All-American. His goal total dropped the next season, when he scored only twice, but he came back with 10 goals last year.\nAfter seven goals in 12 games this season, Fundenberger finds himself in 14th place on IU's all-time goalscoring list. He's also 18th on the career points list with 85.\nBut such accolades don't weigh on Fundenberger's mind. He came to IU to play soccer, not to break records. \n"I never really thought about it," he said. "I really don't think about it even now. That's not the type of thing I just sit there all day and think about.\n"Coming in, I just wanted to try to do something with the team, just somehow fit in."\nFundenberger has fit in the past three seasons as a complement to Aleksey Korol, who now plays professionally.\nKorol played the speedy, playmaker role. Fundenberger, the slower, right-place-at-the-right-time role. With Korol providing much of IU's attack -- he's fifth all-time with 57 goals -- Fundenberger was effective playing a full 90 minutes and getting goals when needed.\nBut this season, Fundenberger's playing time hasn't been concrete.\nHe sees more time during some games than others and is often substituted in favor of the faster Michael Bock, a sophomore. Part of the reason for Fundenberger's playing time is that coach Jerry Yeagley called on Fundenberger to be a main goal scorer, and he hadn't answered until the Michigan game.\nYeagley hopes the Michigan game is indicative of what Fundenberger will continue to do.\n"Hopefully that's a sign of what's going to be coming the last half of the season," Yeagley said. "He just seemed to have a bounce in his step. \n"But he was right. He was right psychologically, and he was right physically. And a lot of Fundy's success has to come from service."\nFundenberger's teammates are starting to realize that.\nJunior forward Ryan Mack knows working with Fundenberger means getting the ball to his feet. Without the speed of some forwards, Fundenberger doesn't thrive on receiving balls in space.\n"He's a real talented player," Mack said. "He needs the ball played to his feet. He's a great finisher, a good passer, he just needs a little bit more speed.\n"I think the team learns how to play with him. If the team around him gives him good balls, he can finish them. He's just good around the net, in the box. You've just got to play to his strengths."\nAnd hope he brings the jet fuel.