IU improves winning streak

For the seventh time this season, sophomore forward Eriq Zavaleta scored a first-half goal. For the seventh time, Indiana won the match, a 2-0 victory against Evansville on Wednesday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

Zavaleta opened the scoring in the 25th minute as sophomore defender Patrick Doody served a cross to the near-post. Zavaleta dived, and his header found the back of the net, giving him his fifth game-winning goal of the season.

“Scoring early, whether it’s me or someone else, is important for our team,” Zavaleta said. “We’ve talked about that all year. Today, I scored, and it settles us down. We have confidence knowing that if we score early we can hold the (other) team to zero goals and win.”

Senior goalkeeper Luis Soffner saved a shot by Evansville forward Dylan Terry in the 25th minute. Sixteen seconds later, Zavaleta celebrated his 14th goal of the season. Soffner said the team didn’t panic in wake of the Purple Aces’ early chances.

“Sometimes that’s what we need,” he said. “We need to spread them out. Luckily I could make a save and quickly get the ball up the field. We had their defense spread out. Eriq got a good look and put it away.”

With the win, the Hoosiers improved to 10-0-1 in matches which they have scored at least two goals. Indiana also extended its winning streak against the Purple Aces to 11. IU Coach Todd Yeagley said the players don’t quite understand the rivalry as much as alumni and fans who have attended for 15 to 20 years.

Junior midfielder Nikita Kotlov doubled the Hoosiers’ lead in the 31st minute as he won the ball and dribbled along the left end line. From five yards away, he buried a shot between Aces goalkeeper Eric Teppen and the left-side post.
Yeagley called it an opportunistic finish.

Soffner recorded his ninth shutout of the season, preserving the clean sheet in the eighth minute by diving to his right to save a shot by Terry. His other first-half save sparked the Hoosiers’ counterattack.

He deflected Terry’s cross in the 83rd minute and quickly covered the short rebound. Evansville’s final opportunity came in the final minute, with a free kick from 25 yards away. Soffner saved Nate Opperman’s header and earned his third shutout in the last five games.

Kotlov and Yeagley talked Monday about improving the timing of their runs. The third-year coach said his team had some very good sequences.

“The second half, our timing was pretty good, we just didn’t execute some of the passes,” Yeagley said. “Then it stalled. The movement was there. You could see the players moving in cohesion. Tonight, I thought we were much more clicked in on that. All in all some very good moments, and we get the result we need.”

Indiana finished its series against in-state foes with a 2-1 record, outscoring them 4-1.

“These are rivals,” Yeagley said. “You always want to win those games and make sure that IU stays atop of those in the state.”

Soffner said the Hoosiers’ win exemplified great resiliency.

“That was a huge bounce-back game for us,” he said. “We did really well. This is going to be a good momentum shifter for us.”