10/21/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
October 21, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – This one is going to be big. Everyone knew when the schedule was released that a late season match with Indiana would somehow have postseason implications. The Ohio State men’s soccer team (6-5-3, 3-1) is looking toward this weekend for a big match against No. 1 Indiana University (13-1, 4-0), in order to secure top seed in the Big Ten Conference tournament. Indiana, is sitting on top of the conference with an undefeated record in the Big Ten as both squads hunt for the No. 1 seed in the Nov. 13-15 postseason playoff. %^$
OSU vs. INDIANA%^$
Indiana leads the all time series 33-1-0. The last time the Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers was in 1955. This is a re-match of last year’s Big Ten championship game as the Hoosiers came away with a 1-0 decision. It marked the first time the Buckeyes have ever made it to the final round.%^$
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS%^$
Indiana is facing its third conference match in a row against the Buckeyes. In it’s last two matches, IU has knocked off both Northwestern (1-0) and Wisconsin (3-0). The only loss for the Hoosiers this season was against Southern Methodist University (Sept. 12). Indiana fell short to SMU 2-0. The Hoosiers are ranked first in the Big Ten in both scoring and goalkeeping. Aleksey Korol leads the Hoosiers and the Big Ten in scoring (8G, 5A, 21 P). His teammates, Dema Kovalenko and Lazo Alavanja are ranked just behind him for scoring , respectively in the Big Ten. Kovalenko with 7G, 4A, 3 GWG, and Alavanja with 6G and 7A. Sophomore goalkeeper T.J. Hannig has only been scored on four times this season. He leads the conference with eleven shutouts and the nation with a GAA of 0.29.%^$
BIG TEN SCENERIO – CAN OSU BE NO. 1?%^$
Yes. The upcoming weekend is the last for conference play before the Big Ten tournament. Ohio State which is 3-1 in the conference is tied for second in the Big Ten with Penn State. The Buckeyes play host to No. 2 Indiana which rests atop the conference at 4-0. If OSU beats Indiana and Penn State loses to Michigan State, the Buckeyes will be first in the conference. If OSU beats Indiana and Penn State beats MSU there will be a three-way tie (4-1) for first place in the conference between OSU, PSU, and IU. A tie breaker would go into effect. The procedure to break the tie and determine a winner would go as follows: Head-to-head results, goal difference between goals scored, comparison of total goals scored, best record by points, (3-win, 1-tie, 0-loss) versus teams ranked above, best record determined by points versus teams below, and a coin flip.%^$
BUCKEYES DROP TO PENN STATE%^$
The Buckeyes battled Penn State last Sunday in a critical match and fell short in overtime, 1-0. The OSU offense dominated most of the game, outshooting PSU 10-5, but PSU keeper Whit Gibson came up with four saves, including one on an OSU penalty kick in the first half. The Nittany Lions scored after Jon McClay was leveled in the penalty box by Jon Lowery, earning a free kick that he buried. %^$
JUST ONE GOAL%^$
The Buckeyes and Jon Lowery have been scored on just once in their three Big Ten matches this season.
