BOX SCORE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The University of Evansville men’s soccer team fell 2-0 to No. 16 Indiana in its final non-conference game Wednesday night in Bloomington, Ind.  The Hoosiers scored a pair of first-half goals and kept UE off the score sheet for their ninth shutout of the year.
 
Eriq Zavaleta netted the eventual game-winner for IU in the 25th minute, scoring on a diving header.  Nikita Kotlov scored the only other goal of the match in the 31st minute to make the final tally 2-0 in favor of Indiana. 
 
Zavaleta gave the Hoosiers a 1-0 lead midway through the first half with a diving header for his 14th goal of the year.  Zavaleta made a quick sprint through the middle of the box and finished a short cross from Patrick Doody in the 25th minute.
 
IU’s lead was pushed to 2-0 just under six minutes later, when Kotlov scored an unassisted goal in the 31st minute.  Kotlov dribbled down the near end line and snuck a shot just inside the lower corner of the far post for his third tally of the season.
 
The Hoosiers posted a 13-2 shot advantage in the first 45 minutes and took the only corner kick of the first half.
 
Indiana controlled possession and tempo in the early part of the second half, but Evansville was able to push forward on a few long balls over the top of the IU defense.  However, the Aces could not beat Hoosier goalkeeper Luis Soffner, who recorded his ninth shutout of the season.
 
The Aces’ best chance came with 90 seconds remaining, when Soffner made a diving save to keep a header by Nate Opperman out of the back of the net on a loose ball that deflected off an IU defender and into the air in front of Opperman inside the six-yard box.
 
Dylan Terry led the Aces offensively with three shots, including two on goal.  Three other Evansville players each fired a shot to account for UE’s six chances.  Eric Teppen made six saves in the loss, collecting four in the second half.
 
Evansville will return to Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 27, when it travels to take on Drake to take on the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. in Des Moines, Iowa.