Maisonneuve key player for Indiana

Maisonneuve key player for Indiana

Midfielder to lead IU against UCLA in MetLife Classic

By Tim Costner

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Indiana’s Brian Maisonneuve might just be the most dangerous
player the No. 4 UCLA men’s soccer team faces this year.

The senior midfielder leads the top-ranked Hoosiers in scoring
this season with 28 points on 11 goals and six assists, but even
more impressive than his numbers is his ability to create
opportunities.

"He’s really quick with the ball, he has good ball control and
his shots are incredible," said UCLA’s Frankie Hejduk, who has
played with Maisonneuve on the under-23 national team. "He has a
rocket shot and is really accurate. He scored two goals against a
Holland First Division team that’s in third place right now. He’s
big-time on the shot. You can’t let him get open ­ from 18
yards out he’ll put it in half the time."

And this year Maisonneuve has put in three game-winners,
including two goals against former No. 1 St. Louis. And although he
hasn’t scored since Sept. 30, that’s because ­ like UCLA
­ Indiana has a number of players who can score.

The Hoosiers currently have three players with 20 points or
more, and have out-scored their opponents a very frightening 50-4
during their current 15-game winning streak. Indiana has outscored
its opponents 52-6 on the season.

"We’re a pretty mature team," Maisonneuve said. "We have eight
seniors and five juniors. We know how each of us plays and we know
what type of player each of us is. Right now we’re playing well,
and I think we’re clicking a lot better than we were at the
beginning of the season, but I think we still have room to
improve."

One area where the Hoosiers would be hard-pressed to improve is
on defense. Indiana keeper Scott Coufal leads the nation in
goals-against-average at .40 ­ just ahead of UCLA’s Chris
Snitko, who ranks second in the country.

"We’ve got a very exceptional defense," Maisonneuve said. "I
think a lot of our offense comes from our defense and vice-versa.
To say we’re an all-offensive team is wrong, to say we’re an
all-defensive team is wrong. We like to work an equilibrium."

Against UCLA this Sunday, Maisonneuve predicts that the game
will be hard-fought, but would like to see his team try to
establish control of the game early and for 90 minutes.

"We like to score quickly on teams, but that doesn’t always
happen," Maisonneuve said. "We like to keep possession of the ball
and play a pretty attractive brand of soccer. I think UCLA will be
our toughest game of the season. I think we need to play a good
team defense in the back, obviously, but also through the midfield
­ and even our front-runners need to pressure the ball."

And as for his own role in the game, Maisonneuve feels that he
needs to play to his strengths, which ­ in addition to his
good shot ­ includes ball control and possession.

"I’d have go to with ball-possession as my greatest strength,"
Maisonneuve said. "I like to keep the ball, and try to utilize the
players around me. I’ve got some great players at my feet, so I
like to get the ball to them and let them play to their strengths.
I figure if we keep the ball, then there’s less defense that we
have to play."