Hoosiers reach College Cup again in season that has been anything but normal
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (BVM) — The Indiana University men’s soccer program is no stranger to success. And even in a season unlike any other, the Hoosiers are continuing their winning tradition.
With a 2-0 win over Seton Hall on Monday, the Hoosiers reached their 21st College Cup in program history.
It’s what we do. pic.twitter.com/eZqC5DwMO6
— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) May 11, 2021
Head coach Todd Yeagley has been a part of Indiana’s success for quite some time, getting to two College Cups while being coached by his father in 2003 and 2004, and leading the team back to soccer’s final four in 2012, 2017 and 2018. In 2012, the Hoosiers won a national title, and now, this team will look to do the same.
“We have to take a moment to enjoy and celebrate what many feel as though IU soccer just does,” Yeagley said in a postgame press conference. “It’s hard to get to these games. Hopefully there’s more to this year. We have a lot of new faces and I’m excited for them to have this experience.”
The run began with a tremendous conference season for the Hoosiers, who won the Big Ten tournament over Penn State on penalty kicks. They entered the NCAA tournament with a 9-1-1 record, and the No. 3 overall seed in this year’s field.
Indiana outscored its opponents 25-3 throughout the year, led by stellar play from goalkeeper Roman Celentano, who posted shutouts in seven of the Hoosiers’ 11 games.
Offensively, the Hoosiers have spread the wealth, with nine players scoring at least one goal this season. The leader of the pack is sophomore forward Victor Bezerra, who led the Big Ten with 11 goals and 25 total points.
The dominance comes in what was a season unlike any before in college soccer. The fall season was of course moved to the spring, while the tournament has been held solely in North Carolina rather than having teams begin by playing at home. Add in following numerous COVID-19 testing protocols and regulations, and you have a season of firsts for many teams.
For the Hoosiers, a first-round bye gave them the chance to rest until opening the tournament against Northeast Conference champion St. Francis Brooklyn. Indiana defeated the Terriers 3-1 on penalty kicks to advance to the next round, where they would then defeat Marquette, 2-1. That set the stage for Monday’s quarterfinal matchup which yet again brought about some added adversity.
With just over three minutes left in the first half of Indiana’s matchup with Seton Hall, a rain storm caused a near 40-minute delay which sent both teams back to their busses in a scoreless game.
“We were on a bus for 40 minutes trying to talk to them and keep them loose,” Yeagley said. “You do the best you can in that scenario and there was no place to go. As we got closer we just reminded them, can we take advantage of these last three minutes of the half … That goes down as a first. I’ve been on buses waiting for things, maybe at halftime, but not for a delay to go to the Final Four.”
The Hoosiers would indeed take advantage and come out of the delay strong, as sophomore forward Ryan Wittenbrink scored a goal to get the Hoosiers on the board with just over 90 seconds remaining in the first half.
44’ | Through traffic.@ryanwitt23 | #IUMS pic.twitter.com/I3yZWi1w0I
— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) May 10, 2021
“This whole year has been one new challenge after the other,” Yeagley added. “We got the goal coming out and took advantage of that. The goal was key in the sense of the shot of confidence it gave the group. When you’ve got a lead in the quarterfinal, you’ve got a lot of juice in you and you can taste it a little bit easier.”
At the 57-minute, 45-second mark, senior Thomas Warr would score the second goal of the game, giving the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead that would never change.
58' | A+ celly slide. 👏@tw9rr | #IUMS pic.twitter.com/zKqhic12Za
— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) May 10, 2021
The defense continued to step up throughout the second frame, with Celentano blocking six shots on goal to earn his eighth shutout of the season.
“We asked him to be more aggressive tonight, we needed him to be,” Yeagley said. “Roman just took pressure off … He just didn’t allow them to get a good look. They made it really hard and that’s a tough team to defend.”
With the impressive victory, the Hoosiers are now just two wins away from their first national title since 2012.
“Today was not an easy day with the conditions, it was just a real gritty performance,” Yeagley noted. “Getting to a College Cup is really hard to do. This one is theirs, it’s uniquely theirs and I’m really proud of them. We’re very happy to be in this position, but at the same time, the crown jewel is still out there.”
Up next, they will do battle with No. 2 seed Pittsburgh on Friday night. Playing against the Panthers in 2019, Indiana is familiar with Pitt’s continually successful program, and Yeagley knows it will be a tough contest.
“We know the style they like to play and we play against a few teams that have a similar style,” Yeagley said about Pitt in a Tuesday press conference. I have a lot of respect for Jay Vidovich … Jay has done an unbelievable job rebranding Pitt. They’re an absolute contender as they’re showing so we’re going to have to be really good on Friday.”
A chance to earn the program’s ninth national championship is now on the line for the Hoosiers. The winner of Friday’s contest will face either Marshall or North Carolina for the title on Monday.
