Young Hoosiers squad to host UCSB in NCAA Tournament 3rd round

The Indiana Hoosiers men’s soccer team is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. With 44 appearances, the Hoosiers (15-2-4) lead the NCAA. The third round is also old news. But for a young Hoosiers squad, they continue to defy the odds.

They’ve won two out of the three trophies this season: Big Ten regular-season champions and Big Ten Tournament champions. That leaves one trophy yet, the NCAA Tournament championship. The Hoosiers are two wins away from their 21st College Cup appearance and three wins away from the championship match.

Sunday, IU hosts UCSB in its third straight NCAA third round appearance. The teams take the pitch at noon ET.

So what makes this team so special?

They can score. It’s simple. Freshmen have tallied 22 of the Hoosiers’ 40 goals this season. Victor Bezerra leads the pack. After scoring a hat trick last week, Bezerra leads IU with eight goals. Joshua Penn ranks second with six goals. All in all, 14 players have found the back of the net for IU. And when it comes to assists, freshman Aidan Morris leads the club with eight.

They can defend. The Hoosiers have allowed 15 goals this season so far. Freshman Roman Celentano has allowed just seven, for eight shutouts in 13 starts. The last goal the Hoosiers allowed was Oct. 29 versus Ohio State, a 5-1 Hoosiers win. Since then they’ve outscored opponents 7-0.

So what’s the story with UCSB?

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (14-4-4) are fresh off a 4-0 domination of 12th-seeded St. Mary’s. Three second-half goals in 15 minutes secured the victory for the Gauchos. Rodney Michael led the team with the final two goals. UCSB made its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, receiving an at-large bid. In the first round, UCSB topped Cal 3-1.

UCSB has outscored opponents 44-21 this season. Will Baynham and Finn Ballard McBride lead the attack with nine goals each. Michael is on their heels with eight, while Candia Thibault has tallied seven. Ten Gauchos have combined for the club’s 44 goals. Defensively, the Gauchos have also been dominant, allowing just three goals in their last five matches and posting three shutouts. Goalkeeper Ben Roach has collected 11 shutouts to date.

The last time UCSB lost, they dropped a 2-0 decision to UC Davis in the Big West Tournament final Nov. 15.

So what does that mean for Sunday’s match?

Well… in tournament time anything is possible. All teams know that they have one more game. That’s it. You lose and go home. So they throw all their weapons at opponents.

The Hoosiers are riding a 38-match unbeaten streak at home. During that span they are 34-0-4. IU is also undefeated in its last eight matches. The Gauchos, however, lead the all-time series 3-2. The last time they met, in 2009, UCSB walked away with a 3-0 win. But the most notable win was Indiana, who topped the Gauchos on penalty kicks to win the 2004 NCAA title.

Sunday’s match will definitely be entertaining. Both teams will be bringing their “A” games. The winner will advance to play the winner of No. 4 seed Wake Forest vs. Michigan in the quarterfinal round. Wake Forest (14-4-2) toppled Maryland 3-0 in second round action. Michigan (11-4-6) snuck past Wright State 5-4 on penalty kicks.

Just like any sport, when it comes to the postseason, throw all stats and expectations out the window. Anything can happen. And expect the unexpected. And that’s what makes the postseason so much fun.

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

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