Hoosiers advance to College Cup final by sticking to principles

For Indiana, the mission was simple — win and advance. The quest for their ninth NCAA championship was on the line. They had to shut down an explosive Pittsburgh offense. If they could control Pitt, they could control the game.

It wasn’t easy, but Friday night the Hoosiers relied on some defensive principles and stayed focused. A 79th-minute goal by Herbert Endeley proved to be the difference as IU (12-1-2) earned a 1-0 win and its 16th trip to the final.

“Ultimately, our game plan in the second half was to come out stronger,” Endeley said. “We knew we’d be able to finish out the job if we stuck to our principles and everything that we had talked about before the game and at halftime. I think that’s what won us the game.”

Pitt threw everything they had at the Hoosiers. They outshot IU 14-7. Indiana had a look early in the match, when Thomas Warr was in the right place at the right time. Warr connected with a loose ball and ricocheted the attempt off a Pitt defender. But then it became a Panthers show. 

Veljko Petkovic nearly found the net in the 41st and 44th minutes. His first attempt soared over the crossbar. IU goalkeeper Roman Celentano grabbed the second, preserving the 0-0 score at the half.

In the second half, Indiana’s Victor Bezerra barely missed the goal in the 57th minute. But one minute later, Hoosiers fans were silenced as Filip Mirkovic’s attempt bounced off the crossbar and down. The referee called for a video replay to make sure the ball did not cross the line. He ruled no goal and the game resumed.

Neither team sat back, but the Hoosiers finally broke through in the 79th minute. For the final 11 minutes, they defended from front to back. And Celentano remained a force in the back, directing traffic and keeping his net clean.

“The difference was our defensive principles and key moments,” head coach Todd Yeagley said. “And being able to take away some of the things they do really well. The adaptability of this team is fantastic. The resilience is phenomenal. This team has been an absolute joy to coach in a tough year. To be here with one game remaining is really special.”

The Panthers wrapped up the season with a 16-4-0 record and a season to be proud of. They certainly proved to be a handful for the Hoosiers. Pitt head coach Jay Vidovich said he couldn’t have been more proud of his players.

“They got the goal at the perfect time for them,” Vidovich said. “There was just enough time that if they got the second goal they could put the knife in our back. It was very hard to come back. We didn’t have enough time. Our guys fought through. They executed. We just came up short. That’s the nature of our game.”

IU faces off with Marshall for the first time in team history in Monday’s final at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Marshall (12-2-3) topped North Carolina 1-0 in its semifinal. It’s only the second tournament appearance for the Herd. The Hoosiers are making their 16th appearance in the final. Indiana leads the NCAA with a 95-34-6 all-time record in the tournament. IU last won the championship in 2012, a 1-0 win over Georgetown.

KEEPING IT CLEAN

With the win Friday night, Celentano collected his ninth shutout, the 10th for the team as a whole in 15 matches. The Hoosiers last allowed a goal in the third round in a 2-1 win over Marquette. IU has allowed just five goals all season.

Marshall goalkeeper Oliver Semmle also has 10 shutouts in 17 games. Clemson was the last team to score against Marshall, forcing a 1-1 draw in third-round action. The Herd outlasted the Tigers 7-6 on PKs to advance. Marshall has allowed just eight goals on the season.

GETTING OFFENSIVE

Endeley tallied his fourth goal of the season in Friday’s win. Seven Hoosiers have scored multiple times for IU. Bezerra leads the attack with 12 goals. The Hoosiers have scored 31 goals this season. Marshall’s Vitor Dias leads the Herd with six of the club’s 28 goals this season. Six players have scored multiple goals for Marshall.

BOTTOM LINE

Statistically, the teams are close. They’re both full of talent on both offense and defense. It’ll be a hard-fought match, a classic championship. Neither team has anything to lose.

“The goal is to win a national championship,” Marshall head coach Chris Grassie said. “We are as capable of winning it as anyone in the country. Our job’s not done.”

For Yeagley and the Hoosiers, a 90-minute game is the only thing standing between them and a ninth national championship. Expect them to come out firing on all cylinders Monday night.

“This team has a lot of strength in key spots,” Yeagley said. “We’re a really good team when defending. Our individual principles are strong. We work on that all the time. The bonding that we’ve done has taken our team to the next level. We’ve always had good team chemistry. But I feel it’s at another all-time high. Everyone knows their role and is 100% in it. And that’s what you need.”

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.