Reflecting on College Cup final, Indiana’s season

Relentless. I look back on last Monday’s national championship between Indiana and Marshall and that’s the word that comes to mind. Marshall was relentless in their attack. They dominated the ball. They shut down the Hoosiers offense. And yet, IU’s players didn’t give up kicking and screaming. They fought until the bitter end. And in the 98th minute, their dreams of capturing a ninth star were doused.

The IU players stepped up defensively. Every single Hoosier defended. Goalkeeper Roman Celentano was peppered with attempts. He made seven saves on the night. The last save fell right in front of Marshall’s Jamil Roberts. The international player from Langport, England tapped it into the net.

“It was déjà vu,” Roberts said. “Their ‘keeper makes a decent save and I’m there to tap it in. Luckily, I was in the right place at the right time. That’s why we train. I make that run 20-30 times in a game. It only takes that one time for the ball to drop. As coach always says, we love tap-ins.”

After 97 scoreless minutes, one goal, a golden goal was the difference that led Marshall to its first-ever national championship.

“It feels a little bit surreal right now, to be honest,” Marshall head coach Chris Grassie said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of. I’ve been on the wrong side of this press conference three too many times, so to finally win it is just a bit of a relief.”

Grassie led the Herd to the championship in just his fourth season. The Friday after the championship, Grassie inked a five-year deal with Marshall. He’ll be back, as will all his players except for Roberts.

“Big congratulations to Indiana. I thought they played really, really well,” Grassie said. “They caused us problems on the counterattack, particularly in the first half. We had to kind of deal with that. But we just kept doing our thing, playing our style, keeping the ball knocking around. I just felt there was only going to be one winner. I’m glad we got it when we did. When it went in, it just felt so real.”

But is Marshall for real? It sure looks that way. With most of the players returning in the fall, Grassie said his focus will soon shift to the future.

“I find my attention turning to 2021,” he said. “How do we repeat? How can we evolve this team? This feeling? What do we have to do to take this magic and transplant it to next season and evolve?”

Evolving and growing is nothing new for the Hoosiers. After the goal, Marshall celebrated. And the Hoosiers stood around the field in disbelief. But it was redshirt senior AJ Palazzolo who caught my attention. Palazzolo stood in the middle of the pitch, looking lost. He stared at the video screen that kept flashing “Marshall wins.” He stood there and stared with a blank expression. Five seasons. Five seasons and his last one ended on the wrong side of a national championship.

“I’m pretty speechless right now,” Palazzolo said. “We dug in tonight. We battled. It just didn’t go our way. I love this team. I love this program. It sucks to go out like this. But we’ve got to keep our heads held high. We’ve got a hell of a team. I’m so proud of my guys.”

And proud he should be. A team that played only a conference schedule improved with every match. They overcame adversity and lost just one match in the regular season, 1-0 to Northwestern. And no, it wasn’t a regular 17-plus-game season. It was a 10-game regular season, with two cancelled games. Nevertheless, IU outscored Big Ten competition 19-2. They won the regular-season conference title and the Big Ten tournament title. Three more wins and the Hoosiers earned a trip to their 21st College Cup and 16th final. A 12-2-2 record is not too shabby.

The Hoosiers have a winning tradition. In 48 collegiate seasons, Indiana leads the NCAA with a 779-183-104 record, including an impressive 95-35-6 record in tournament play. Palazzolo was a part of some amazing teams. During his tenure at IU, the Hoosiers posted a 77-11-20 record and made three College Cups. Unfortunately, Palazzolo and company fell short of winning a national championship. But players like him are the heart and soul of IU soccer.

“At Indiana, we grind,” Palazzolo said. “Tonight we got a little unlucky. Everyone worked their asses off — everyone that stepped on the field. Even though it’s my last game and it sucks to go out like this, I’m just so happy to be a part of this team. I love this team. I’m so proud of how hard we worked all year, especially tonight, even though we couldn’t get that ninth star.”

For Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley, he knows the thrill of winning. He also knows the agony of defeat. For those 16 finals that IU has been to, they’ve walked away with eight championships. Yeagley has been there for all of them, whether a young boy in the stands, player on the pitch, guest radio host in a press box, an assistant coach or a head coach. He’s been there. He feels all the feels.

“These kids come to IU to play in these games, to be in a championship match,” Yeagley said. “To be in our 21st College Cup and to do the things this program has done, although difficult in this moment… I told the guys that everyone is proud of them. When the time is right and they’re able to reflect… I was in their same shoes as a senior losing my last game. That’s a tough one. They’ll be proud though in the years ahead.”

Once again, the Hoosiers did not go down without a fight. While Marshall dominated possession and frustrated IU’s offense, IU hung in there. The Thundering Herd outshot the Hoosiers 17-8, forcing seven corner kicks and sending eight attempts on target. Again, Celentano had seven saves. And plenty of other Hoosiers sent a few balls sailing out of harm’s way. Actually, the tide was turning for IU. In the first overtime period, the Hoosiers found a way to take control. They were playing their style for a few minutes. And then Marshall raced down the pitch and the rest is history.

Marshall is full of international players. And players that came together at the right time.

“We knew they were going to have a lot of possession, a lot of the ball,” Palazzolo said. “Our game plan, we played it well. We just couldn’t execute our chances. We created a lot of chances. We defended our asses off. Marshall’s a great side. We worked our asses off and did everything we could to win that game.”

It wasn’t the end the Hoosiers had hoped for, but there is no doubt that the 2020 season will go down as one of IU’s finest. And for Yeagley, it will soon be time to also look toward next season.

“I’m really proud of this team,” Yeagley said. “I love the guys that wear the uniform. This program means a lot to me. There are a lot of emotions right now going through me, being so close to getting our ninth star. Just like I learned from the players before me, you learn how to win at this program. You learn how to discipline. You learn how to be selfless. And you have an awesome time doing it. Those are the things that we’ll get back to. I’m confident we’ll be back in this position in the near future. The next group that’s coming in, that’s going to be their time to take the torch and get us there.”

You won’t have to wait long to see who the final four standing in the 2021 season are. College Cup 2021 is currently scheduled for Dec. 10 and Dec. 12 in Cary, N.C. Stay tuned.

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

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