Indiana heads to Elite 8 eyeing 22nd College Cup appearance
Soccer. It’s a funny game. You can play your best for 90 minutes and still come up short. Some call it luck. Some call it persistence. Some call it a group of talented individuals coming together and earning a win.
Sunday evening, the IU men’s soccer team did just that. From the front to the back, they played a complete game. They passed well. They created chance after chance. Two minutes into the second half, they scored. And they made it stick. They continued to create some chances, but also turned up the defense.
In the 47th minute, Ryan Wittenbrink centered a corner kick on target. Brett Bebej jumped up and headed it into the upper netting for a 1-0 lead. IU took 12 corner kicks, including 10 in the first half. And finally a set play turned into a goal. Marshall had just one in the second half. Thundering Herd goalkeeper Oliver Semmle made five saves on the day.
Marshall University had some good looks. The Thundering Herd did not go down without a fight. Offensively Marshall registered 12 shots to IU’s 10, including eight in the second half. Hoosier goalkeeper JT Harms made two saves. His defense stood strong in front of him, clearing the other close calls.
After 90+ minutes, the Hoosiers earned the hard-fought 1-0 win and trip to the Elite 8. There was no doubt this team was on a mission. Next up the No. 13 seeded Hoosiers will play No. 12 seed University of North Carolina Greensboro Saturday at 5:00 p.m. ET. IU has advanced to the quarterfinals for the eighth-straight year and 28th time in 50 seasons.
So what’s next? Well, if IU continues to play complete matches, the future looks bright. After all, one more win and the Hoosiers will head to Cary, North Carolina for the College Cup. But there are still 90 minutes to be played.
UNCG (13-1-6) is only one of two teams still standing with just one loss. The Spartans topped Mercer 2-1 in the Southern Conference Tournament to earn their fifth automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They sat out the first round. UNCG then tied both Ohio State and Stanford 1-1, advancing on penalty kicks (6-5 vs. OSU and 3-1 vs. Stanford). They’re undefeated at home with a 9-0-2 record this season.
The Spartans offense has proven to be explosive, posting 268 shots to 162, while netting 46 goals to 17 and forcing opponents to make 84 saves. The defense has been tested this season, as well with Niclas Wild and Jarrett Payne combining for 44 saves. They’ve also posted six shutouts. Marco Afonso (8 goals, 8 assists), Ismail El Harchi (10 goals, 3 assists) and J.C. Ngando (4 goals and 14 assists) lead the attack.
IU (12-4-6) has yet to allow a goal in tournament play. And has outscored opponents 2-0 in its first two matches. Harms, Austin Himebaugh and Bryant Pratt have combined for seven shutouts, compared to just one for opponents.
So the solution is simple, shut down UNCG’s offense. Man mark. Man mark. Man mark. And score a goal. If the Hoosiers can hold the Spartans scoreless, they may just advance. And if UNCG forces PKs, well, let’s hope Harms is up to the task. Without any regular-season PK decisions, it’s a whole new world. Only time will tell if IU has what it takes to earn a trip to the College Cup.
The other six teams standing will also play Dec. 3.
Pitt (11-4-5) vs. Portland (15-2-3) 1:00 p.m. ET
No. 3 seed Syracuse (16-2-4) vs. Vermont (16-3-2) 2:00 p.m. ET
No. 7 seed Duke (13-1-4) vs. Creighton (12-4-6) at 1:00 p.m. ET
Only four teams are still seeded from the original 16. After this weekend, one seeded team is guaranteed to go home. But it could be as many as three since the name of the game this season is upsets.
Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.
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