Hoosiers Handle Bowling Green, Advance to Sweet 16

Sunday, November 21

Bloomington, Ind.

2:00 PM

Indiana University

15-5-1, 5-3-0

Bowling Green

11-6-3, 2-2-2

Bowling Green

Indiana

Hoosiers Handle Bowling Green, Advance to Sweet 16

11/21/2021 6:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It was a sweet – and soggy – afternoon in Bloomington.

With a pair of second-half goals, Indiana men's soccer (15-5-1, 5-3-0 B1G) took care of business in its NCAA Tournament Second Round match, beating Bowling Green (11-6-3, 2-2-2 MAC), 2-0, Sunday (Nov. 21) on a rain-soaked Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

With the win, IU advances to the third round of the tournament for the seventh straight season. It will await the winner of Portland and No. 2 overall seed Washington, set to take place Sunday night.

A pair of veterans got on the scoresheet as junior Victor Bezerra opened the scoring in the 47th minute, followed by redshirt senior Spencer Glass' 61st minute rocket to extend the lead.

"We knew this would be a dog fight today, and I also felt that maybe [Bowling Green] felt an advantage with the conditions [and] being a team that's a little more physical," IU men's soccer head coach Todd Yeagley said. "I was really proud of our guys. I thought we dug in to a different level today and had a change, a bit, of how we played and adjusted. And that's tournament play. You have to find a way."

KEY MOMENTS
• Neither team could break the deadlock in the first 45 minutes as the sides became familiar with the adverse pitch conditions. The two teams totaled four shots, with the lone shot on goal coming in the 14th minute as Bowling Green's Kale Nichols aimed towards the near post in traffic. Roman Celentano was in position, though, and collected easily.
• Three minutes into the second half, a cross from Ryan Wittenbrink was deflected from a Falcon header to the feet of Bezerra about 10 yards out. Bezerra collected, found the open side of goal and blasted home.
• BGSU's Zach Buescher nearly leveled it in the 54th minute as he took a shot from the top of the box that sailed over Celentano but ricocheted off the crossbar.
• In the 61st minute, Herbert Endeley charged a compressed BGSU back line, allowing Glass to run free his left. He fed Glass, who speared a left-footed blast off the far post and in.
• Bowling Green put together four shots between the 65th and 66th minutes in and around the box, but the IU defense did well to deflect all four.

NOTABLES
• Indiana is the only program to reach the NCAA Tournament Third Round in each of the last seven seasons, pending a Wake Forest result Sunday evening. The Demon Deacons would need to upset No. 13 overall seed FIU to rival IU as the only other program to boast such a streak.
• Indiana has won nine straight matches at Bill Armstrong Stadium, improving its season home record to 11-3-0.
• Bezerra notched his seventh goal of the season to tie freshman Samuel Sarver for the team lead. The junior has scored 27 goals in his three seasons at IU.
• Glass' goal was his first of the season and No. 10 of his career. IU has scored 36 goals in 21 matches from 13 different scorers.
• Indiana posted its 13th shutout of the season and 11th in its last 14 matches.
• Celentano stretched his career-high season shutout total to 11. It was also the 28th clean sheet of his career, putting him in a tie for ninth-most in program history with Cary Feld (1974-77).
• Originally scheduled for a noon ET kickoff, the match was delayed until 2 p.m. due to poor pitch conditions caused by overnight rain.

UP NEXT
IU moves on to the Sweet 16 to face Portland or No. 2 national seed Washington. Date, kickoff time and location to be announced pending Sunday night's result between the west coast clubs.

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