DiPrimio: Breakthrough – Wittenbrink’s Clutch Scoring Paces IU’s Soccer Run
11/23/2022 2:28:00 PM | Men's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Goalkeepers beware. Ryan Wittenbrink is the last person you want near you with the soccer game on the line.
Wittenbrink, an Indiana senior forward, delivers clutch goals at a rate that can deliver championships.
If you know anything about Hoosier men's soccer, you know championships top the priority list.
Wittenbrink had the late-second half, game-winning goal in IU's NCAA tourney second-round win over Saint Louis last weekend. It sent the No. 13-seed Hoosiers (11-4-6) into Sunday night's Sweet 16 matchup with unseeded Marshall (12-3-3) at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
It was Wittenbrink's his fifth game-winning goal this season. That leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally.
What's his big-goal secret?
"It starts with our coaching staff and my teammates giving me the confidence and putting me in good spots and getting me the ball in good spots," he says.
"It's been a blast. There's nothing better than scoring goals that help you win."
This highlights a breakthrough final season that includes first-team All-Big Ten recognition.
"I've been on a good run," Wittenbrink says. "I'm in good form. Hopefully, I'll keep it going."
Wittenbrink is doing what every athlete wants to do – make your senior season your best.
He leads IU in goals (9), assists (8) and points (26). This is a big jump given Wittenbrink had a total of eight goals and 23 points combined for his first three seasons. Plus, he made College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
"He's really confident," coach Todd Yeagley says. "You take a confident player with the abilities he has in striking the ball, that's what you need. We have had that confident attacker in most of our (deep NCAA tourney) runs."
Adds Wittenbrink: "It's about putting it all together. It's kind of been night and day, and a lot of it is attributed to the culture here and Todd and his staff. We have a good training environment. You get a lot better here, and then my teammates push me."
Those are teammates such as Tommy Mihalic (6 goals, 14 points), Herbert Endeley (3 goals, 11 points) and Samuel Sarver (3 goals, 9 points). Nine Hoosiers have scored at least two goals.
"It's super helpful that our whole four can score and our dangerous," Wittenbrink says. "We have talented guys across the board. That helps because teams can't hone in on any of us. That opens space, individually."
Wittenbrink's scoring knack was honed as a youth by his club coach, former IU All-American Robert Meschbach, a prolific scorer in high school (105 goals in his last two seasons) and then for the Hoosiers (61 goals, including 27 as a senior to lead the nation).
Wittenbrink was second in the nation in scoring in the U18 National League. In high school action, he had 68 goals and 42 assists while helping Libertyville to a 2015 Illinois state title.
While Wittenbrink wasn't considered a national recruit, Meschbach let Yeagley know he had a player with a special ability to strike the ball.
"When we first saw him," Yeagley says, "you could see his technique and that he struck the ball clean, but he didn't have the other areas of his game cleaned up."
IU has a list of All-Americans with similar backgrounds. They arrive with heart, dedication and holes in their games, and develop into elite players.
"He had a very natural progression – two steps forward, one back in his development," Yeagley says. "Now everything is forward. He's not going back to (bad) habits."
Wittenbrink redshirted his first season, played in just three games in his second season, then started three matches in each of his next two seasons before finally becoming a full-time starter.
"I've been here for a long time," he says. "I've been in every role you can think of – I redshirted, then I didn't play a lot, then I came off the bench. Now I'm starting.
"I've gotten to see how it all works. I learned a lot. I came in this season super fit. I always had confidence I could perform at this level."
When doubts surfaced, his parents, Mark and Pam Wittenbrink, as well as Meschbach, had his back.
"I've leaned on them through my time here," Wittenbrink says. "All three have been my rocks.
"(Meschbach) played at a high level here. As my club coach, he helped me with tips and how to score goals. I talk to him every week or so to check in. He still gives me pointers. It's good to have him to talk to."
The Thanksgiving break finds Wittenbrink and teammates spending their time away from soccer … watching soccer. A four-TV set up provides opportunities to watch NCAA tourney games or World Cup matches, as well as play video games.
"It's a blast," Wittenbrink says. "We have practice and film in the mornings. The rest of the day is pretty fun."
That Indiana is the last remaining Big Ten team is no surprise. It's won eight national championships and appeared in a record 21 College Cups. The Hoosiers also have earned nine straight national seeds and made the NCAA tourney for 36 straight seasons, 47 overall.
They were positioned to win Big Ten regular season and conference tourney titles. That they didn't provides motivation to win the championship that matters most.
"It's been a season of ups and downs, but more ups," Wittenbrink says. "Hopefully, we can use those losses as a learning experience to better perform in the next games.
"We have a lot of guys with good experience in big games. We'll lean on that, lean on the tradition and history of Indiana, lean at that winning culture, to get better."
It starts with Marshall, a program that can stir painful memories for the Cream 'n Crimson faithful.
These teams last played for a NCAA title in May of 2021. Marshall won 1-0 in overtime, and while the Hoosiers remember, revenge doesn't dominate their thoughts.
Winning does.
"We have that in the back of our minds," Wittenbrink says. "It leaves a sour taste, but there has been a lot of (player) turnover from both teams. Those who were there remember it, but we'll but treat it like another game."
Yeagley says mentioning the previous game serves little purpose.
"You don't need to fuel that fire. It's already there.
"Marshall is very talented. We're focused on them. It's the next game; the opportunity in front of you."
Marshall has won two NCAA tourney games so far, including upsetting No. 4 seed Virginia on the road by penalty kicks.
"Marshall is really good team, a very talented team," Wittenbrink says, "but we're confident that we can keep this run going."
No matter what happens Sunday, this is IU's final home game of the season. The Hoosiers are 8-1-3 at Bill Armstrong Stadium with the only loss coming to No. 1 Kentucky in late October. They have won their last two home matches, both by 1-0 scores -- against Penn State in the Big Ten tourney and Saint Louis in the NCAA tourney.
The next potential opponent – the winner between No. 5 Stanford and No. 12 UNC-Greensboro – will host as the higher seed.
That makes this game bittersweet for Wittenbrink and the rest of the seniors.
"For a bunch of us, this is our last go at it," he says. "It's been a history fun these last five years. We're giving it our all and are fully locked in.
"We've done a good job of protecting home field. We want to keep that going and the momentum from the last few games."
The goal, as it always is for Indiana, isn't just to win Sunday and reach the Elite Eight. It's to win that ninth national title.
The College Cup is set for Dec. 9-12 in Cary, North Carolina.
"It's been a great journey here," Wittenbrink says. "We want to keep going and trust the process. We have a good balance between having fun and being serious.
"It's win or go home. It's our last go at it, so it's easy to be locked in and ready to go."
Wittenbrink, an Indiana senior forward, delivers clutch goals at a rate that can deliver championships.
If you know anything about Hoosier men's soccer, you know championships top the priority list.
Wittenbrink had the late-second half, game-winning goal in IU's NCAA tourney second-round win over Saint Louis last weekend. It sent the No. 13-seed Hoosiers (11-4-6) into Sunday night's Sweet 16 matchup with unseeded Marshall (12-3-3) at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
It was Wittenbrink's his fifth game-winning goal this season. That leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally.
What's his big-goal secret?
"It starts with our coaching staff and my teammates giving me the confidence and putting me in good spots and getting me the ball in good spots," he says.
"It's been a blast. There's nothing better than scoring goals that help you win."
This highlights a breakthrough final season that includes first-team All-Big Ten recognition.
"I've been on a good run," Wittenbrink says. "I'm in good form. Hopefully, I'll keep it going."
Wittenbrink is doing what every athlete wants to do – make your senior season your best.
He leads IU in goals (9), assists (8) and points (26). This is a big jump given Wittenbrink had a total of eight goals and 23 points combined for his first three seasons. Plus, he made College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
"He's really confident," coach Todd Yeagley says. "You take a confident player with the abilities he has in striking the ball, that's what you need. We have had that confident attacker in most of our (deep NCAA tourney) runs."
Adds Wittenbrink: "It's about putting it all together. It's kind of been night and day, and a lot of it is attributed to the culture here and Todd and his staff. We have a good training environment. You get a lot better here, and then my teammates push me."
Those are teammates such as Tommy Mihalic (6 goals, 14 points), Herbert Endeley (3 goals, 11 points) and Samuel Sarver (3 goals, 9 points). Nine Hoosiers have scored at least two goals.
"It's super helpful that our whole four can score and our dangerous," Wittenbrink says. "We have talented guys across the board. That helps because teams can't hone in on any of us. That opens space, individually."
Wittenbrink's scoring knack was honed as a youth by his club coach, former IU All-American Robert Meschbach, a prolific scorer in high school (105 goals in his last two seasons) and then for the Hoosiers (61 goals, including 27 as a senior to lead the nation).
Wittenbrink was second in the nation in scoring in the U18 National League. In high school action, he had 68 goals and 42 assists while helping Libertyville to a 2015 Illinois state title.
While Wittenbrink wasn't considered a national recruit, Meschbach let Yeagley know he had a player with a special ability to strike the ball.
"When we first saw him," Yeagley says, "you could see his technique and that he struck the ball clean, but he didn't have the other areas of his game cleaned up."
IU has a list of All-Americans with similar backgrounds. They arrive with heart, dedication and holes in their games, and develop into elite players.
"He had a very natural progression – two steps forward, one back in his development," Yeagley says. "Now everything is forward. He's not going back to (bad) habits."
Wittenbrink redshirted his first season, played in just three games in his second season, then started three matches in each of his next two seasons before finally becoming a full-time starter.
"I've been here for a long time," he says. "I've been in every role you can think of – I redshirted, then I didn't play a lot, then I came off the bench. Now I'm starting.
"I've gotten to see how it all works. I learned a lot. I came in this season super fit. I always had confidence I could perform at this level."
When doubts surfaced, his parents, Mark and Pam Wittenbrink, as well as Meschbach, had his back.
"I've leaned on them through my time here," Wittenbrink says. "All three have been my rocks.
"(Meschbach) played at a high level here. As my club coach, he helped me with tips and how to score goals. I talk to him every week or so to check in. He still gives me pointers. It's good to have him to talk to."
The Thanksgiving break finds Wittenbrink and teammates spending their time away from soccer … watching soccer. A four-TV set up provides opportunities to watch NCAA tourney games or World Cup matches, as well as play video games.
"It's a blast," Wittenbrink says. "We have practice and film in the mornings. The rest of the day is pretty fun."
That Indiana is the last remaining Big Ten team is no surprise. It's won eight national championships and appeared in a record 21 College Cups. The Hoosiers also have earned nine straight national seeds and made the NCAA tourney for 36 straight seasons, 47 overall.
They were positioned to win Big Ten regular season and conference tourney titles. That they didn't provides motivation to win the championship that matters most.
"It's been a season of ups and downs, but more ups," Wittenbrink says. "Hopefully, we can use those losses as a learning experience to better perform in the next games.
"We have a lot of guys with good experience in big games. We'll lean on that, lean on the tradition and history of Indiana, lean at that winning culture, to get better."
It starts with Marshall, a program that can stir painful memories for the Cream 'n Crimson faithful.
These teams last played for a NCAA title in May of 2021. Marshall won 1-0 in overtime, and while the Hoosiers remember, revenge doesn't dominate their thoughts.
Winning does.
"We have that in the back of our minds," Wittenbrink says. "It leaves a sour taste, but there has been a lot of (player) turnover from both teams. Those who were there remember it, but we'll but treat it like another game."
Yeagley says mentioning the previous game serves little purpose.
"You don't need to fuel that fire. It's already there.
"Marshall is very talented. We're focused on them. It's the next game; the opportunity in front of you."
Marshall has won two NCAA tourney games so far, including upsetting No. 4 seed Virginia on the road by penalty kicks.
"Marshall is really good team, a very talented team," Wittenbrink says, "but we're confident that we can keep this run going."
No matter what happens Sunday, this is IU's final home game of the season. The Hoosiers are 8-1-3 at Bill Armstrong Stadium with the only loss coming to No. 1 Kentucky in late October. They have won their last two home matches, both by 1-0 scores -- against Penn State in the Big Ten tourney and Saint Louis in the NCAA tourney.
The next potential opponent – the winner between No. 5 Stanford and No. 12 UNC-Greensboro – will host as the higher seed.
That makes this game bittersweet for Wittenbrink and the rest of the seniors.
"For a bunch of us, this is our last go at it," he says. "It's been a history fun these last five years. We're giving it our all and are fully locked in.
"We've done a good job of protecting home field. We want to keep that going and the momentum from the last few games."
The goal, as it always is for Indiana, isn't just to win Sunday and reach the Elite Eight. It's to win that ninth national title.
The College Cup is set for Dec. 9-12 in Cary, North Carolina.
"It's been a great journey here," Wittenbrink says. "We want to keep going and trust the process. We have a good balance between having fun and being serious.
"It's win or go home. It's our last go at it, so it's easy to be locked in and ready to go."
Players Mentioned
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