Indiana University Athletics
DiPrimio: “They were terrific” – Hoosiers Fall Just Short of Another Title
12/13/2022 12:24:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
CARY, N.C. – Tears came. Of course, they did. Hoosiers lay strewn on the WakeMed Soccer Park field, buckled by emotion and the sense of what might have been.
Another overtime national championship opportunity. Another painful defeat, the third in the last six seasons, this time by a 7-6 penalty kick shootout to third-seeded Syracuse
"There's not much you can say or do for these guys," Indiana coach Todd Yeagley said. "There's a lot of tears. These guys care so much. They understand what it means to wear the jersey, and what it's all about. They invest a lot. When you do that, it can hurt more."
On a cold Monday night, hurt came with the force of a punch. IU (14-4-6) twice fought back from one-goal deficits. It overcame mistakes. It took blows, delivered them, refused to give into fatigue and pressure.
A ninth national title was so close and yet, so far. Syracuse (19-2-4) survived 110 minutes of soccer, and then a PK shootout, to win its first national championship.
"It was a physical game," Yeagley said. "It was two good teams going at it, leaving everything out there."
Added Orange coach Ian McIntyre: "This was a champion prize fight. It went all the way to the end. This group finds a way. They're so resilient and tough."
This was a match that reflected the best of college soccer – four goals, 35 regulation shots, 15 by the Hoosiers, nine saves, six by Harms, and enough drama to fill a screenplay.
"What a fabulous game," Yeagley said. "There was a lot of emotion, a lot of great soccer, a lot of great goals. It was a great showcase for what college soccer is."
IU hadn't allowed a goal the entire tournament, but with a pair of All-America strikers, Syracuse featured unique firepower. The Orange's Nathan Opoku ended that scoreless streak by rifling in his 11th goal with 21 minutes left in the first half. He added an assist nine minutes later.
"We knew this would be a tough game to get a shutout," Yeagley said.
The teams were tied 2-2 after regulation. Hoosier goals came from Patrick McDonald and Herbert Endeley.
For the sixth time in the last nine years, overtime would decide the champion. IU has been in three of those, and in the aftermath, goalkeeper JT Harms felt the pain, as much for his senior teammates playing their final college game as for his own disappointment.
"My best friends are on this team," Harms said. "I feel for the seniors. They deserve better. It is what it is. We'll bounce back. There's no doubt about it."
Harms, a junior, faced eight penalty kicks and stopped one when two stops were needed.
"Penalties aren't an ideal way to decide the game," Harms said, "but goalkeepers know this is the time to shine."
It was also time for those taking the kicks to shine. Ryan Wittenbrink, Tommy Mihalic, Samuel Sarver, Joey Maher, Luka Bezerra and Quinten Helmer made their Indiana penalty kicks. Karsen Henderlong and Maoloume Gouballe had theirs saved by the defensive player of the tournament, Syracuse goalkeeper Russell Shealy.
"I was confident in all of them," Yeagley said. "It's a difficult position to be in. It's such a tough situation. Even when you win, you feel for the other team. It's unique to our sport."
A fast and physical game, combined with a Hoosier backline lacking its previous sharpness created first-half problems. Missing a couple of great early scoring looks created more.
The Hoosiers didn't rattle. Trailing 2-1 at halftime (McDonald had the lone IU goal), opportunity was there.
Their second-half challenge -- tighten up the defense, push the offensive attack. As Yeagley told ESPNU, "We're going to get after this team."
They did. They unleashed a second-half flurry of shots and corner kicks. They pushed and pushed and pushed some more.
Mihalic just missed a long opportunity. Endeley had a shot deflected away. Finally, with 11 minutes left in regulation, Syracuse cracked. Endeley got free and drilled the equalizer. A hug from freshman midfielder Jack Wagoner followed.
Another goal didn't.
Overtime.
It came with a twist. The golden goal was gone. Teams would play two 10-minute periods. If it was still tied, it would go to penalty kicks.
Wittenbrink's cross near the end of the first overtime period was tantalizingly close to producing a score. An in-the-box collision to Maher left Yeagley screaming for a foul and a penalty kick that never came.
Sarver's second overtime period shot hit the outside of the net. Wagoner just missed on a shot attempt. Syracuse couldn't convert on a couple of chances.
Penalty kicks had arrived, and an Orange victory came soon after.
"Indiana has been one of the historical programs that does everything right," McIntyre said. "They are one of the benchmarks. I have so much respect for them being consistently the best. They were terrific."
The Hoosiers will be terrific again, Harms said.
"I hope to be in this position next year and be on the other side of the story."
"I don't think of this as a lost opportunity," Yeagley said. "If we continue to do things well, things will happen. We'll do everything we can to keep the program moving forward."
IUHoosiers.com
CARY, N.C. – Tears came. Of course, they did. Hoosiers lay strewn on the WakeMed Soccer Park field, buckled by emotion and the sense of what might have been.
Another overtime national championship opportunity. Another painful defeat, the third in the last six seasons, this time by a 7-6 penalty kick shootout to third-seeded Syracuse
"There's not much you can say or do for these guys," Indiana coach Todd Yeagley said. "There's a lot of tears. These guys care so much. They understand what it means to wear the jersey, and what it's all about. They invest a lot. When you do that, it can hurt more."
On a cold Monday night, hurt came with the force of a punch. IU (14-4-6) twice fought back from one-goal deficits. It overcame mistakes. It took blows, delivered them, refused to give into fatigue and pressure.
A ninth national title was so close and yet, so far. Syracuse (19-2-4) survived 110 minutes of soccer, and then a PK shootout, to win its first national championship.
"It was a physical game," Yeagley said. "It was two good teams going at it, leaving everything out there."
Added Orange coach Ian McIntyre: "This was a champion prize fight. It went all the way to the end. This group finds a way. They're so resilient and tough."
This was a match that reflected the best of college soccer – four goals, 35 regulation shots, 15 by the Hoosiers, nine saves, six by Harms, and enough drama to fill a screenplay.
"What a fabulous game," Yeagley said. "There was a lot of emotion, a lot of great soccer, a lot of great goals. It was a great showcase for what college soccer is."
IU hadn't allowed a goal the entire tournament, but with a pair of All-America strikers, Syracuse featured unique firepower. The Orange's Nathan Opoku ended that scoreless streak by rifling in his 11th goal with 21 minutes left in the first half. He added an assist nine minutes later.
"We knew this would be a tough game to get a shutout," Yeagley said.
The teams were tied 2-2 after regulation. Hoosier goals came from Patrick McDonald and Herbert Endeley.
For the sixth time in the last nine years, overtime would decide the champion. IU has been in three of those, and in the aftermath, goalkeeper JT Harms felt the pain, as much for his senior teammates playing their final college game as for his own disappointment.
"My best friends are on this team," Harms said. "I feel for the seniors. They deserve better. It is what it is. We'll bounce back. There's no doubt about it."
Harms, a junior, faced eight penalty kicks and stopped one when two stops were needed.
"Penalties aren't an ideal way to decide the game," Harms said, "but goalkeepers know this is the time to shine."
It was also time for those taking the kicks to shine. Ryan Wittenbrink, Tommy Mihalic, Samuel Sarver, Joey Maher, Luka Bezerra and Quinten Helmer made their Indiana penalty kicks. Karsen Henderlong and Maoloume Gouballe had theirs saved by the defensive player of the tournament, Syracuse goalkeeper Russell Shealy.
"I was confident in all of them," Yeagley said. "It's a difficult position to be in. It's such a tough situation. Even when you win, you feel for the other team. It's unique to our sport."
A fast and physical game, combined with a Hoosier backline lacking its previous sharpness created first-half problems. Missing a couple of great early scoring looks created more.
The Hoosiers didn't rattle. Trailing 2-1 at halftime (McDonald had the lone IU goal), opportunity was there.
Their second-half challenge -- tighten up the defense, push the offensive attack. As Yeagley told ESPNU, "We're going to get after this team."
They did. They unleashed a second-half flurry of shots and corner kicks. They pushed and pushed and pushed some more.
Mihalic just missed a long opportunity. Endeley had a shot deflected away. Finally, with 11 minutes left in regulation, Syracuse cracked. Endeley got free and drilled the equalizer. A hug from freshman midfielder Jack Wagoner followed.
Another goal didn't.
Overtime.
It came with a twist. The golden goal was gone. Teams would play two 10-minute periods. If it was still tied, it would go to penalty kicks.
Wittenbrink's cross near the end of the first overtime period was tantalizingly close to producing a score. An in-the-box collision to Maher left Yeagley screaming for a foul and a penalty kick that never came.
Sarver's second overtime period shot hit the outside of the net. Wagoner just missed on a shot attempt. Syracuse couldn't convert on a couple of chances.
Penalty kicks had arrived, and an Orange victory came soon after.
"Indiana has been one of the historical programs that does everything right," McIntyre said. "They are one of the benchmarks. I have so much respect for them being consistently the best. They were terrific."
The Hoosiers will be terrific again, Harms said.
"I hope to be in this position next year and be on the other side of the story."
"I don't think of this as a lost opportunity," Yeagley said. "If we continue to do things well, things will happen. We'll do everything we can to keep the program moving forward."
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
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