Indiana Is In Familiar Territory

by Tom Hindle

December 9, 2022

Maouloune Goumballe really shouldn’t have scored. He was facing away from goal, with a larger defender on his back. Teammates around him were marked, while two other defenders stood free in the box, offering extra cover.

But when a throw in bounced to his feet, Goumballe ignored his surroundings. First, he pushed the opposing defender away, then he flicked the ball 180 degrees, spinning it toward goal. His shot dipped swerved and curled, fired over the keeper and into the back of the net.

One of his teammates covered their mouth in disbelief, another froze in shock. And all of them joined Goumballe in a jubilant sprint to the corner flag.

Goumballe’s goal got Indiana going in a 2-0 win over UNC Greensboro in the NCAA quarterfinal — with the Hoosiers comfortably seeing off a trendy pick to make a College Cup run. And for Todd Yeagley’s side, it was one of those familiar moments that always seem to happen in tournament play. The Hoosiers have now made 22 College Cups, and head to the College Cup for the fourth time in six years.

This year’s squad is different, though. It is not the most talented nor the deepest that Indiana has fielded in recent years. There isn’t necessarily a star player, a match winner. But, perhaps more than ever, these Hoosiers are, quite basically, hard to beat — and that might just carry them all the way.

“[The College Cup] is a benchmark that we put a lot of emphasis on in our program,” Yeagley said. “To be able to reach this milestone. To me it's a new season within a season.”

At the end of the 2021 season, things didn’t look too encouraging in Bloomington. Star goalkeeper Roman Celentano was selected in the MLS SuperDraft. Victor Bezerra — and his 28 career goals — signed with the Chicago Fire. All-American defender Spencer Glass also wrapped up his fifth year under the Bill Armstrong Stadium lights. Turnover is admittedly regular in college soccer. But losing a key defender, arguably the nation’s-best goalkeeper and top goalscorer seemed to throw the squad into jeopardy.

“This is a team that had some big pieces to fill, as most of our teams do with departures, whether it's pro or graduation. And they've come together and really evolved,” Yeagley said.

And in the early goings of the year, some of those qualms started to be vindicated. Indiana failed to win its first two games and lost to Ohio State to open Big Ten play. Ties with Michigan and Rutgers — and a devastating 3-0 loss to top five ranked Kentucky — showed a more vulnerable Hoosiers team than those of year’s past.

Still, Indiana delivered on the basics. Indiana steadily picked up wins and clinched a spot in the Big Ten tournament. And in truth, there had been signs all season that something special might be coming together. It started with a wonderful Ryan Wittenbrink free kick against Maryland on the final day of the regular season. It continued with a splendid flowing move — all sharp movements and dramatic cuts — to set up the winner in the Big Ten tournament opener. There were the defensive plays, too. Joseph Maher — culpable of a mistake or two earlier in the season — delivered a commanding performance at the back to blank St. Louis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

“This team has always been about the jersey and making it better,” Yeagley said. “When you're playing for something bigger than your personal records or a number or an opportunity, you get the best out of that group.”

Now, three games into the NCAA Tournament, this version of the Hoosiers are enjoying some of their best form of the year. They are yet to concede in tournament play and have only yielded six shots on goal through three games. The goals have been few but come from all over the pitch. Wittenbrink has scored one and assisted one, but the Hoosiers’ defenders have also chipped in, while a Sarver struggling from consistency added a vital goal in the quarterfinal.

And what to make of all of this? The Hoosiers are, perhaps, where they are expected to be. Such are the lofty goals set by the program — and the history of success — that a College Cup appearance should be on the cards every year. This group mimics some winning teams of recent years. It is a squad defined by its attacking moments, but bolstered by its defensive quality. There are the standard cliches and assumptions about a team putting the pieces together at the right time. And here, some of that sporting romanticism might just be true.

This weekend will be inherently unpredictable. Semifinal opponents Pittsburgh appears to be playing some of its best soccer of the season, while both possible national championship foes will offer challenges in various ways.

But for a program built on that pedigree — for a team that might be about to realize it — those obstacles might not be all that hard to navigate.

Related Topics: Atlantic Coast, Big Ten