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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Sometimes you can do everything right. And in one moment, one finish, your season comes to an end. For the Indiana Hoosiers, that moment happened in the 102nd minute when Will Baynham broke through the Hoosiers defense, shot and buried his attempt into the back of the net for the 1-0 UC Santa Barbara win.

“Congratulations to UCSB. They’re a good team,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “They came here and played hard. They came in with a lot of passion, a lot of fight. As the game went on we felt really in control. A slip and a great finish by them was the difference tonight. Our players felt they had so much more in them.”

A young team with just one returning starter defied the odds and turned the heads of critics this season. They didn’t expect IU to accomplish much. Yet this young squad won the Big Ten regular season and the Big Ten Tournament, while earning a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They outscored opponents 40 to 16. Freshmen led the offense and secured the goal. It was a young team that earned respect with every match played.

“This is just a start for this team,” IU defender Jack Maher said. “Indiana is a special place, a special program. We have coaches, players who understand what it takes to win. It hurts. It’s going to hurt from here on out. But we’re going to grow from it. I can guarantee you that.”

Sunday’s match was an example of a tough Hoosier squad that wasn’t ready for the season to end.

“I just told them I was proud of them,” Yeagley said. “What they did to represent this program this season with so many new faces was incredible. We’ve come a long way. Our maturity of our young players, they’re all like two years older than they were when they came here.”

A physical battle from the first whistle resulted in an early yellow card for UCSB. In the 10th minute, UCSB’s Noah Billingsley sent IU’s Joris Ahlinvi to the pitch. The referee pulled Billingsley aside. Three minutes later, Derek Kryzda tackled a Hoosier from behind and earned the first yellow card of the match.

Later, Thomas Warr streaked up the left side of the pitch. The ball soared over to him, but rolled a little too far forward. Warr stopped it and kept it in play, but a Gaucho stole the ball. UCSB took control and raced down the field. Baynham sent the ball on target. IU goalkeeper Roman Celetano grabbed it for the save. 

With less than a minute remaining in the half, Thibault Candia bended a corner kick into the box and Hunter Ashford headed it to the left of the goal.

In the second half, both teams picked up the offense. With the wind at their backs, the Hoosiers pushed hard.

Victor Bezerra ran toward goal in the 66th minute. He lost the ball, but Josh Penn stole it back, running toward the left corner. UCSB sent it out for an IU corner kick.

Ashworth sent a Hoosier to the ground in the 69th minute with the ball nowhere in the area. The referee quickly showed him yellow. Morris stepped up to take the free kick. Roach jumped up and grabbed the ball in midair.

A Herbert Endeley run in the 73rd minute led to an IU corner kick. Morris bended the ball into the box and Roach blocked it with a hand, but a squabble in the box nearly led to a Hoosiers goal. No player could quite take control as it was eventually cleared.

IU’s A.J. Palozzolo streaked toward goal in the 80th minute, shooting the ball wide left of the goal.

The Hoosiers continued to push forward for the remainder of regulation and in overtime. Every time a Gaucho took possession of the ball, he was quickly surrounded by a sea of Hoosiers. IU had an answer for every attempt.

The Hoosiers outshot the Gauchos 12-6 on the day. But one shot made all the difference. In the 102nd minute, IU defender Jordan Kleyn slipped. Baynham took advantage, challenging IU goalkeeper Roman Celetano one on one. Baynham’s attempt landed in the upper right corner. And the Hoosiers collapsed on the pitch, as they saw their season end. Unfortunately for Kleyn, it’s a moment that will undoubtedly haunt him.

“One slip cannot define a full performance,” Maher said. “We had the utmost confidence in him. He had a great performance for 110 minutes.”

Yeagley agreed. “That moment is not what defines him or the season,” he said. “He played a fantastic game all day. Give Santa Barbara credit, there was a lot of great finishing from them.”

UCSB moves on to face the winner of Wake Forest–Michigan in the quarterfinal round. The Hoosiers hang it up for 2019 with a 15-3-4 record.

“There’s nothing you can say to the players now,” Spencer Glass said. “Every player grieves in their own way. You’re going to take it in on your own. We lost in the round of 16 my freshman year and then went to two College Cups. These things happen sometimes.”

And luckily for the Hoosiers… the majority of the squad will be back for 2020.

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

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The Indiana Hoosiers men’s soccer team is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. With 44 appearances, the Hoosiers (15-2-4) lead the NCAA. The third round is also old news. But for a young Hoosiers squad, they continue to defy the odds.

They’ve won two out of the three trophies this season: Big Ten regular-season champions and Big Ten Tournament champions. That leaves one trophy yet, the NCAA Tournament championship. The Hoosiers are two wins away from their 21st College Cup appearance and three wins away from the championship match.

Sunday, IU hosts UCSB in its third straight NCAA third round appearance. The teams take the pitch at noon ET.

So what makes this team so special?

They can score. It’s simple. Freshmen have tallied 22 of the Hoosiers’ 40 goals this season. Victor Bezerra leads the pack. After scoring a hat trick last week, Bezerra leads IU with eight goals. Joshua Penn ranks second with six goals. All in all, 14 players have found the back of the net for IU. And when it comes to assists, freshman Aidan Morris leads the club with eight.

They can defend. The Hoosiers have allowed 15 goals this season so far. Freshman Roman Celentano has allowed just seven, for eight shutouts in 13 starts. The last goal the Hoosiers allowed was Oct. 29 versus Ohio State, a 5-1 Hoosiers win. Since then they’ve outscored opponents 7-0.

So what’s the story with UCSB?

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (14-4-4) are fresh off a 4-0 domination of 12th-seeded St. Mary’s. Three second-half goals in 15 minutes secured the victory for the Gauchos. Rodney Michael led the team with the final two goals. UCSB made its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, receiving an at-large bid. In the first round, UCSB topped Cal 3-1.

UCSB has outscored opponents 44-21 this season. Will Baynham and Finn Ballard McBride lead the attack with nine goals each. Michael is on their heels with eight, while Candia Thibault has tallied seven. Ten Gauchos have combined for the club’s 44 goals. Defensively, the Gauchos have also been dominant, allowing just three goals in their last five matches and posting three shutouts. Goalkeeper Ben Roach has collected 11 shutouts to date.

The last time UCSB lost, they dropped a 2-0 decision to UC Davis in the Big West Tournament final Nov. 15.

So what does that mean for Sunday’s match?

Well… in tournament time anything is possible. All teams know that they have one more game. That’s it. You lose and go home. So they throw all their weapons at opponents.

The Hoosiers are riding a 38-match unbeaten streak at home. During that span they are 34-0-4. IU is also undefeated in its last eight matches. The Gauchos, however, lead the all-time series 3-2. The last time they met, in 2009, UCSB walked away with a 3-0 win. But the most notable win was Indiana, who topped the Gauchos on penalty kicks to win the 2004 NCAA title.

Sunday’s match will definitely be entertaining. Both teams will be bringing their “A” games. The winner will advance to play the winner of No. 4 seed Wake Forest vs. Michigan in the quarterfinal round. Wake Forest (14-4-2) toppled Maryland 3-0 in second round action. Michigan (11-4-6) snuck past Wright State 5-4 on penalty kicks.

Just like any sport, when it comes to the postseason, throw all stats and expectations out the window. Anything can happen. And expect the unexpected. And that’s what makes the postseason so much fun.

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

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AND THEY’RE OUT

One game is all it takes in NCAA Tournament time for teams to pack it up and call it a season. Unfortunately for Loyola and Notre Dame, both saw their seasons come to an end Thursday night.

Loyola 1 – Kentucky 2

The Loyola Ramblers (11-5-4) headed South Thursday to play at Kentucky. In their fifth NCAA Tourney appearance, the Ramblers started out strong with Andrew Mitchell tallying the first goal of the match in the 36th minute. Loyola held on to the lead until the 82nd minute. With time running out the Wildcats sent everyone forward. A penalty kick in their favor soon tied things up. Kentucky’s Jason Reyes buried his attempt. Tied at 1-1, the Wildcats took advantage of the momentum swing. And in the 101st minute Eythor Bjorgolfsson finished his attempt for the 2-1 golden-goal win.

Kentucky (13-4-3) advances to the second round and will face No. 5 seed Indiana (14-2-4) Sunday at noon in Bloomington, Ind. The Hoosiers and Wildcats last met on Oct. 9 in Bloomington. An evenly played match statistically ended in a scoreless draw. IU holds the advantage 25-2-4 in all-time matches. But in NCAA Tournament time… anything can happen.

Notre Dame 1 – Wright State 3

Wright State (11-8-3) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute, courtesy of an Alex Hummel goal. They held on to the lead despite many close calls by the Fighting Irish. In the second half, Notre Dame (10-8-1) came out firing on all cylinders. Just six minutes in Jack Lynn tallied the game-tying goal. But before the Irish found the net again, Wright State added two more goals. Down 3-1 Notre Dame didn’t give up without a fight. And in the 85th minute, John Rea added a goal. The Raiders held on for the 3-2 win, ending Notre Dame’s hunt for its second College Cup.

Wright State notched the first NCAA Tournament win in school history. The Raiders advance to face No. 13 seed Michigan (11-4-5) Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Mich. Wright State became the 14th Horizon League men’s soccer team to advance in the tournament. Michigan will play in its third straight NCAA Tournament, which is a first for the club.

END OF THE CRUSADE FOR VALPARAISO

Wednesday Valparaiso University announced the discontinuation of both men’s soccer and men’s tennis. The soccer team’s end is effective immediately, while men’s tennis will play in the spring season. With 21 Division I teams, Valparaiso had the most athletic teams of any team in the Missouri Valley Conference. Valpo officials decided the athletic program should be similar to the other MVC schools. The University said it will honor all athlete’s scholarships through the end of their college tenure. However if they choose to transfer, the NCAA will grant immediate athletic eligibility to the athletes at their new institutions. Valparaiso announced its law school will close after graduation in 2020. It’s quite possible that athletic expenses are just the tip of the iceberg for the private school in Northern Indiana.

The Valparaiso Crusaders joined the NCAA in 1983. The team prided itself on helping with local soccer clubs, while also focusing on their play on the pitch. Valparaiso made the NCAA Tournament once in 1996. Mike Avery became Valpo’s third head coach in 2007. Since that time the club earned a 91-105-46 record and Avery became the winningest coach in Valpo history. The team switched from the Horizon League to the MVC in 2017. Valparaiso ends its program with a 216-370-74 record.

In other Valparaiso soccer news, Valparaiso High School’s head coach Danny Jeftich resigned this week as well, after being asked to resign. Jeftich, a 2013 Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame inductee and a 2011 Indiana Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, began his college career playing for St. Francis College in Ft. Wayne from 1975-78. He coached Munster High School from 1981-83 and Valparaiso University from 1983-1990. He began his coaching stint at Valparaiso High School in 1993 and founded Valparaiso Soccer Academy in 1998. In addition, he coached at many soccer camps across the state. Jeftich has coached thousands of children in Indiana and around the Midwest. It was a sad ending for a beloved coach.

AND LASTLY…

The Chicago Fire made news on Thursday and the internet went wild. The Fire rebranded itself as Chicago Fire Football Club (instead of soccer club) and introduced its new logo and colors. If you haven’t seen it… you’re not missing much. And if you have… I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Personally I feel that a club that’s been around for over 20 years does not need a new branding. You want to give them a new look — that’s fine. Keep the colors and the original logo. Add a second logo. Maybe put the Chicago skyline behind the C, something trendy, something pleasing to the eye. But totally rebranding the club? It’s just not necessary. The club is returning to Soldier Field not relocating to the North woods.

Perhaps the joke is on the Fire fans. The Fire are getting tons of traffic on social media. Maybe that’s what they were going for. But if it were me… I would have introduced a few logos to the world, and let the people speak. So much for tradition. Hopefully honor and passion will stay around. And at least they kept the name… well, sort of.

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

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