Indiana Soccer: Hoosiers Survive NCAA Opener on Penalty Kicks
Indiana's No. 2-ranked soccer team wasn't at its best on Sunday, but they "survived and advanced'' in the NCAA Tournament's second round, beating Saint Francis Brooklyn 1-1 on penalty kicks in Wilmington, N.C.
The Hoosiers (9-1-2), the No. 3 seed in the tournament advance to the Sweet 16 now, where they will play No. 19 Marquette at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday on WakeMed Field in Cary, N.C.
"It wasn't our sharpest day passing, and we didn't create as many chances as I would have liked,'' Indiana coach Todd Yeagley said after the win. "I think the guys weren't quite where they needed to be. But we tried to pull it together and find a way.''
Indiana struggled to find its way through the Saint Francis defense early, which was sitting back and not providing much room. Indiana, playing with the wind in the first half, did strike first though, getting a goal from sophomore forward Victor Bezerra in the 36th minute, converting after a pass from redshirt senior forward A.J. Palazzolo.
"We want the ball on his feet in key moments,'' Yeagley said. "He was good, didn't have his A game today, but we was a little fatigued, too. I probably should have given him a little break, but that's on me. In a game like that, though, you want him out there when you just need one moment.''
Saint Francis applied more pressure in the second half, and had several good chances to tie the game. They finally did in the 78th minute.
"I could see a little dejection, because we weren't really playing well in the second half and we were just kind of holding on,'' Yeagley said. "(Before overtime), I tried to calm them, and said we were fine. Just play what the game is giving you. I thought we missed some of that today.''
Neither team scored in overtime, and the game went to penalty kicks, where Indiana keeper Roman Celentano was excellent once again.
Indiana converted three of their first shootout shots, with Thomas Ware, Bezerra and Ryan Wittenbrink all scoring. Only Joe Schmidt missed.
But it didn't matter because Celentano stopped them three of four times for the Indiana win. It was Indiana's first penalty-kick win in the NCAA Tournament since 2017.
"When we get to penalties, we have Roman, so we always feel good about that, and our guys finished off their shots,'' Yeagley said. "The second half, we made some silly decisions, and gave them some good attacks off of our giveaways. They're a tricky team, they were physical and they were older, too. They were a challenge, and they were there really trying to make a statement against us. They made the game really difficult for us.''
Yeagley was just glad to get through that first game, and feels like his team will be better going forward.
"All kind of things were a first,'' he said. "It was our first hot game, our guys were a little anxious, but I do feel our guys will be better in the next game. They'll be relaxed in our next matchup.' We know we have to defend well and find our key moments to score goals.''
Indiana has now made the Sweet 16 in six straight seasons. It’s IU’s longest streak since making the NCAA Third Round every season from 1988-2004 (17-straight seasons).
Bezerra has now scored or assisted in nine straight games for the Hoosiers and 11 of 12 on the season. He also has the most goals (12) in a single season by an IU player since Eriq Zavaleta (18) in 2012.
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