Favorite Games, No. 5: Indiana's Soccer Team Advances to NCAA Title Game

Indiana never takes it for granted in making the College Cup, the NCAA's version of the Final Four for men's soccer. The Hoosiers got there again, and won a thriller over Pittsburgh in the semifinals to get another title shot.

Editor's Note: This is the sixth installment in our 10-part series on HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew's 10 favorite Indiana games during the 2020-21 school year.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – There's a lot of pride in and around Indiana's men's soccer program when it comes to those eight stars on their jerseys, a symbol of the eight national championships that the program owns.

The journey for the ninth title was long and arduous during this 2020-21 school year. Very long and very arduous.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indiana's regular season, which is usually played in the fall, was moved to the spring. There, it was condensed to just 10 games, all against Big Ten opponents. The Hoosiers got eight of the 10 games in, with two others canceled due to COVID issues inside the Penn State and Maryland programs. Indiana finished 7-1 to win the Big Ten. 

The Hoosiers then pulled off the double-double, winning the Big Ten Tournament with three straight wins, including taking the title game over Penn State on penalty kicks. 

When the NCAA Tournament finally rolled around, it was all played inside a bubble in North Carolina, to try to get to the finish line without any further COVID outbreaks. The Hoosiers  beat St. Francis, No. 19 Marquette and No. 6 Seton Hall to advance to the College Cup.

Their ninth title was just two games away.

The game of the year, though, came in the semifinals in Cary, N.C. on May 14, 2021. Pittsburgh was very good, and controlled possession for much of the game. But Indiana's defense was tremendous – as was Roman Celentano in goal – and the Hoosiers kept the Panthers off the board.

Herbert Endeley made the difference, scoring a goal in the 79th minute in Indiana's 1-0 victory. It punched their ticket to another title game, an NCAA-record 16th appearance. 

"The questions they ask defensively of us, it was a lot. Pitt is very, very good, and the difference was our defensive principles in the key moments,'' Indiana coach Todd Yeagley said. "The adaptability and resilience of this team is phenomenal, This team has been an absolute joy to coach in a tough year. And to be here with one game remaining is really special.''

Endeley's goal, his second of the tournament and fourth of the season, was a beauty. He got the ball in space, split two defenders and fired a rocket that found the top of the net

"Herb has worked so hard on his finishing. He's a great young man and I'm really excited for him and his team,'' Yeagley said.

Endeley, a sophomore forward from Blaine, Minn., said the same thing, that those hundreds of hours practicing on finishing paid off in a key moment.

"We've been working on a lit of finishing in practice, and I knew it could just take one shot to win the game,'' Endeley said. "I tried to split the defenders and the finishing we worked on in practice, and it added up today and helped us win the game.

"We knew Pitt was a good team and it would be a really hard game. We stuck to our principles, and that's what won the game for us today.''

The dream of winning that ninth title didn't happen, with the Hoosiers falling to Marshall 1-0 in overtime in the NCAA championship game three nights later on May 17, 2021. 

Previous 'Favorite Games' stories

• NUMBER 10: Indiana's football team has struggled at Wisconsin for decades, so it was very sweet to go up there and steal a 14-6 win on Dec. 5, 2020 in quarterback Jack Tuttle's first-ever college start. CLICK HERE
• NUMBER 9: Armaan Franklin was having a brutal shooting night against Iowa in Assembly Hall on Feb. 7, 2021, right up until he hit the game-winning shot with 1.8 seconds left to go. CLICK HERE
• NUMBER 8: Collin Hopkins hits a walk-off home run after a long rain delay to help Indiana beat Illinois 6-4 and end the Hoosiers' five-game winning streak. CLICK HERE
• NUMBER 7: Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has a game for the ages, throwing for 491 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-35 loss to No. 3 Ohio State inside an empty stadium in Columbus. CLICK HERE
• NUMBER 6: Indiana's women's basketball team has been soaring to new heights under coach Teri Moren, and this year, the Hoosiers reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.  CLICK HERE