IU Athletics sent the following to the Bloomingtonian Saturday after the men’s soccer team beat UNC Greensboro 2-0 to advance to the Final Four:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2022
Indiana Men’s Soccer
Team 50 Reaches IU’s 22nd College Cup
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – In the program’s 50th season, the 2022 Indiana men’s soccer team is headed to the program’s NCAA-record 22nd NCAA College Cup.
The No. 13-seeded Hoosiers (13-4-6, 3-1-4 B1G) defeated No. 12 UNC Greensboro (13-2-6, 4-0-1 SoCon), 2-0, on Saturday (Dec. 3) night at UNCG Soccer Stadium to advance the final four of the NCAA Tournament.
Indiana will play Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament Semifinal on Friday (Dec. 9) at 8:30 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
KEY MOMENTS
• 9’ – Indiana’s first big chance came within the first 10 minutes from a corner. It fell to redshirt senior Daniel Munie at close range, but his shot was headed off the line by a Spartan.
• 13’ – UNCG followed with a good chance four minutes later on an attack from the right wing. The cross came into a dangerous area, but forced the oncoming attacker into an awkward angle, and junior goalkeeper JT Harms was able to smother it.
• 15’ – Senior forward Maouloune Goumballe took senior defender Brett Bebej’s throw-in inside the box with his back to goal, tapped the ball into the air on his left, turned and struck a volley past the reaching goalkeeper to give IU the early lead.
• 21’ – Sophomore midfielder Patrick McDonald made an interception in midfielder, charged towards the goal with pace and forced a save.
• 60’ – Harms kept the lead intact in the 60th minute with a huge save. The Spartans broke through the IU defense with a through ball, but with good anticipation, Harms came off his line and got in front shot attempt.
• 63’ – McDonald used his physicality to take the ball off a Spartan in midfielder and it was off to the races. He dribbled and played through to sophomore forward Samuel Sarver, who pushed a composed finish past the keeper and extended the Hoosier lead.
• 67’ – UNCG freshman defender Sami Lachekar had an opportunity to get one back in the 67th minute after a cross came to him in space inside the box, but Harms was where he needed to be and made the save.
NOTABLES
• Indiana is headed to the NCAA Tournament Semifinals for an NCAA-record 22nd time in 50 seasons as a varsity sport and for the fourth time in six seasons. It is head coach Todd Yeagley’s fifth trip to the NCAA Men’s College Cup since 2012 when the Hoosiers won their last national championship – no NCAA Division-I men’s soccer head coach has been to more College Cups in that span.
• IU improved to 7-1-3 against ranked opponents while winning its fourth straight contest against a Top 25 team. UNCG was the No. 12 seed in the tournament and ranked as high as No. 4 in Top Drawer Soccer’s weekly poll.
• The Hoosiers have not allowed a goal through three matches, 270 minutes, in the NCAA Tournament. IU has conceded only five goals in its last eight matches while allowing multiple goals in just one of those contests.
• Goumballe scored his first goal of the season and his first since October 12, 2021, against Ohio State. Goumballe has six goals in his career.
• Sarver tallied his fourth goal of the year and second of the postseason – Sarver scored the opening goal in IU’s 2-1 Big Ten Tournament Semifinal victory at Maryland. It was the 11th goal of his young career.
UP NEXT
On to the NCAA College Cup! The Hoosiers will play in the NCAA Tournament Semifinal round on Friday (Dec. 9) against Pittsburgh at 8:30 p.m. ET at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
#GoIU
