Indiana University athletics sent the following press release Tuesday:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2022
Indiana Men’s Soccer
IU Falls in College Cup Final Shootout
CARY, N.C. – The 2022 NCAA men’s soccer championship was decided by the slimmest of margins on Monday (Dec. 12) night, as No. 13-seeded Indiana men’s soccer fell to No. 3 Syracuse in penalties, 7-6, after a 2-2 draw through 110 minutes at WakeMed Soccer Park.
The Hoosiers fought back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, including an 80th-minute equalizer from senior forward Herbert Endeley that sent the match to overtime.
With the result, Syracuse earned its program’s first national title while the Hoosiers were denied No. 9.
KEY MOMENTS
• 20’ – Indiana kept the Orange at bay early as junior goalkeeper JT Harms wasn’t forced to make a save until the 20th minute, when, with a diving effort, he was able to push a shot from distance wide.
• 24’ – Syracuse kept the pressure on and broke through in the 24th minute. Dribbling inside the box, sophomore forward Nathan Opoku was able to elude a pair of defenders and blast a shot into the upper left corner.
• 32’ – IU responded quickly. A corner bounced around and fell to sophomore forward Patrick McDonald, who got his foot around it and put it into the lower right corner.
• 33’ – Moments later, Syracuse was back in front. Tightly marked, Opoku was just able to get the ball to sophomore midfielder Curt Calov in the center of the box. After a heavy touch, he put a boot on it and put it past Harms just before senior defender Brett Bebej could clear.
• 69’ – Just over an hour gone in the match, IU started to find its chances again. The momentum swung when, after a takeaway, sophomore forward Tommy Mihalic nearly chipped the keeper from midfield. Backpedaling, redshirt senior goalkeeper Russell Shealy leaped and just got a glove to it to push it wide.
• 74’ – IU kept knocking loudly on the door with chance after chance. Endeley had a great opportunity on a breakaway that took a deflection that sent the shot high for a corner. On the set piece, Indiana put a shot into the crossbar that bounced near enough to the goal line to force a review. The replay revealed no goal.
• 80’ – The Hoosiers were rewarded with the breakthrough in the 80th minute when sophomore forward Samuel Sarver attracted defenders in the box before finding Endeley. Endeley took a touch wide before putting his body around it and blasting past Shealy.
• 99’ – Junior defender Joey Maher went down in the box, but no penalty was called despite animated appeals from IU.
• 104’ – A through ball was played ahead to Sarver into space, but in the end the sophomore was forced into a tight enough angle where his shot would go wide.
• 106’ – Freshman Jack Wagoner had the opportunity to score a late winner as he was played into the box with the keeper near the far post. Wagoner, however, couldn’t keep the one-touch effort under control, and it sailed just over the top corner.
NOTABLES
• Of IU’s NCAA-record 17 appearances in title matches, Monday’s result was just the second to end in penalties. The Hoosiers last went to a shootout in the 2004 championship game, a victory over UC-Santa Barbara.
• Harms, redshirt senior forward Ryan Wittenbrink and redshirt senior defender Daniel Munie were all named to the 2022 NCAA Men’s College Cup All-Tournament Team.
• Endeley’s equalizer was his fourth goal of the season and No. 12 of his career. The senior tallied goal contributions in both College Cup matches after tallying an assist in the semifinal.
UP NEXT
Indiana’s offseason begins as the program strives to continue its Tradition of Excellence in pursuit of its ninth star.
#GoIU
