11/27/2022 other sports Edit

No. 13 Indiana men's soccer advances to Elite 8 with 1-0 win over Marshall

Mason Williams • TheHoosier

Senior Writer

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Although the Indiana men's soccer season has been rockier than many anticipated heading in, the Hoosiers, a program notoriously earmarked by consistency in big moments, have peaked at the right time.

Playing in their 8th consecutive Sweet 16 - the longest active streak across Division I soccer - Indiana welcomed the Marshall Thundering Herd to Bloomington for a match loaded with anticipation and prior history. Just two seasons ago, it was Marshall who prevented Todd Yeagley's squad from capturing their ninth National Championship as a program with a golden goal in the College Cup final.

However, on a wet, chilly Sunday evening at Bill Armstrong Stadium, the Hoosiers finally got their revenge.

No. 13 Indiana defeated Marshall 1-0, a 47th-minute header from senior defender Brett Bebej being the lone difference on the evening.

Bebej's missile-like header sent the Hoosiers back to the Elite 8, eliminating the Thundering Herd in the process. (IU Athletics)

The goal came on the first corner of the second half, the 11th overall corner on the night. Assisting Bebej's header was redshirt senior forward Ryan Wittenbrink, a breakout star who established himself as one of the Hoosiers' leaders on the pitch this season. Wittenbrink whipped in a perfect curling ball from the left corner, and an unmarked Bebej rose above the Thundering Herd defenders to power his header into the back of the net.

The ball was perfectly placed. The header was perfectly struck. As the Hoosier bench and players on the field wheeled away in celebration down the left side, a jam-packed Bill Armstrong Stadium erupted in emotion. The scoreboard read 1-0, and the Hoosiers finally had the deserved goal they'd been working so diligently for.

The assist extended Wittenbrink's streak of matches with a point logged to seven consecutive appearances, three goals and four assists in that span.

As a testament to the aforementioned program consistency, Indiana's victory means the Hoosiers are now 15-3 in NCAA Tournament matches played at Bill Armstrong Stadium under head coach Todd Yeagley. This year's tournament run is anchored by the program's ninth consecutive national seed, their appearance in the tournament being the 36th consecutive time and 47th time overall.

Now, with an emotional victory and the bad memories of that fateful night in North Carolina from May of 2021 behind them, the Hoosiers are one match away from another appearance in the College Cup.

Indiana will play #12 UNC-Greensboro next. The Spatans upset 3-time national champion No. 5 Stanford 3-1 in a shootout. The Hoosiers will travel to Greensboro in the Elite 8 on their quest for a ninth star.