It felt like one of those nights that we were going to regret all the chances that didn't hit the target. Turns out the the least xG chance was the one that won the game. Go figure.
Brilliant heel goal from #4. I did find the WF announcers to be a bit insufferable calling for the red on #4 at the end of the 2H - seemed excessive to me. I do hope that they had rain boots to keep their feet warm from the flood of tears. Congrats.
Really. Why was the announcer going on and on about a Red Card that no Referee anywhere would distribute? He just would not let it go, and he kept digging his own hole. Who was that announcer? Very cringey.
Yeah, the "red card" discussion was stupid. Once again, we got into dangerous positions but simply bounced the ball off of WF defenders, not in the net. I'd say we were also a little shaky on D - Bebej seemed to be out of sorts much of the night, unusual for him. I also thought Harms should have saved that first deflected goal. I'm also not sure why Harms came out so far when he took down the WF forward. And then something happened in the second half - luck or just better finishing? Hard to say. Bacharach *headed* in possibly our first goal off of a corner this season. It was a harbinger of things to come. We got some more dangerous chances and a couple deservedly went in. Bacharach's heel was amazing. It should make the ESPN top ten plays. I was hoping for an FIU upset so that we could host the next round, but it wasn't to be. We go back to ACC country on Sunday to play the evil Cavaliers.
Good win against UVA and Todd Yeagley's 200th win. Miller had a good game as did just about everybody for IU. Sarver seemed somewhat subdued, two games in a row. Awaiting the winner of ND vs WMU.
That was a long game holding a 1-0 lead, but it never really felt like Virginia were going to turn the tide.
Belated congrats on the win and advancing. Really like how Yeags has guided this team this season after the rocky start. Shows some real coaching acumen. I wonder where he gets it? (I'm just gonna assume he learned it playing for Greg Andrulis.)
We had a group of guys go up for the game Saturday. It was a packed house so we had to split up and sit separate. How's that for the state of college soccer? Granted, this was probably the biggest game to happen in the state of Indiana in years. As far as the game itself, it felt like a microcosm of our season. We created a ton of chances and almosts, but we weren't able to get them on target and in the goal. I haven't seen a replay of ND's goal. It seemed like that should have been saved unless it was something really special from that spot, but I couldn't tell what happened from my angle at the stadium. EDITS: Here are the highlights: . Looks like JT will regret his positioning on the FK for ND's goal. ND's recap only claimed 3 saves for their GK. For as much as pressure as we put them under, 4 shots on target just isn't good enough. Alumni Stadium claims a seated capacty of 2500, but there were a ton of fans not in seats. I wonder if the total attendance was more than IU's for the B1G final a few weeks ago.
I agree with most of your analysis except for the FK. It was pretty well taken and probably too high for JT to save. I do regret JT's muff of the poorly taken ND PK more. OTOH, JT had a really nice save during play, diving to his left and pushing the ball wide. Sarver had one hell of a shot in the second half bounce off the crossbar from about 35 yds out, otherwise I'd be making plans for L'ville. He had another in the first half that was saved off the line by a defender. I agree that 4 SOG aren't enough, but I think that was low. stphnsn, did you swing by the tailgate before the game? I'm sure we won that battle (we're still undefeated in tailgating). In fact, a friend of mine who played at ND stopped by our tailgate for a refreshing beverage. I'd also wager that IU had more fans there than ND. Now, waiting patiently for the spring exhibition season. BRF
Congrats on a successful season especially considering how it started. Of course IU should be disappointed given PKs, but I wouldn't be too hard on reaching Elite 8 given the workmanlike team composition as compared to years past.
I did not. We made a stop for ponchos on the way to the stadium and drank a couple beers on the walk in. I'm glad we didn't wait any longer because it was tough finding even four seats together by the time we were inside.
Also, if you were watching the final, you might have noticed this motley crew being honored for their championship 25 years ago: That's Dema Kovalenko w/ the puppy. I was there in Richmond for that one.
I saw a quick cut to Todd Yeagley laughing at halftime. I assumed that was when Clemson scored, but maybe it was seeing all these old guys out on the field?