Marshall tops Indiana in OT for first-ever DI men's soccer championship

The national championship will be decided in overtime for the fifth time in the past 7 College Cups. Marshall controlled possession for much of the second half, though Indiana did a good job defensively with limiting chance creation. The Thundering Herd took six shots in the half with two on target. IU got a look on net from a free kick and only registered one other shot for the period. 

Marshall is starting to take over possession in the match. The Thundering Herd have found a rhythm in the middle and final thirds. Forward Milo Yosef has been a matchup issue for IU in the midfield and out wide. He's up to four shots for the game and almost created a goal for the Herd. His run up the left sideline created space before an entry pass to Vinicius Fernandes. Vitor Dias did a dummy move to free up his teammate and shot nearly went through Celentano's hands. The IU keeper is up to six saves as this one remains scoreless.

Vinicius Fernandes with a fantastic go.

Still scoreless.#CollegeCup pic.twitter.com/mMK02VDYdM

— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) May 18, 2021

Indiana and Marshall are scoreless through 45 minutes of the national championship game. Cary, North Carolina is hosting two of college soccer's top five defensive teams in tonight's matchup, but both have generated a number of quality scoring chances.

The Thundering Herd have continually tested IU's Roman Celentano to the tune of four shots on goal and four corners. Midfielder Vinicius Fernandes had the most threatening of those opportunities when he fired a right-footed shot in from the top of the box, forcing Celentano to go post-to-post quickly for the diving stop.

23' | Quick with it. 💨@roman_413 | #IUMS pic.twitter.com/ntbrjPeKYv

— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) May 18, 2021

Indiana started out with a high press before Marshall figured out to break it using the wings. The Hoosiers were put on the defensive for much of the period. IU broke through a bit with Marshall's Gabriel Alves receiving an early yellow card. Indiana's mustered six shots, though none have been on goal. Victor Bezerra and Daniel Munie each had chances in the final minutes of the half in the box. Munie's been close on a few headers now and will continue to be someone to watch as the match progresses.

Marshall left back Gabriel Alves was given a yellow card following a challenge on Herbert Endeley. Alves is a physical back and Endeley often looks for one-on-one matchups given his pace. This could drastically change that matchup over the course of the match.

IU's Daniel Munie nearly made Marshall pay for the foul when he hit the post on the ensuing free kick. A few minutes later, IU keeper Roman Celentano had to lay out to deny a shot to his right. Both he and Oliver Semmle have been kept busy in the first half.

 

It's almost time for the final game of the college soccer season. No. 3 Indiana and Marshall battle for the College Cup title in Cary, North Carolina. The 2020-21 title game starts at 9:15 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN2 and WatchESPN. We’ll be providing live updates all throughout the match.

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The Hoosiers are looking for their ninth championship in program history and first since 2012. IU comes into tonight’s title game on the heels of back-to-back clean sheet victories, including an impressive 1-0 win over Pittsburgh in the national semifinals. Indiana’s bread and butter is its defense, which ranks second nationally in goals allowed average at .321. IU’s posted twice as many shutouts (10) as goals allowed (5). Don’t overlook the offense though. Midfielder Victor Bezerra is a Hermann Trophy finalist with his 12 goals and ability to take over the game in every third of the pitch.

And then there’s Marshall. It seems like just a season ago the Thundering Herd were picking up their first postseason win. That’s because it was only a year ago. Head coach Chris Grassie has transformed the program in just four short years from a sub-.500 club to 90 minutes away from a national title. Like IU, Marshall is a top 5 defensive team in college soccer with eight goals allowed all season. The Herd conceded just once in its past three games, which was a win over No. 1 Clemson before blanking Georgetown and North Carolina.

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Tonight, history is on the line in the DI men's College Cup final between No. 3 seed Indiana and Marshall, which airs at 8 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.

Indiana is pursuing its ninth national championship, which would tie St. Louis for the most all-time. The Hoosiers came close to doing so in 2017, when they fell to the Stanford Cardinal in double overtime in the College Cup final.

Meanwhile, Marshall has the opportunity to not only win its first-ever national championship, but to do so in historic fashion, if it's able to defeat No. 1 seed Clemson, No. 8 seed Georgetown, North Carolina (which has appeared in three College Cup finals in the 2000s) and No. 3 seed Indiana in succession.

Indiana has the second-best goals-allowed average in the country, surrendering just .321 goals per game, while Victor Bezerra is fourth nationally with 12 goals this season, giving the Hoosiers an elite combination of offense and defense. Most recently, Indiana held scoreless No. 2 seed Pittsburgh, one of the top scoring offenses in the country, after the Panthers scored 13 goals in their three previous tournament matches.

Marshall's top goal-scorer is Vitor Dias, who has six goals in 16 games, and the Thundering Herd's defense is also among the stingiest in the country, allowing just .448 goals per game, which ranks fourth nationally.

Click or tap here to view the interactive tournament bracket (link opens in a new window).

The College Cup final is set. No. 3 seed Indiana will battle Marshall on Monday, May 17 at 8 p.m. ET for the national championship. Both teams advanced to the title game following 1-0 wins in the semifinals. IU defeated No. 2 Pittsburgh while Marshall took down North Carolina, marking the first time an ACC team will not play in a championship game held in Cary, N.C. 

View the interactive bracket here

Monday's meeting will be the first time Indiana and Marshall share the pitch in a postseason game as these two come from vastly different soccer backgrounds. The Thundering Herd won their first-ever NCAA tournament game in 2019 and are now 90 minutes away from a championship. They're only the fourth unseeded team to reach the national final and are looking to become the first to finish the job. Here's a look at Marshall's path to this point:

• Second round: Marshall 2, Fordham 1 (OT) 
• Third round: Marshall 1, No. 1 Clemson 1 (7-6 on PKs)
• Quarterfinals: Marshall 1, No. 8 Georgetown 0
• Semifinals: Marshall 1, North Carolina 0

On the other hand, Indiana has been here before. Fifteen times to be exact. The Hoosiers have won eight championships — second most in NCAA soccer history — and are gearing up for their 16th title game appearance. That experience can certainly be an X-factor against Marshall. But the big number to take away from the Hoosiers' first 15 matches this season is five, the number of goals they've allowed, which is also half the number of shutouts they've posted. IU has been a defensive juggernaut this season. See for yourself in their path to the championship:

• Second round: No. 3 Indiana 1, St. Francis Brooklyn 1 (3-1 on PKs)
• Third round: No. 3 Indiana 2, Marquette 1
• Quarterfinals: No. 3 Indiana 2, No. 6 Seton Hall 0
• Semifinals: No. 3 Indiana 1, No. 2 Pittsburgh 0

Now that the stage is set, the only thing left to do is make sure you're in front of the television on Monday night. And, of course, also following along right here with NCAA.com during the national championship game. 

One goal was more than enough for the top defense in college soccer as No. 3 Indiana blanked No. 2 Pittsburgh 1-0 in the second semifinal of this year's College Cup. Herbert Endeley's blast in the 79th minute was the difference after the sophomore split a double team and beat the keeper near post. 

Although the match was tied most of the way, it seemed like IU was chasing a goal at times. The Hoosiers were unable to generate scoring opportunities or meaningful possessions in the opening half. Hermann Trophy finalist Victor Bezerra sparked the offense out of the break with a couple of quality chances in the second half. Even so, IU went more than 20 minutes without a shot before Endeley's winner. Goalkeeper Roman Celentano played a strong game and helped out the Hoosier back line when Pitt was getting chance after chance. His willingness to come off his line may have had an impact on Pitt's second-half strategy in the final third. Celentano picked up his 10th shutout of the season in the win.

The Panthers had plenty of chances to take this one. Filip Mirkovic rung the bar and even drew a review in the 59th minute while Luke Mort sailed a shot over the near post to end a three on one opportunity. Hermann finalist Valentin Noel took three shots, but was held relatively in check as he had to rely on his aerial game for two of those. Pitt finished with 14 shots in the loss.

Both Pittsburgh and Indiana are now fully engaged in this match on the offensive end with each team producing their top chance of the match in the last few minutes. Bezerra nearly struck first, utilizing a cut in to his right foot beyond the Pitt 18 before launching a curler just wide of the far post. 

But the best chance of the night belongs to Filip Mirkovic (so far). Jasper Loeffelsend created space with a nice right to left stepover move before finding the freshman at the top of the box. Mirkovic cracked a one-timer that beat Celentano and went bar-down without crossing the line. The officials even stopped play to review the play but it was ruled no goal.

Mirkovic looking to capitalize but JUST hitting one off the crossbar.#CollegeCup pic.twitter.com/rx7NIR8S2t

— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) May 15, 2021

We mentioned Victor Bezerra as a player to watch in the second half after the Hoosiers' leading goalscorer was relegated to a defensive role in the first half. IU head coach Todd Yeagley mentioned his name as well on the halftime interview with ESPNU, so it's only fitting Bezerra gets Indiana's first shot on goal out of the break. The sophomore helped force a takeaway near midfield and challenged Pitt keeper Nico Campuzano with a bullet on the ground but Campuzano was able to handle it.