IU's loss ends bid for 8th national title

The No. 7-seed IU men's soccer team lost in a shootout in the third round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 10-seed Santa Clara University Saturday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nThe two teams went to penalty kicks after 90 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime without a goal scored.\nThe first three shooters for the Hoosiers and the first two shooters for the Broncos hit their marks during the shootout before sophomore goalkeeper Chay Cain saved a shot taken by Bronco midfielder Erik Ustruck to give IU the 3-2 advantage.\nBoth IU and Santa Clara converted shots in the fourth round of penalty kicks, setting up sophomore forward Brian Ackley with the chance to win the game for the Hoosiers. Ackley's shot hit off the left goalpost, giving the Broncos new life.\nBronco forward Brian Martin answered in the final round to send the shootout to sudden death.\nIn the sixth round, Santa Clara goalkeeper Joseph Buttitta saved a shot from IU sophomore midfielder John Mellencamp. With the next shot, Bronco midfielder Jeff Cosgriff won the game by shooting past Cain.\nLosing in a shootout was a disappointing end to the season, senior defender Julian Dieterle said.\n"We don't ever expect to lose a game," he said. "That's the difference here. We always expect to go on and play next weekend."\nIU coach Mike Freitag said the season should not be defined by one kick of the ball, especially for the two players who missed during the shootout.\n"Those two guys have been guys who have made us the team that we were," Freitag said. "We wouldn't be here without them."\nThe Hoosiers started the game with several opportunities to score but couldn't convert. The two teams were evenly matched during the first half of play, with neither able to score for the first 45 minutes.\n"(Freshman) Darren Yeagle played a heck of a game. He was dangerous..." sophomore midfielder Brad Ring said. "He got to the end line numerous times. (We were) unlucky not to get a goal. I think we could have gotten one in the first half."\nSanta Clara played well in the second half, using a three-forward lineup to pressure the IU defense. The best chance for the Broncos to score came six minutes into the second half when sophomore goalkeeper Chay Cain blocked the shot of defender Jamil Roberts from 10 yards out.\nCain recorded only two saves during the game, but he prevented many opportunities and made an important stop during the shootout.\n"Chay played well," Dieterle said. "He has really stepped up and taken that No. 1 spot. I think a lot of it comes from his confidence in himself. He did his job, saved one. He did what he can do, and like coach said, once you get penalty kicks, you never know what's going to happen." \nDespite a solid record and a national ranking this season, members of the team are disappointed that things came to an end, Dieterle said.\n"We've worked hard," Dieterle said. "This is obviously a disappointing result for us, but at the same time, we are proud of how far we've come. I think the finality of it hasn't set in yet"