IU beats Xavier, advances to Sweet 16

In the Hoosiers' first game of the NCAA tournament, the men's soccer team beat Xavier 4-1 Sunday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

“We needed big plays from our big players,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said following a the win. “Today, Nikita’s first goal, the way that opened up the game was fantastic and obviously the rest came after that.”

The win ensured a Sweet 16 spot for the Hoosiers in the NCAA tournament.

The first goal of the game came from a pass inside the Xavier 18-yard box between juniors Nikita Kotlov and Harrison Petts in minute 18. Petts gained possession of the ball and dribbled into the Musketeers' offensive third.

Kotlov, meanwhile, tracked his position along the right touchline before working his way closer to the right corner of the box. Petts flicked a pass to Kotlov, and with two touches played a ball across the goalkeeper.

Xavier goalkeeper Justin Marshall looked to get a piece of the shot as the ball briefly changed line, colliding with the inside of the post. The ball then rolled across the goal line just prior to being cleared from the efforts of a sliding Xavier defender.

The goal was Kotlov’s second in as many games, and up to that point, he was the only Hoosier to score this postseason after a late goal against Michigan State in the Hoosiers' opening loss in the Big Ten tournament.

"The scoreboard didn’t show how the game really went,” Kotlov said.  “I think it was a lot closer. They were a great team, and that first goal opened up the game more.”

The equalizer came from Xavier in minute 33 during the first half.  Prior to the goal, junior defender Kerel Bradford attempted a cross-field pass to junior defender Matt McKain. The ball was picked off, and the Musketeers countered their way to a 2-v-1 opportunity.

Just as the Xavier forward that picked the pass attempted a through-ball to a teammate, Bradford reached his target and played the ball out of the Indiana goal line with a slide.

Xavier, which is 11-0-2 when attempting more corners, equalized with this opportunity. The ball was played in and initially cleared to the top of the Indiana box. Then a rebound shot from junior substitute Matt Walker was deflected opposite of Indiana goalkeeper Luis Soffner’s momentum. The ball tucked just inside the left post, and the score was even.

Heading into the locker room, the Hoosiers were in familiar territory having trailed or tied at halftime in four of their last six games.  

“No matter what the score is at halftime during a tournament the energy will be high,” A.J. Corrado said. “The attitude is lets go out and get them. It could have been 2-0 us or them, but nevertheless we were ready to go back out and make it happen because it was do or die.”

The second half was a different story as Indiana came out with more offensive pressure. At the end of the first half, the shot total was tied at six. At the end of the second half, the Hoosiers had outshot the Musketeers 5-to-1.

“I thought we adjusted well,” Yeagley said. “We went a little more direct than maybe we’d like to have gone, but that was what the game was giving us. Our guys responded.”

In minute 68 Kotlov found the go-ahead in beautiful fashion after receiving a pass from Corrado near the right touchline. Kotlov took three dribbles toward the goal, and after beating one defender, played a lofted-bending shot with his right foot over Marshall in goal.  

The ball twisted over the keeper and under the crossbar to connect with the back post netting.

In the 80th minute, freshman Femi Hollinger-Janzen scored the buffer goal to make it 3-1. He received a pass from Eriq Zavaleta and took a low trajectory shot just under the right arm of Marshall.

The goal was Hollinger-Janzen’s first collegiate playoff goal of his career, and he was the second Hoosier to score this postseason.

Three minutes later, Kotlov left no doubt in a Hoosier win after completing his first hat trick of his career with an easy put-in from a pass from Jacob Bushue.  Bushue drew Marshall out of the goal in a 2-v-1 opportunity. With the keeper out, he played a pass across to Kotlov, who was waiting three yards from the goal line for an easy netting.

“It took me a while to score my first goal this year, and Coach has been telling me after you get one they will keep coming,” Kotlov said. “They have been, and today I felt comfortable on the ball. I had two great passes to put two away. My teammates made it easy for me today.”

With the win, the Hoosiers are set to face in-state rival Notre Dame in South Bend on Sunday. Yeagley said the game should make for an interesting matchup, given the teams’ history this season.

“We know them really well because we’ve seen them a lot this year,” Yeagley said. “After this year’s game, we said it felt a tournament game, because it was evenly fought. You knew it was going to be a restart or a great play, and it turned out to be a restart that got the win.

“This group is very confident playing Notre Dame.”