IU defeats Georgetown, claims title

HOOVER, Ala.-Senior defender Caleb Konstanski ran to the IU contingent behind the Georgetown bench, stepped on the short cement barrier, grabbed a Hoosier Army flag and waved it with untold enthusiasm.

He then hopped off and ran back to the edge of the 18-yard box on the right side for a leaping embrace with senior goalkeeper Luis Soffner.

The celebration for title number eight had just begun.

IU took the lead in the 64th minute. For the fourth consecutive game, either sophomore midfielder Patrick Doody or junior defender Matt McKain played the ball into the box that netted the game-winning goal. Doody, five feet from the left touchline at the edge of the 18, extended and crossed the ball to the far post.

Sophomore forward Eriq Zavaleta beat Georgetown goalkeeper Tomas Gomez to the ball four yards away from his left-side post and headed it back to the center of the goal, where junior midfielder Nikita Kotlov scored his fifth goal of the tournament.

“Patrick played a good ball to the back post,” Zavaleta said. “The ball kind of drifted in the air for quite a while. The keeper was pretty hesitant and kind of got in no-man’s land. I saw Nikita running into the box, and my goal was to get the ball down to be able to let him make a play.”

Meanwhile, Soffner notched his 12th shutout this season, adding to his career-best mark.

It was the Hoosiers’ third consecutive 1-0 victory. IU trailed for only 56 seconds all tournament.

“We said from the very beginning that defense is going to win championships,” Soffner said. “When maybe we’re not having our best offensive game, our defense comes in, and every guy on the field comes together. Just that fight, just not letting the ball go into the net. We know that eventually we’ll get one. Just like today, Georgetown was putting good pressure on us. From front to back, we had great team defense.”

IU Coach Todd Yeagley said Soffner provided the team with calm and confidence. He also kept the Hoyas off the scoreboard in the first half with two saves diving to his left.

Georgetown attempted three shots in that first half because IU did not allow its opponents to get comfortable.

Georgetown midfielder Ian Christianson said his team had some chances they did not convert. Their best chance came in the 89th minute, when Tommy Muller’s header bounced off the right side of the post.

“In the second half, it didn’t come in the box very often,” Soffner said. “When it hit the crossbar, I was so happy. Sometimes you just need a little bit of luck. We deserved it at that moment. If it takes a little luck, we’ll definitely accept it.”

In three of IU’s five NCAA Tournament matches, the Hoosiers were unable to score in the first half. Each of those were a single-seeded foe that outshot IU in the first half — No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 9 North Carolina and No. 3 Georgetown. All three times, the Hoosiers won by a goal.

Yeagley said words are insufficient.

“Words are hard to explain emotionally what was shared in the locker room and what that team shared in the field,” Yeagley said.