WESTFIELD, Ind. — It took 110 minutes for Maryland to have the advantage against IU in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
After ending regulation tied 1-1 and playing to a draw for the two overtime periods, the No. 1-seeded Hoosiers and No. 5-seeded Terrapins needed penalty kicks to decide a winner.
Maryland’s Chase Gasper hit a penalty kick to take the 2-1 advantage, and senior Rece Buckmaster went to even the odds until Maryland keeper Dayne St. Clair had other intentions.
For the short seconds from when St. Clair made the save to when Maryland’s Mike Heitzmann placed the ball on the penalty kick circle, Maryland had the upper-hand in a game where IU led in shots 22-12.
Flashbacks from last year’s Big Ten Tournament game against Wisconsin came to mind — there were flurries and it was cold, while IU trailed 2-1 in PK’s with the opposing team looming over a 3-1 advantage — but those flashbacks were quickly forgotten.
As the ball left Heitzmann’s foot and was blocked by the hands of sophomore goalie Trey Muse, IU was alive.
Senior Austin Panchot evened things up at 2-2, and Muse stepped into the goalie box once again. He said he was a little nervous before PK’s started, but when it started, those nerves went away. With confidence brewing after his first save, Muse stepped up once again and made another save.
Advantage IU.
Seniors Jeremiah Gutjahr and Corey Thomas finished the job, and IU won in penalty kicks 4-3.
Credit senior Andrew Gutman’s goal in the second half. Credit senior Francesco Moore, Panchot, Gutjahr and Thomas making their penalty kicks, but that shootout was Muse’s moment.
“He loves the moment,” Coach Todd Yeagley said. “He’s pushed every day by guys in training that are phenomenal at shot-stopping penalties. You got to love that from your goalkeeper, and I can’t say enough about Trey. He’s been great for us.”
This season, Muse has 41 saves and eight shutouts. He was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year and to the First-Team All-Big Ten. As Muse stood in front of the media with many layers on underneath his black goalie jersey to compensate for the temperature, he said it felt good to make those saves and that he knew he was capable of making them.
It was difficult for Muse to talk afterward because of how frozen his lips were. Not that he wasn’t used to opening them, though, as throughout the game he was constantly communicating with his team and instructing his defense what to do. Muse remembers feeling snow hit his ear and feeling shivers because unlike his teammates, he isn’t constantly running up and down the 120-yard pitch.
None of that mattered though. Whether it was the bitterness of the air, the single goal allowed in the second half or the first two goals given up in PK’s, Muse stuck to his principles and did what he does best: step up in the moment.
From top to bottom, the Hoosiers put together a solid performance to advance to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament.
While the 10 white jerseys push up to try and produce goals, Muse stands back in his black jersey as the last line of defense. There’s no better option to have as the last line of defense than Muse, and although his name hasn’t been brought up a significant amount this season, he’s just as big a part of IU’s success as anyone else.
Muse will have to be on top his game once again on Sunday. Wisconsin could be the opponent, and Muse and the Hoosiers can eliminate the flashbacks from last year and capture goal two of three — the Big Ten Championship.
