Less than six minutes into the match, the No. 2-seeded Hoosiers found the game-winning goal.
Senior midfielder Trevor Swartz sent in the cross from the left side. The ball took one bounce and sophomore forward Justin Rennicks missed the tap-in opportunity.
The ball then bounced one more time and slowed down as senior midfielder Austin Panchot trailed to the right side of Rennicks. Panchot was left wide open and put the ball in the back of the net as the Air Force goalkeeper dove too low to the ground.
The goal from Panchot was the first of two first-half goals for the Hoosiers as they shut out Air Force to take the 2-0 victory and advance to the quarterfinals the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
“I think we’re in our best form of the year, and we’re confident,” Panchot said. “We’re ready to take on whatever team comes in our way.”
Air Force came into the match ranked No. 3 in the country in scoring offense, averaging 2.57 goals scored per game. The Falcons also had two seniors in Tucker Bone and Austin Dewing, who have combined for 25 goals and 104 shots this season.
IU only held a 7-5 shot advantage heading into halftime but then outshot Air Force 6-4 in the second half. Neither Bone nor Dewing even registered a shot against the IU backline. For the game total, IU had a 13-9 total shots and a 4-1 shots on goal advantage.
The best opportunity of the day for Air Force didn’t come until the 86th minute. Senior midfielder Luis Martinez sent in a corner kick and senior defender James Sims fired a shot toward the right side of the net after the ball was knocked around in the box, but it hit the goalpost.
“I feel like it’s all clicking,” senior defender Timmy Mehl said. “The communication is up from everyone in the back. If we’re organized well, we’re not giving up many shots and a little amount of shots means a little amount of goals.”
Swartz picked up his 15th assist of the season and fifth overall for the NCAA Tournament in the 22nd minute.
After a handball violation from Air Force, Swartz was on the right side of the goal for a free kick opportunity. Swartz put his left foot on the ball as it curved toward the opposite side of the net and found the head of Mehl as the Air Force goalkeeper couldn’t help but watch the ball go into the net.
The assist moved Swartz to sole possession of third place all-time in IU history for most assists in a single season. He passed current IU Coach Todd Yeagley, Yuri Lavrynenko and Wane Lobring, who all had 14 assists.
With the win, IU is now only one game away from making a second straight trip to the College Cup.
“The first time I’ve mentioned Santa Barbara was today when I told them they were 90 minutes away from having the opportunity to go there,” Yeagley said. “This year, we just tipped the scales and have gotten the two titles, and we’re one step closer to an opportunity.”
