SANTA BARBARA, California — Right before the game started Friday night, senior Andrew Gutman stared up at the video board that showed a highlight package of the College Cup teams. The video counted down from 10, signifying the start of the game, and as soon as it hit one, the package displayed, “Are you ready?”
Gutman stared at it with his hands over his hips. Of course he was ready. Of course his team was ready, as they have showed time and time again this season.
But the way the first half played out, it looked as if IU wasn’t ready. That slow start ultimately cost IU a 2-0 loss to Maryland to end its season.
Perhaps ready isn’t the right word. Coach Todd Yeagley is a clever coach with mastermind game plans, but this wasn’t the same explosive, aggressive IU offense everyone has seen this season.
This was similar to last year’s College Cup run. IU’s offense looked dominant all year, and then when the Hoosiers went to Philadelphia, they got complacent and allowed the opponents to dictate the pace.
After allowing Notre Dame control possession in the first half of IU’s last game, you’d think the Hoosiers would make sure that didn’t happen in the next round.
But there’s seems to be something about the College Cup that changes the Hoosiers’ persona. Maybe it’s coaching. Maybe when the stakes are high, Yeagley wants to play it safe to ensure his team doesn’t push too far up and allow the opponent to get good chances.
Maybe it’s just the nerves of the players. After Notre Dame, Yeagley said the big crowd at Bill Armstrong Stadium made the players a little nervous and took them out of their game. Even though this game wasn’t played in Bloomington, a good amount of Hoosier fans showed up. Mix that in with the "go home or advance to the National Championship" stakes, and perhaps the team was just nervous.
Whether it’s nerves or coaching, something isn’t going right for IU when it makes it to the final four teams.
It’s not like the team this year and last year were similar either. This year’s team was comprised of winners, and unlike last year, IU won the Big Ten regular season championship and the Big Ten Tournament championship. It accomplished goals two of three and were rolling on all cylinders and couldn’t be stopped by anyone since Oct. 3.
They claimed the No. 1 ranking in the NCAA and the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. All the stars were aligning for IU to win the program’s ninth championship.
This wasn’t how the season was supposed to end.
That’s what made this game so hard to watch. This team is so dedicated to one another, so dedicated to soccer and so dedicated to winning that every missed chance felt like a harder punch to the gut.
There were so many opportunities in the second half where IU could have equalized the game, but this didn’t feel like the typical IU onslaught that foreshadows a goal.
Instead, the closer the Hoosiers got to scoring and didn’t convert, the more it felt like IU’s season was going to end.
Maryland made sure of that in the 79th minute when it scored off a free kick. It was the only offense Maryland saw all second half, and because IU spent so much time on the attack, one defensive lapse was all that was necessary.
That was the theme of the game. IU was too focused on the implications or consequences of this game that it got away from what got it to this point.
And now the quest for nine is delayed once more.
But this time the quest for nine will no longer be under the leadership of IU’s eight seniors — Gutman, Austin Panchot, Trevor Swartz, Francesco Moore, Rece Buckmaster, Cory Thomas, Jeremiah Gutjahr and Timmy Mehl, who were the core of IU’s run this year.
Most seniors were in tears at Harder Stadium on Friday, hugging their teammates, coaches, family and friends. Gutman and Panchot walked toward the IU crowd and applauded them to thank them for the support over their four-year careers.
These seniors meant a lot to this program, but Yeagley said it best after the game:
“In particular, this senior group, I feel like they'll go down as one of the best teams that has ever worn a uniform,” Yeagley said. "That's a very powerful comment, but I felt very strongly about that. I'm just proud. Proud of this team and proud of the seniors in particular. They've taken this program into new heights, and that's difficult to do."
Who knows what lies ahead for the IU men’s soccer team. It has young talented players and the ability to recruit high-caliber prospects.
The program’s slogan is the tradition of excellence. But all these College Cup appearances might start getting old without capturing the National Championship.
