IU soccer headed back to College Cup after beating Spartans in PKs

BLOOMINGTON – Indiana men's soccer team's quest for a ninth national championship continues.

And it was a freshman that saved the night. In the penalty shootout of Friday’s NCAA tournament quarterfinal, IU goalkeeper Trey Muse stopped three Michigan State penalties to send the Hoosiers to their 19th College Cup appearance. IU won 3-2 in penalties after a 1-1 draw.

"Once I pulled that first save out, I just kept going," Muse said. It’s a great feeling.”

It's off to Philadelphia now. But Friday wasn't without its nervy moments at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

Ninety-nine seconds into the match, Indiana found itself trailing for the first time all season. Michigan State forward Ryan Sierakowski perfectly executed a header past the reach of Muse to open the scoring.

“I thought we responded great,” IU's Trevor Swartz said of the MSU goal. “Frankie (Moore) pulled us in and gave us a pep talk. We realized that we still had 87 minutes left of soccer and can score a goal in that amount of time. We put our heads down and went to work.”

The Hoosiers responded well, peppering Spartan goalkeeper Jimmy Hague with 11 first-half shots. It took until the 60th minute for Indiana to equalize, as Swartz’s untouched corner kick snuck in the net.

“That was just part of the gameplan,” Swartz said of the goal. “I was trying to hit that spot the whole game. When you put the ball across the sticks like that, good things happen.”

► MORE: Todd Yeagley creating his own IU legacy

In penalties, Muse guessed correctly on tries by Sierakowski, Brad Centala, and lastly Giuseppe Barone to win it. Muse dove to his right against Barone to ignite the celebration of IU students and pep band.

“I’m excited for my teammates and finish out on our home field for the seniors," Muse said. "I think Mason (Toye) was the first to celebrate with me, but I’m not really sure — it was a lot of people.”

For the majority of Friday’s match, Indiana forced its opponent to play on its heels. Through regulation, the Hoosiers held the advantage in shots, 23-10. Junior midfielder Andrew Gutman was excellent with his pace, providing a threat to IU's attack.

Despite an undefeated season, Indiana missed out on Big Ten championships in the regular season and conference tournament.

In next week's national semifinal at Philadelphia's Talen Energy Stadium, Indiana will face the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal between North Carolina and Fordham.

“We changed a lot of banners today,” coach Todd Yeagley said. “We changed them on our field, we changed them in our locker room. They’re not done, they’re motivated. It’s a tough thing to do in our program, to leave your mark.”

Indiana’s senior class has longed for the opportunity to leave its mark on a historic program. The 2017 College Cup will be IU’s first College Cup since 2012 — when the Hoosiers won their most recent national championship.

“When you come to Indiana,” Swartz said. “You always talk about wanting to win a national championship. The Big Ten championships are special trophies and we want to win those too, but the ultimate prize is the national championship.”