Indiana’s College Cup run comes to an end against Maryland

Two of the best teams in the country walked into Harder Stadium on Friday night with dreams of a national championship. One walked out with those dreams intact. It wasn’t Indiana.

The Hoosiers’ hopes of bringing their quest for a ninth national title to an end in 2018 fizzled out as they lost 2-0 to the Maryland Terrapins.

In the first half the teams traded attacking efforts, Maryland leading Indiana 6-4 in shots, but neither could gain an edge on the scoreboard until just before the half.

In the 39th minute Maryland midfielder Eli Crognale sent a corner kick into the box. The ball bounced around and a clearance attempt from Indiana failed. Matt Di Rosa found it for the Terps and put it in the back of the net to give them a 1-0 lead.

“Tonight, the ball wasn’t bouncing,” IU coach Todd Yeagley said. “We couldn’t find that bounce that we needed.” This became a common theme throughout the evening for the Hoosiers.

Indiana dominated possession in the second half and got the bulk of the scoring opportunities. They led the Terrapins 11-4 in shots in the final period, but they couldn’t find an equalizer.

In the 79th minute Maryland earned a free kick. Crognale sent it into the box and Donovan Pines got a toe on the ball to put it in the goal. 2-0 Terps.

Ultimately Indiana couldn’t capitalize on their chances, leading to a 2-0 final score.

“There were moments we could’ve been better,” senior Austin Panchot said. “Today just wasn’t our day.”

So that’s it. The end of the season for a team that should rank among the most talented in program history and the end of a career for a group of seniors that had quite the impact.

“It’s really hard to go all the way and win a championship but I told them, particularly the senior group, that I feel they’ll go down as one of the best teams that’s ever worn the uniform,” Yeagley said.