Hoosiers headed to 21st College Cup after blanking Seton Hall

A torrential downpour forced Indiana and Seton Hall off the pitch for nearly an hour late in Monday’s first half. But neither a deluge nor a feisty Pirates program could keep the Hoosiers from booking a trip to their 21st College Cup.

Goals from Ryan Wittenbrink and Thomas Warr propelled third-seeded IU back to college soccer’s final four in a 2-0 quarterfinals victory at soggy WakeMed Field in Cary, N.C. The win marks the third time in four seasons that the Hoosiers will play in the national semifinal round, where they’ll meet No. 2 Pittsburgh on Friday.

Wittenbrink put Indiana ahead moments after the weather delay ended, weaving through traffic at the top of the box and beating the Seton Hall keeper on a well-placed ball to the far post in the 44th minute. For good measure, IU added another strike in the 58th minute when Warr scored on a cross from Maouloune Goumballe to make it 2-0 Hoosiers.

The Pirates unloaded 14 shots and took five corners but couldn’t beat Indiana keeper Roman Celentano, who finished with six saves — five of which came during the second half.

IU took three shots.

The Hoosiers (11-1-2) have not suffered a loss in 11 consecutive matches, and now they’re only two more wins away from reaching their final destination on the Quest For 9.