Soc Takes

Well, hello there, SocTakes crowd. Remember me? It’s been a while. Even longer than before. Sorry about that, the pandemic, and life, and the universe, and everything, it all happened. You know the drill by now, it’s January February March April, which means the start of #HipsterManifesto season, and a perfect time for another installment of Understanding The Pyramid, the inconsistently-published series wherein yours truly runs the gamut of what’s what in the North American soccer system.

Well, hello there, SocTakes crowd. Remember me? It’s been a while. Even longer than before. Sorry about that, the pandemic, and life, and the universe, and everything, it all happened. You know the drill by now, it’s January February March April, which means the start of #HipsterManifesto season, and... Hello, Soc Takes crowd. It’s been a while, I know. The pandemic hit, sports got cancelled and my day job suddenly kicked into overtime.

CARY, N.C. — In their 50th season, the Indiana University men’s soccer team was 90 minutes away from the perfect ending to the season — a ninth national championship. The Hoosiers threw everything they had at the Syracuse Orange, fighting back twice to even the score and then heading to penalties. Syracuse edged IU 7-6 on PKs to take its first-ever title. “What a fabulous game tonight,” IU head coach Todd Yeagley said. “A lot of emotion, a lot of great soccer, a lot of great moments.

Anyone who watched the Indiana Hoosiers men’s soccer team this season had their doubts. The Hoosiers would come together and play great one minute. And 10-15 minutes later, it was a different story. People mumbled in the stands about a different lineup every game. A lot of players saw playing time. A lot of new faces made appearances. They ended the regular season with an 8-3-6 record (3-1-4 in the Big Ten). What was going on? Now, four months into the season, it all makes sense.

MUNCIE, Ind. — Western Michigan cooled off an in-form Ball State squad with a 2-nil road win on Oct. 9. The Cardinals had previously been unbeaten across their last seven matches. Follow Robbie on Twitter: @RobbieMeh.

INDIANAPOLIS — Playing in their final home match of the season on Oct. 8, the Indy Eleven hung four goals from the 40th minute on en route to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Charleston Battery. Follow Robbie on Twitter: @RobbieMeh.

Soccer. It’s a funny game. You can play your best for 90 minutes and still come up short. Some call it luck. Some call it persistence. Some call it a group of talented individuals coming together and earning a win. Sunday evening, the IU men’s soccer team did just that. From the front to the back, they played a complete game. They passed well. They created chance after chance. Two minutes into the second half, they scored. And they made it stick.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — One player doesn’t win a game. But special players make special plays. And special plays win games. Sunday, Indiana’s Ryan Wittenbrink remained calm, cool and collected, sending corner kicks on target and looking for a window. In the 75th minute, a small window opened and he took advantage. Wittenbrink dribbled to the top of the box and drilled the ball into the bottom of the net. “You kind of black out a little bit,” Wittenbrink said.

In 1973, Indiana University’s men’s soccer team played its first NCAA season. The next year, the Hoosiers made their first NCAA Tournament appearance. And now in its 50th year, IU is still going strong getting ready to make their 47th NCAA Tournament appearance when they host St. Louis on Sunday at noon ET. No. 13 seed Indiana (10-4-6) received a bye for the first round. The Hoosiers most recently took down Penn State (1-0) and Maryland (2-1) en route to the Big Ten championship match.

INDIANAPOLIS — A Luca Sowinski hat trick helped carry visiting FC Tulsa past the Indy Eleven 4-2 on Saturday. Dario Suarez added the other tally for Tulsa, while Ayoze provided a brace for Indy. Follow Robbie on Twitter: @RobbieMeh.