Indiana Soccer: Hoosiers Play Marquette in Third Round of NCAA Tournament
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — After defeating St. Francis Brooklyn 1-1 on penalty kicks Sunday in Wilmington, N.C., the Indiana men's soccer team advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 2-ranked Indiana Hoosiers (9-1-2) are set to play the No. 19-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles (8-2-2) in the Sweet 16 at 6 p.m. ET Thursday at WakeMed Field in Cary, N.C.
"Marquette will be, as always, a tough match," Indiana coach Todd Yeagley said. "They've had a great regular season in the Big East. The Big East is one of the top conferences, so they've been battle-tested."
Indiana is one of three programs to make the Sweet 16 in every season since 2015, alongside Stanford and Wake Forest. The Hoosiers have the most NCAA Tournament victories of any program in the country and have also earned an NCAA record 20 College Cup appearances.
The team has not lost in nine straight matches, which is the longest active streak in the Big Ten and the program's longest streak since 2018.
However, Indiana's last two victories have come down to penalty kicks, but the Hoosiers' backline has been successful all season. The team hasn't allowed more than one goal this year.
Photo courtesy of Indiana University Athletics
"You've gotta be good defensively to go deep," Yeagley said. "I mean, you can win some games and get a couple breaks here or there, but that's not going to work for five or six games."
Marquette is playing in its second Sweet 16 match in program history. The Golden eagles are led by junior forward Luka Sunesson, who was named first team All-Big East this season. Sunneson leads the team with 11 goals, 22 total points and two game-winning goals on the year.
Redshirt sophomore keeper Chandler Hallwood has allowed 11 goals in 12 starts for Marquette. He has 43 saves this season and recorded five shutouts. Hallwood did not allow more than one goal in each of his final six starts.
With a win on Thursday, Indiana will advance to the quarterfinals and continue its quest for the program's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2012.
"Different type of match, but certainly the stakes are the same," Yeagley said. "We're looking to get a good result."