Dec. 12, 2003
Box Score| Quotes| Photo Gallery
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Pat Yates scored on a header in the second overtime period to send Indiana to the NCAA championship game with a 1-0 win over Santa Clara on Friday night.
No. 8 Indiana (16-3-5) will take on No. 6 St. John's (17-5-3) in Sunday's title game. The Red Storm beat Maryland 1-0 earlier in the day to advance.
After the winning goal, Indiana coach Jerry Yeagley walked up and down the sideline with a big grin. Yeagley has more wins and a higher winning percentage than any other college men's soccer coach, and will retire after this College Cup.
Yates' goal in the 104th minute came after a match played primarily in the midfield, and with few scoring threats. Brian Plotkin lofted a pass to Yates, who was streaking down the field, and headed the ball into the top-left corner of the net from 6 yards out.
Sunday's title game will be a rematch of the 2001 College Cup semifinals, which Indiana won 2-1 in double-overtime. Indiana went on to lose to North Carolina 2-0 in the championship.
The game played out between evenly matched Indiana and Santa Clara with plenty of finesse, as midfielders repeatedly fed passes up the flanks. But neither team was able to convert on a number of set play situations, and both midfields swarmed around attacking forwards to thwart any scoring opportunities.
The best shot of the game came as regulation time expired.
As the announcer counted down the last three seconds, Santa Clara's Jason Pan sent a long pass from behind midfield to a streaking Will Weatherly, who one-touched a volley from the top of the penalty box to the top of the goal.
Indiana goalie Jay Nolly leaped and tipped the ball but was unable to grab it; the ball dribbled harmlessly to the right side of the goal after time expired.
Unseeded Santa Clara went to overtime in four of its five tournament games. The Broncos beat SMU in penalty kicks against, defeated Loyola Marymount 1-0 in overtime in the second round and beat Coastal Carolina 3-2 in overtime in the third round.
Santa Clara (16-4-4), under second-year coach Cameron Rast, was playing in the College Cup for the fifth time in the program's history.
Indiana stunned top-ranked defending champion UCLA last weekend to earn its spot in the semis.