Dear Old U.Va.

Virginia Wins Soccer National Title

Sunday, December 13 2009 by Tim

The Virginia men’s soccer team started off the season a bit slow. Three exhibition losses had some fans wondering if the youth on the team was just too much for the Cavaliers to overcome this season. They began the season ranked #22 in the nation, but would the young players and new faces, including a transfer in goal, anchoring the team be able to build from that?

As the team celebrated it’s victory over Akron in the NCAA National Championship game this afternoon in Cary, NC, the youth of the team was looking more like a promise of future success rather than a potential stumbling block. A Cavalier team that started two freshmen and four sophomores in its starting 11 – and used two more sophomores off the bench – had just brought home Virginia’s first soccer championship in fifteen years. Could this be the start of a new soccer dynasty in Charlottesville, recapturing the glory years with back-to-back-to-back-to-back national titles in the early ‘90s?

"I knew this day would come. It's not a matter of if but when, “ said Virginia Head Coach George Gelnovatch after the game.

Gelnovatch may have been certain it would happen, but there was a lot less certainty in the stands as the game unfolded. Both teams played an aggressive, defensive-oriented match, with yellow cards handed out to both teams and several near-fight instances at various points during the match.

Both teams had scoring opportunities, some good, some not-so-good, but neither team was able to put it in the back of the net during regulation. Or overtime. Or that other overtime. So off to penalty kicks it was.

Here’s a little photograph timeline of the penalty kicks:

Virginia’s Tony Tchani kicked first, sending the ball top-right and well-past the diving David Meves. Virginia leads 1-0.
 

Akron’s Zarek Valentin’s shot goes lower-left and Diego Restrepo makes a great save. Virginia leads 1-0.
 

Virginia’s Ari Dimas goes mid-height-right and Meves dives the wrong way. Virginia leads 2-0.
 

Akron’s Ben Zemanski goes lower-left and narrowly slides by a diving Restrepo. Virginia leads 2-1.

Virginia’s Sean Hiller – who didn’t play a single minute in regulation or overtime – goes mid-right. Virginia leads 3-1.
 

Akron’s Kofie Sarkodi fakes Restrepo into a wrong-way dive, but the ball hits the left post and bounces away. Virginia leads 3-1.
 

Virginia’s Jonathan Villanueva goes lower right, but the ball is easily knocked away by Meves. Virginia leads 3-1.
 

Akron’s Scott Caldwell makes Restrepo go right again, but this time the ball goes in – mid-left. Virginia leads 3-2.
 

Virginia’s Greg Monaco takes the final kick for the Cavalier side and sends it lower-right. Meves makes an easy diving save. Virginia leads 3-2.
 

Akron’s Blair Gavin takes the final kick for the Zips side and sends it sailing over the goal. Virginia wins 3-2.

And thus it was over. Virginia celebrated. Akron sulked. Their dream season – 23-0 heading into the College Cup – was over. Virginia finished the season undefeated in its last 16 games, giving up only three goals during that fifteen game stretch. 

A fan who is a better researcher than I am determined this game counts as a win for Virginia and a loss for Akron, rather than the normal method of scoring a PK win/loss as a tie. That means Akron finishes the season with a 23-1-1 record – its lone tie coming in the semi-finals and its lone loss coming to the Cavs in the championship game.

There are plenty more game pictures available in our photo gallery. Go check them out.