White: All Hail the NCAA Champions!
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/13/2009
By Jeff White

CARY, N.C. -- As they gathered for a team photo on the sodden turf at WakeMed Soccer Park, brand-new championship caps atop their heads, players and coaches each joyously held up six fingers.
The symbolism was clear: one finger for each of UVa's six NCAA titles in men's soccer.
At long last, the Wahoos collected No. 6 on Sunday afternoon, but the crown was not easily won.
After 110 scoreless minutes, UVa and unbeaten Akron went to a shootout. After the third of five possible rounds of penalty kicks, Virginia led 3-1, and Jonathan Villanueva had an opportunity to clinch the victory.
Zips goalie David Meves saved Villanueva's shot, however, and then Scott Caldwell beat Virginia keeper Diego Restrepo to make it 3-2.
Then it was sophomore defender Greg Monaco's chance to win it for the 'Hoos. Meves stopped his shot, too. And so it came down to the final kick: Akron midfielder Blair Gavin against Restrepo.
The Zips needed to convert to extend the game. Gavin had made the game-winning penalty kick Friday night against North Carolina. This time, though, his shot sailed over the crossbar, and the Cavaliers' celebration began.
It may still be going on.
"What can you say?" senior Neil Barlow said. "It feels incredible. We got our picture [on the NCAA champions' wall at University Hall] and we took that monkey off George's back. It's been 15 years -- 15 long years -- but we finally did it."
Under Bruce Arena, UVa ruled men's college soccer, winning NCAA titles in 1989, '91, '92, '93 and '94.
George Gelnovatch was an assistant on those championship teams. He succeeded Arena as head coach in January 1996 and had consistently turned out successful teams -- Virginia reached the NCAA final in 1997 and the semifinals in 2006 -- but the college game's ultimate prize eluded Gelnovatch.
Until Sunday.
"I knew it would come," Gelnovatch, a UVa alumnus, said emphatically.
"I've told my athletic director that, I told our associate athletic director that. It's not a matter of if. It was going to be when. I was hell-bent on making sure."
At his Saturday press conference, Gelnovatch was asked what an NCAA title would mean to him. He downplayed that storyline then, saying championships were more about the University and the program.
After Sunday's game, however, Gelnovatch acknowledged that winning a championship as a head coach was "a lot more powerful" than what he'd experienced as an assistant.
His players could tell.
"I'm sure it means the world to him," Barlow said. "If you could have seen the smile on his face in the locker room. He feels incredible, and we're so thankful that we could give it to him ... He's been a great coach all season and kept us together."
When the game ended, UVa players sprinted over to the section of the stands where their fellow students -- the Wahooligans -- and other supporters had yelled themselves hoarse in the rain and cold for nearly three hours.
Players and fans alike jumped and shouted and chanted.
On the field watching the raucous scene unfold were Gelnovatch's parents, Walt and Dorit. Their proud smiles told the story.
"Fifteen years I've waited for this," Dorit said. "Now he's got one of his own."
The national championship was the 19th by a UVa athletics team. It was the first since 2006, when the 'Hoos went unbeaten in men's lacrosse.
Gelnovatch's team closed the season with a 16-game unbeaten streak. For the year, the Cavaliers (19-3-3) allowed only eight goals, and their defense carried them again in the NCAA championship game.
"That was the best defensive team we've played all year long," Zips coach Caleb Porter said.
The Zips (23-1-1) came in averaging 2.4 goals, and they dominated possession for much of the game Sunday. But the Cavaliers never cracked.
Gelnovatch singled out Restrepo, who began his college career at the University of South Florida, and center backs Monaco and Mike Volk.
"This is what I've said all along as a coach: If you have a goalkeeper and two center backs, between those three guys, if you have one guy that's a real organizer, really sharp, really does a good job with that kind of stuff, that's great," Gelnovatch said."If you got two guys out of those three, that's really good.
"We have three, which is fantastic. I've got two center backs and a goalkeeper who not only like each other but read the game well, understand the game. That's been the key."
Also stellar on defense, as usual, were outside backs Hunter Jumper and Shawn Barry and midfielder Ross LaBauex.
"Their back five, especially, are tough to break down," Porter said. "They're organized, they're athletic and they're tough."
UVa's best scoring chances -- before PKs -- came in the fifth and 27th minutes, respectively. On the first, freshman forward Will Bates' header bounced off the post. On the second, All-America midfielder Tony Tchani headed a cross over the bar.
"What makes this one even more tough is that we didn't give up a goal in the entire NCAA tournament," Porter said. "And yet we don't take home any hardware."
In the second semifinal Friday, neither Akron nor North Carolina scored for 90 minutes of regulation and then for two 10-minute overtime periods.
On that night, though, the Zips were 5 for 5 on penalty kicks. They weren't nearly so efficient Sunday.
After Tchani converted the first penalty kick -- "Tony's never going to miss," said Barlow -- Zarek Valentin stepped up for Akron.
"Obviously Akron took PKs the other night, and we paid attention to that," Gelnovatch said. "And we wanted to make sure we had the right signals going in to Diego with regards to who was taking it, which way he was going, and Mike was like a traffic cop."
On the sideline, UVa's goalie coach, Mike McGinty, motioned to Restrepo, reminding him that Valentin had gone right on his penalty kick against UNC.
"And I just had a feeling [Valentin] might switch it up," Restrepo said. "Maybe he was going to get nervous and switch it up, and that's what happened. I just went with my instincts."
Those instincts were flawless. Valentin went left, and Restrep dived to make the save.
"It set the tone for our team and for their team," Restrepo said. "After that, our confidence went up so much."
Redshirt freshman Ari Dimas, who joined the team as a walk-on this year, put Virginia up 2-0. The Zips pulled to 2-1, but Sean Hiller, who hadn't played in the game, blasted a shot into the right corner to make it 3-1.
With the pressure mounting, Akron's Kofi Sarkodie's shot hit the left post and bounced away, and victory appeared imminent for UVa. The ending need not have been so dramatic for the Cavaliers, but their legacy was finally secured when Gavin's shot went high.
"Virginia does have such a rich tradition, and for us to add another star to the crest, that'll be there forever," said Villanueva, who had an assist and a goal in the 2-1 semifinal win over Wake Forest and was named the College Cup's most outstanding player.
Restrepo, naturally, was the most outstanding defensive player. Three other Wahoos joined Villanueva and Restrepo on the all-tournament team: Tchani, Volk and sophomore forward Brian Ownby, who scored the game-winner in OT against Wake.
Leave it to Volk to put the Cavaliers' achievement in perspective.
"There's a great tradition at UVa," he said. "We have the stars on our jersey, we have the pillars [at Klöckner Stadium], we have pictures of all the teams that won national championships in our locker room, and we walk by every single day seeing those guys and how happy they were in their pictures on the wall.
"We told ourselves as a team that we wanted to be there one day, and it finally came."
 

Postgame Quotes: NCAA Championship
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/13/2009
NCAA Championship
Virginia 0, Akron 0 (Virginia wins 3-2 on Penalty Kicks)

Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch
On when he started thinking about the possibility of penalty kicks
“Only towards the overtime, and to be honest, only towards the last part of the overtime, maybe only inside of five minutes left in the overtime do you start to think about your order. Akron took P.K.’s the other night and we paid attention to that. We wanted to make sure we had the right signals going in to Diego with regards to who was taking it and which way he was going.”

About Virginia finally winning another national championship
“I knew it would come. I told my athletic director that. I told our associate athletic director that, that it’s not a matter of if; it’s gonna be when. And I was hell-bent on making sure of that. Over the last couple of years I’ve been saying it, and here we are.”

On having no All-ACC players and just one All-American and winning the championship
“To be fair, looking back, if the All-ACC team and the All-America teams were picked now, I think we’d be booked. Our first half of the season was decent – we were getting results – but I wouldn’t say we were playing great. I’ve said it publicly: We weren’t firing on all cylinders. We were winning 1-0 [against teams we should have beaten worse than that]. The All-America stuff is based on people who’ve seen you play mainly in that first half of the season. That may not be entirely fair, but I’ll tell you, there are five or six guys out there now that people would give their left arm to have on their team.”

On when he first started thinking this might be THE team
“I don’t really think in terms of that. We grinded for the first half of the season. The turning point, one of the games I think about, was on the road at Virginia Tech. We won that game 3-1, and that was the last goal that was scored on us before Friday night, and I still don’t count that because it was an own goal. But that was the last time we were scored on.”

Goalkeeper Diego Restrepo
On his game plan entering penalty kicks
“I just wanted to calm down. On the first P.K., my goalkeepers coach, Mike McGinty, told me the way he went in the last game (the semifinal Friday vs. North Carolina). I just had a feeling that he’d switch it up, and that’s what happened. I just went on instincts on the first one, and that was huge for us.”

Defender Mike Volk
On the pressure Akron put on the Virginia defense
“I think it’s safe to say that that was the most pressure we’ve gotten all year, especially in the championship game with the emotions flying. From day one in our season, we’ve had each other’s backs on the back line. The thing with us is that each game, we’ve gotten better and better, and we continue to get better even at the end of the season. Even after the [Wake Forest] game, after the Elite Eight game, we kept getting better. We never really hit the peak. We just kept going up. We stayed unified and played really tough.”
________________________________________
Akron Head Coach Caleb Porter
Opening Statement
“It’s tough to lose that way. I’ve been a part of a team that has won that way as well, and I can tell you it’s better than losing. But it doesn’t feel quite as good as actually winning the game. I’d like to credit Virginia for playing very well and putting up a good fight. They played us as tough as any team this year. You get closer to winning the national championship, second place hurts. You get so close you can taste it.”

“What makes this one even more tough is that we didn’t give up a goal in the entire NCAA Tournament, and yet we don’t take home any hardware. I told the guys that they have nothing to hang their heads on. They raised the bar in my opinion. The way they played the game, I can hold my head high knowing we did everything we could. I thought today we had chances. Two incredible goalkeepers kept making plays. The defenders made a couple good plays, and in the end it was a tie. You have to have a winner. Penalty kicks in our sport is how they determine that. Like I’ve said I’ve won championships this way, so I’m not saying it’s the wrong way to do it. In the end we go home empty handed.”

“What I’ll remember more than anything is the way we played this team and how we approached going into games against the best teams in the country. Not hoping to win, but expecting to win. Not hanging on potential results, but dictating the game. I thought we did that today again, and we’ve done that all year long, so I’m proud of my guys. It’s cruel, but we will continue to follow the same formula. I’ve always felt that if you do that in the end it’s going to be fair. We are going to keep chasing the national championship.”

On Virginia playing physical
“That’s a part of the game. That’s not the first time we’ve seen that. I thought in the first half we let it rattle us a little bit. We didn’t play quick enough, but the second half I thought we were in control of the game. We played well enough, but again a goal wasn’t scored. When you’ve got two teams, on that his given up seven goals and the other that’s given up eight goals. No one is giving in. So time runs out and it’s 0-0 and you’ve got to now decide on five kicks.”

Senior Midfielder Ben Zemanski
On building momentum in the second half
“They counter us a couple times in the first half. I felt like in the second half we definitely were starting to dictate the game a little more and getting into the style we wanted to play. I guess we ran out of time.”

On the rain affecting the game
“It made the field slick and sped up the play a little bit, but it was fine. It wasn’t a factor at all.”
 

Cavaliers Win National Championship in PK Shootout
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/13/2009

CARY, N.C. – The No. 2 Virginia men’s soccer team captured its sixth NCAA Championship, and first since 1994, with a 3-2 penalty kick shootout win over No. 1 Akron following a 0-0 draw in the NCAA Championship final at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Cavaliers (19-3-3) ended the season on a 16-game unbeaten streak.

The title was the sixth for the Cavaliers in program history, having won the championship in 1989 and from 1991-94. The victory also gave the Virginia its 19th team National Championship in school history, the first since men’s lacrosse in 2006.

“I knew was only a matter of time before we won another championship,” said head coach George Gelnovatch. “In 1997, I thought we had a real good chance and lost in the finals. In 2006, we were in the College Cup and things didn’t work out our way. I kept telling people, it was not a matter of if, it was a matter of when. Today was our day.”

Early in the game, the Cavaliers had a golden chance to take an early lead in the fifth minute, but Will Bates’ point-blank header rattled off the post. In the 14th minute. Akron had its first scoring chance, but Diego Restrepo (West Palm Beach, Fla.) made a save on a shot by Anthony Ampaipitakwong. Virginia had another chance in the 27th minute as Tony Tchani (Norfolk, Va.) headed a cross just over the bar. The Cavaliers had a 6-5 shot advantage over the first 45 minutes, but the teams remained scoreless at the half.

Akron (23-1-1) had the first scoring chance of the second half when Teal Bunbury headed a cross wide in the 54th minute. Later in the half, both teams had crosses go through the area, but neither side could get on the end of those passes and the game went to overtime scoreless.

In the overtime periods, neither side could find a game-winning goal, so the champion would be determined by a shootout. Tchani opened the shootout with a goal for Virginia and the Cavaliers took an early advantage when Restrepo stopped Akron’s first kick taken by Zarek Valentin.

After Ari Dimas (Chesapeake, Va.) and the Zips’ Ben Zemanski both converted their attempts in round two, the Cavaliers led 2-1. That lead was extended to 3-1 as Sean Hiller (Colts Neck, N.J.) made his kick and Akron’s Kofi Sarkodie sent his off the post. In round four, Jonathan Villanueva (Grand Prairie, Texas) had a chance to clinch the title, but Akron keeper David Meves made a save and the Zips’ Scott Caldwell converted the ensuing attempt to keep Akron alive.

Greg Monaco (Virginia Beach, Va.) had Virginia’s second attempt for a championship, but Meves once again made a save. Blair Gavin had the fifth attempt for Akron and needed to convert to force extra kicks, but his shot sailed over the bar to give Virginia the National Championship.

Overall, Akron outshot Virginia 12-10 and had a 6-4 corner kick edge over the 110 minutes. Restrepo and Meves each made three saves in net.

Villanueva, who had two assists in the Cavaliers’ semifinal win over Wake Forest was named the College Cup’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player, while Restrepo, who posted his school record extending 16th shutout of the season in the final, was named the College Cup’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Joining those players on the All-Tournament team were Brian Ownby (Glen Allen, Va.), Mike Volk (Bear, Del.) and Tchani.

The championship was the second of Virginia’s six titles to be decided in penalty kicks. The Cavaliers won the 1991 title in a shootout over Santa Clara after a scoreless draw. That game was the last time the NCAA Championship Final had a scoreless draw and needed penalty kicks to determine the winner.

VIRGINIA 0, AKRON 0 (Virginia wins 3-2 in PKs)

Virginia (19-3-3) 0 0 0 0 - 0 (3)
Akron (23-1-1) 0 0 0 0 - 0 (2)

Scoring Summary
None

Shootout Summary
UVa. Tony Tchani (goal)
Akron. Zarek Valentin (save)
UVa. Ari Dimas (goal)
Akron. Ben Zemanski (goal)
UVa. Sean Hiller (goal)
Akron. Kofi Sarkodie (post)
UVa. Jonathan Villanueva (save)
Akron. Scott Caldwell (goal)
UVa. Greg Monaco (save)
Akron. Blair Gavin (high)

Virginia wins shootout 3-2

Shots: UVa 10, Akron 12
Corners: UVa 4, Akron 6
Saves: UVa 3 (Restrepo 3), Akron 3 (Meves 3)
Fouls: UVa 22, Akron 10

Weather: 41 degrees, rain
Attendance: 5679
 

U.Va. wins the College Cup
Michael Phillips
Dec 13, 2009

As Virginia went up 3-1 in penalty kicks, an NCAA official started carrying a box of “U.Va. Champions” t-shirts over to the Cavs bench. That, of course, is known as a jinx. Needing to hit just one kick of its final two, the Cavs missed both, but an Akron miss ended the game and gave the Cavs the title. Plenty will be written about this team over the next week, but certainly the hero of the season is goaltender Diego Restrepo, who changed the whole dynamic of the penalty kicks when he stopped the first one on a legit save. Restrepo will hear from pro teams that want his services - whether he stays or not will determine if U.Va. enters next season at No. 1. As for the “Akron Champions” t-shirts - they were being carried out of the stadium in an unopened box as I left.

On to the story and notebook…..

——————————-

CARY, N.C. – After 15 years, Virginia’s wait is over.

Goaltender Diego Restrepo watched the decisive penalty kick sail high, then ran into the embrace of his teammates as the Cavaliers celebrated their sixth NCAA men’s soccer championship.

It was the first as a head coach for U.Va.’s George Gelnovatch, who assisted during the school’s magical run in the early 90’s.

“When you’re the head coach, and it’s your baby, it’s a lot more powerful,” he said. “A lot more powerful.”

No. 2 Virginia fought off No. 1 Akron’s attack through 110 minutes of play, then downed the Zips 3-2 in penalty kicks to give them their first loss of the season in a scoreless game.

“Virginia has such a rich tradition,” said midfielder Jonathan Villanueva, who was named the tournament’s offensive MVP. “To add another star to the crest that will be there forever, words can’t really explain what it means to us.”

Restrepo, who allowed just one goal – an own goal – in the final 13 games of the season, picked up defensive MVP honors.

The junior played through the pain of a cut on his right middle finger that required four stitches – he had it numbed and bandaged before each of the College Cup games.

He was able to set the tone early in the shootout by shutting down Akron’s Zarek Valentin.

Following Friday’s semifinal, the team returned to the hotel, but Restrepo and others headed to its restaurant, the Crabtree Grill, where Akron’s game against UNC was showing. As that game headed to penalty kicks, more of the team filtered in, lounging on a pool table or wherever else the players could find room.

It was there that Restrepo took a mental log of where Akron’s players shot on their kicks. Valentin went right on his, scoring.

“I had a feeling he’d switch it up – maybe get nervous,” the goalkeeper said. “I just went on instincts, and that one was huge for us.”

Assistant coach Mike McGinto sent in signals from the sideline for the remaining kickers, tipping Restrepo off as to their history.

Virginia’s three shootout goals came from all-American Tony Tchani, Ari Dimas and Sean Hiller, who started just one game all season.

“I know you guys haven’t seen him,” Gelnovatch said. “But he’s going to be a very good player in our program. And obviously a very good PK kicker.”

A series of substitutions took place during the final half of the game, with the coach first taking out his lone forward, Will Bates.

“When you play games Friday and Sunday, you get worn out,” Gelnovatch said. “I’ve played that position…you run out of gas at the end.”

His replacement was another Thomas Dale High standout – Jordan Evans. Evans, who transferred to the team from Richmond, got to play the final minutes, as well as both overtimes, in his final collegiate game.

“If I’d played zero minutes and we won this game, it wouldn’t have mattered,” he said. “It’s a great way to end my college career.”

The Richmond area’s other starter, Deep Run’s Brian Ownby, was used in the final 30 minutes of regulation. Suffering from a double sports hernia, Ownby has been limited in his use.

After scoring the winning goal against Wake Forest Friday, Gelnovatch didn’t see things breaking Ownby’s way yesterday.

“Brian’s out there to get behind them, and they played a little deeper today,” he said.

Despite the mismatch, Ownby managed to get the look he wanted as regulation wound down, a pass from Villanueva that he couldn’t quite corral.

As both teams bottlenecked the middle of their field with defenders, the Zips took to the wings and used their speed to generate a number of scoring opportunities late. They had the only shots of the overtime period, logging three strong looks at the net.

“I think it’s safe to say that’s the most pressure we got all year,” defenseman Mike Volk said. “They came with a lot of numbers, so we were forced to drop off a little bit.”

Virginia’s best opportunity may have been just four minutes into the game, when Bates took a header to the near side of the goaltender, hitting the post.

Both teams struggled through two hours in a frigid, rainy environment. But after U.Va. secured victory, the weather suddenly became irrelevant as Shawn Berry logged a backflip, the team donned its championship t-shirts, and they joined with the Wahooligans in the bleachers for a celebratory serenade.

The teammates then headed off to the locker room, secure in their place in U.Va. history.

“There are a lot of individual stories on this team that are great,” Restrepo said. “We came together, and the result is that we’re national champions now.

———————————-

U.Va. Notes:
Excitement of College Cup motivates players, coaches:
Saturday night, Virginia coach George Gelnovatch offered a piece of advice to his players – don’t get too excited, the game is still 24 hours away.

That was easier said than done.

“Last night I was sweating in my sleep,” defender Shawn Barry said with a laugh. “I couldn’t go to sleep until like 2:30.”

But Barry had the energy the team needed, as Gelnovatch won his first title with Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage in attendance. Gelnovatch delivered his boss a message a few years ago.

“It wasn’t a matter of if – it was a matter of when,” he said. “I was hellbent on making sure were going to a national championship.”

Monaco plays through broken cheekbone:
Sophomore defender Greg Monaco has been playing with a face mask that protects him after breaking two of his cheekbones.

“It’s really annoying to have to play with the mask,” he said.

Monaco said that he regretted taking the mask off before his penalty kick, which was saved by Akron.

It was negated seconds later when Akron’s Blair Gavin missed a kick that would have tied things back up – it was Gavin’s first miss in seven kicks this season.

Game played aggressively both ways:
There was no shortage of hand-to-hand contact as the teams fought for the College Cup title. Five players were booked, but none received more than a yellow card.

“It’s about being smart,” Ari Dimas said. “We had a couple guys on yellows that had to be smart after that. You can’t go in too hard – you have to know how to control yourself and still make an impact.”

The Zips had three of the cards, including one on Gavin after he went cleats-first into Tony Tchani with 14 minutes left in regulation. It gave the Cavs a free kick from a strong position, but they were unable to convert.

In overtime, Akron’s Chris Korb held Virginia’s Ross LaBauex as he tried to chase down a loose ball. The contact sent LaBauex out of the game with an injury, and resulted in a small scuffle on the sideline as Brian Ownby jumped in to make his feelings known. Korb was booked, but Akron retained possession.

Restrepo adjusts to weather:
A native of Colombia, goalkeeper Diego Restrepo played his first college seasons at the University of South Florida. So when he showed up in Charlottesville last winter, he was in for a surprise.

“It’s kind of brutal,” he said of the weather.

That experience paid off this weekend, as the team fought through 31-degree weather on Friday and a rainy day yesterday.

The sun peeked out as the second overtime begun, but the field at the WakeMed soccer complex held its own as a championship venue.

Virginia men's soccer wins NCAA title
The Cavaliers beat previously unbeaten and No. 1 Akron for their first national title since 1994.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CARY, N.C. -- Descriptions of Virginia as a men's college soccer power no longer require the past tense.

Fifteen years after the fourth of four consecutive NCAA titles, the Cavaliers were hugging the national championship trophy again Sunday after handing top-ranked Akron its first loss of the season.

"Everybody knows what kind of tradition this program has," UVa senior Ross LaBauex said. "Now, we can say we're part of it."

The outcome wasn't decided until a previously flawless Blair Gavin sailed a penalty kick over the head of UVa goalie Diego Restrepo, giving the Cavaliers a 3-2 shootout victory.

Neither team scored in the first 110 minutes -- 90 minutes of regulation following by two sudden-death overtime periods.

Akron also played North Carolina to a scoreless tie in the semifinals, advancing only after a 5-4 shootout victory.

"What makes it tough is, we didn't give up a goal in the NCAA tournament and, yet, we don't take home any hardware," Akron coach Caleb Porter said.

Of course, Akron (23-1-1) didn't score any goals either.

Only two teams in NCAA history have given up as few goals per game as Akron (0.274) or Virginia (0.308), so it was not a surprise that the game ended in a scoreless tie and required PKs.

That wasn't such a bad fate for Virginia, given its opportunity to scout Akron in Friday night's semifinal.

Akron's first kicker Sunday was Zarek Valentin, who had converted a penalty kick Friday night by blasting the ball to the goalkeeper's left.

"I felt he was going to switch it up," Restrepo said.

Sure enough, Valentin's kick went to Restrepo's right and the UVa junior keeper was there to smother it. It was the only save either goalie made in the shootout, which may have been a good thing for the Cavaliers.

Restrepo revealed after the game that he slipped on icy pavement before leaving Charlottesville, Va., on Thursday and cut his left ring finger, requiring four stitches.

Restrepo said he received six injections before Sunday's game.

"My left hand was totally numb," said Restrepo, a transfer from South Florida, where he was the backup goalie in 2008 and played in only three games. "I couldn't feel a thing."

Virginia (19-3-3) converted its first three shots in the shootout and when Akron's Kofi Sarkodie hit the post on the Zips' third PK, all the Cavaliers had to do was make one of their final two shots.

Two UVa misses later, Gavin had a chance to send the shootout to a sixth round. Gavin told reporters at a news conference Saturday that he was 6-for-6 on PKs this season.

"I was depressed because their keeper had just made a great save," Virginia's Tony Tchani said. "I felt sure that [Blair] would make it."

Tchani, named All-American earlier in the weekend, took Virginia's first penalty kick in the shootout. He was followed by 5-foot-5 walk-on Ari Dimas, a redshirt freshman who was so obscure before the season that he did not have a biography in the UVa media guide.

In fact, Dimas wasn't on the Cavaliers' 2008 team. Virginia's staff was aware of him, but he did not try out for the team until the spring. In the interim, he played club soccer and was a practice player for the UVa women's soccer team.

"Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that I would be standing where I am today," Dimas said.

UVa's third kicker in the shootout, sophomore Sean Hiller, had not played in the game until that point and did not have a goal or assist all season.

Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said he agreed with Porter that penalty kicks are a "cruel" way to decide a national championship, "but I've been on the losing end of these things, just not in a national championship."

Virginia's string of four consecutive championships started with a scoreless tie with Santa Clara that was decided by penalty kicks in 1991. UVa has won six NCAA men's soccer championships, starting with a 1989 co-championship with Santa Clara.

Gelnovatch was an assistant to Bruce Arena on those teams, taking over as head coach prior to the 1996 season. He has never failed to take the Cavaliers to the NCAA tournament but advanced to the College Cup, soccer's final four, only twice before this season.

UCLA beat Virginia in the 1997 championship game and 2006 semifinal.

"Sure, it's frustrating at the time," Gelnovatch said, "but I knew we would be back. I told my athletic director; I told our associate athletic director, 'It's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when.' We were hell-bent on making it happen, and now here we are."

Cavaliers claim Cup
BY EDWARD G. ROBINSON III - Staff Writer
Tags: ncaa | college cup | soccer | sports

CARY -- The telltale signs of a low-scoring affair were evident throughout the cold and rain during Sunday's soccer match, with Akron and Virginia locked in a struggle for the right to be called the best team in the nation.

After 110 scoreless minutes, including an overtime that produced some close calls, the NCAA Men's College Cup came down to penalty kicks at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Virginia, the tournament's No. 2 seed, captured its sixth national title by winning the shootout 3-2 against the top-seeded Zips.

Virginia's players mobbed junior goalkeeper Diego Restrepo moments after Akron's Blair Gavin missed his penalty kick with a strike that sailed high over the crossbar.

Restrepo, who had given up just eight goals this season, made three saves in the match.

"I will remember this for the rest of my life," said Restrepo, who was voted the game's most outstanding defensive player.

He finished what he called a "roller-coaster season" with his 16th shutout, adding another accolade in a year where he set the school record with 1,176 minutes and 51 seconds without allowing a goal. He had registered 11 consecutive shutouts before allowing a goal against Wake Forest in the semifinals.

It was the Cavaliers' first national championship since 1994, providing another trophy for a storied program that made its 29th consecutive appearance in the tournament.

The outcome pleased the orange-and-navy blue supporters among the crowd.

The Zips (23-1-1), who allowed just seven goals this season, advanced to the finals with a shootout victory over North Carolina on Friday.

Restrepo was armed with information as Akron's Zarek Valentin approached the 12-yard marker for the Zips' first attempt and went for the lower left corner.

"I just wanted to calm down," Restrepo said. "On the first PK, my goalkeepers coach [Mike McGinty] told me the way he went in the last game.

"I just had a feeling that he'd switch it up, and that's what happened. I just went on instincts on the first one, and that [save] was huge for us."

Akron's Ben Zemanski made his shot count in the second round, but teammate Kofi Sarkodie banged his attempt off of the left goal post in the third.

After three rounds, the Cavaliers led 3-1, with Tony Tchani, Ari Dimas and Sean Hiller converting their attempts.

Virginia had its chances to clinch the title in the fourth and fifth rounds, but Jonathan Villanueva and Greg Monaco were stopped by Akron keeper David Meves.

Akron's Scott Caldwell converted his shot in the fourth to close the gap to 3-2 with Gavin's chance left in the fifth.

Gavin entered 5-for-5 in penalty kicks for the season, including the winning kick against the Tar Heels.

"I haven't seen him miss a penalty kick since I've coached him," Akron coach Caleb Porter said.

After Gavin missed, he collapsed to the ground and did not get up for several minutes, disappointed that his team's remarkable season had come to an end.

It was the type of game in which every turn was met with a foot to the shin. Virginia wasn't shy about bumping a player off the ball.

The Cavaliers finished with 22 fouls to the Zips' 10.

"We faced up with our bodies, used our strength and dealt with them pretty well," Virginia junior defender Mike Volk said.

The Zips were tough and stingy, too. They didn't give up a goal in the tournament, but still left heartbroken and beaten.

"It stings, but I'm proud of my guys," Zemanski said. "None of these guys deserves that. But they played their hearts out."

The Cavaliers played the shootout with the confidence of having an ace in the hole.

"If we just buried our chances, we knew Diego would come up with the saves," said Villanueva, who was voted the tournament's most outstanding offensive player.
 

Exams and erratic defense compete for Cavs’ attention
By Michael Phillips
Published: December 13, 2009
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Things haven't been easy the past two weeks for Virginia's basketball players.

A loss to Penn State resulted in coach Tony Bennett turning up the intensity during practices, looking for a more consistently intense defensive performance.

Now they've got a reprieve from those workouts, but it's only so they can focus on final exams.

"That's no easy thing at the University of Virginia," Bennett said. "They'll get ready for that, and we'll carve out practice times whenever we can."

The Cavs are in their longest break of the season and won't play again until Saturday, when they play host to UNC Wilmington, starting a stretch of three games in five days.

During that time the goal will be preparing for the conference schedule, which is right around the corner.

"We've got to really make some strides during this time and get better going into ACC play," guard Sammy Zeglinski said. "We definitely want to build some momentum."

That's been tough to come by, as defensive lapses against Penn State and Auburn resulted in tough losses.

"In the Penn State game, we had a lot of defensive breakdowns," freshman Jontel Evans said. "So after that, coach made practice real intense."

Bennett has made it clear from the time he arrived in Charlottesville that he's not looking to have a feel-good season at the expense of future success. He's determined to build his players into his defensive system, and if that costs the team a couple of wins in the short-term, that's just part of the cost of doing business.

There have been signs of success, mixed in with the occasional setback. At 4-4, Virginia has proved to be formidable competition, though things likely will get rougher once ACC play begins.

"We've got to keep working," Bennett said. "It's a never-ending process."

Offensively, the Cavs are shooting a respectable 46 percent from the floor. At times they've fallen into the old habit of allowing Sylven Landesberg to carry the load, but the team has also proved resilient despite losing its post players for various lengths of time.

One advantage of the extended break will be that forward Mike Scott will have some time to heal his sprained right ankle. That, combined with missing Jamil Tucker (personal leave of absence) has resulted in a premium being placed on guard play.

Zeglinski, the team's main ball-control player, said he's enjoying the freedom that Bennett gives him to run the offense.

"He puts a lot of trust in us to make good shot selections," the guard said. "Offensively, he lets us play our game and get a good shot."

Of course, with a team that is thin on depth and still learning a defensive system, the margin for error becomes even slimmer.

Bennett has continually used the word process as he describes what his team is in store for this season.

"We'll keep going to the drawing board and keep trying to improve," he said.