Nov. 14, 2008 CARY, N.C. - No. 4 seed Virginia (11-7-1) scored on a penalty kick in double overtime to upset No. 1 seed Wake Forest (18-1-1) 3-2 Friday night in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Championship at WakeMed Soccer Park. "My hat goes off to Virginia," said Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich. "They did a great job of making us uncomfortable. Virginia came into the game with a great game plan in which they executed equally as well. In the first half they forced us out of our game, but in the second half our guys did a great job of adjusting and fighting their way back into the game." Matt Poole's penalty kick eluded Wake Forest goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald with 4:15 remaining in the second overtime period. Poole's kick came after Nick Courtney was called for a foul on Virginia's Brian Ownby inside the 18-yard box. The win moves the Cavaliers into the championship game of the ACC Championship on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Virginia will meet Maryland in the title game. Wake Forest has never beaten the Cavaliers in an ACC Tournament game. Virginia improved to 10-0-2 against Wake in conference tournament matches. The loss snapped Wake Forest's 24-game unbeaten streak, dating back to the 2007 ACC Tournament championship game against Boston College. Senior midfielder Sam Cronin became the Wake Forest record holder for most games played and started in a career. Cronin, who went to high school at Mount Tabor in Winston-Salem, has started all 94 games in his career as a Demon Deacon, surpassing the previous record of 93 held by Brian Edwards. The game was played in a steady drizzle throughout the first half though the rain abated in the second half. The slick field conditions cost both teams several scoring opportunities.
Wake Forest took a 1-0 lead when Marcus Tracy scored with 37:26 to play in the second half. Tracy scored from 15 yards out on a low kick that lifted the Deacons to a 1-0 lead. Corben Bone picked up his 16th assist of the season on the play, extending his record for most assists in a single season at Wake Forest. Virginia tied the match with 21:46 to play in the game when Jonathan Villanueva scored with an assist from Ownby. The Cavaliers took a 2-1 lead with 8:26 to play in the match when Chase Neinken headed the ball in past Fitzgerald off a crossing pass. The Deacons tied the match in the 89th minute when freshman Danny Wenzel knocked the ball into the net out of a scramble in front of the Virginia net. Jamie Franks and Lyle Adams were credited with assists. Wake's Lyle Adams appeared to score the game-winning goal with 18 seconds left but the goal was negated after the Deacons were called for being offsides. Fitzgerald had five saves in the match while Virginia's Michael Giallombardo also had five. Each team got off 18 shots in the match. The Deacons now wait to see who their first opponent will be in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show for the NCAA Tournament is scheduled for Monday, November 17 at 6 p.m. (ET) on ESPNEWS. |
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