Nov. 23, 2008

LOS ANGELES - Former Wake Forest stars Brian Carroll and Will Hesmer helped the Columbus Crew to its first MLS title in club history on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls in the MLS Cup.

Carroll and Hesmer each received started in the game and played the entire 90 minutes, with Carroll starting in the midfield and Hesmer the starting goalkeeper. Hesmer picked up the victory, allowing just one goal.

Columbus scored the only goal of the first half, scoring in the 31st minute. Alejandro Moreno scored his first goal of the postseason, sneaking the ball inside the left post.

After the Red Bulls equalized in the 51st minute, Columbus answered with its second goal in the 53rd minute as Chad Marshall found the back of the net. The Crew added an insurance goal in the 82nd minute on Frankie Hejduk's goal.

Carroll and Hesmer both enjoyed standout careers at Wake Forest. Carroll was a Hermann Trophy Finalist in the 2002 season, and Hesmer was a first-team All-American in 2002 and 2003.