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College Soccer Professor: Woo HOO!
University of Virginia capture sixth NCAA title.
Dec 13, 2009 9:27:43 PM
By J.R. Eskilson
Akron’s amazing season came to an end on Sunday after battling for 110 scoreless minutes against a tough Cavalier defense; they lost in penalty kicks 3-2. Akron had their chances on the day but never appeared to have the right combination to put one away. Virginia played to their strengths and what got them to this point in the season: their defense. It was a clinic on how to play with a lone striker and make your opponent earn everything. It was a brilliant, physical, and tactical battle that showed off the beauty and passion of college soccer.
Dean’s List:
Jonathan Villanueva: He was the College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Let’s forget for a moment that his penalty kick was one of the worst on the day. He was absolutely stellar against Wake Forest. His assist on Brian Ownby’s game winning goal was Beckham-esque (I am disgusted I wrote that too, but it was that good). All weekend, he showed MLS scouts that he is dangerous with the ball on his feet and could be a real weapon off the bench.
Diego Restrepo: He was the College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player. He shattered many Virginia records this season and will go down as one of the best keepers in the history of the program. He now has an NCAA title to add to his resume. He came up huge in the penalty shoot out.
With Honors:
Anthony Ampaipitakwong: The popular saying is, Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well Teal Bunbury might have invented a new phrase this weekend with, Absence makes a wallet go lighter. The lack of the playmaker in the Akron offense was glaring and his effort to play at 70% health was admirable. He is the Steve Nash of the Akron offense. I would not be shocked if Ampaipitakwong did not snatch up a Generation adidas slot if his coach does leave for MLS.
Caleb Porter: Say what you will about his team failing to score in the final two games of the season, they played some beautiful soccer throughout the season. If D.C. United does make it official and hire him as their next coach, their fans will be treated to some of the best looking soccer in the league. This was a team with only one senior starter and they stormed their way to a perfect season. Porter knows what he is doing.
David Meves: He was clutch on blocking two penalty kicks to keep Akron’s title hopes alive. He did not allow a goal in the 220 minutes of action over the two games. He may have looked unsure on a few saves and crosses here or there, but he kept his clean-sheet streak intact through all the NCAA games this season. As a freshman, that is impressive.
Mike Volk and Greg Monaco: The two Virginia center-backs may not be superstars, but they are damn solid defenders. I do not know any coach that would not welcome these two on his squad. They make the right decision and they do not play above their means. These two very good center backs deserve the recognition.
Tony Tchani: Virginia's center midfielder commands the field like a man twice his age. He is a very polished offensive player with excellent vision and distribution skills. His defense is going to need a bit of work for the next level, but he was all over the field this weekend and saw plenty of the ball. He is the quiet leader that every great team needs, and he was stellar on his penalty kick.
Academically Ineligible:
Teal Bunbury: He was marked out of both games this weekend. His touch made a brick wall jealous and he never showed a killer instinct that a forward must possess. For a player that many projected to go in the top five in the MLS SuperDraft, it is hard to believe that his talent will translate to the next level. He does not seem fast enough or sharp enough with his shot to make the jump. Call it nerves or too much pressure but this is not the lasting impression you want to leave on scouts. And when the leading scorer in the country fails to step up and take a penalty kick in the shoot-out, some eyebrows have to be raised. Darlington Nagbe, his strike partner, deserves much of the same criticism.
Penalty kicks: It is hard to say that there is ever a winner in a PK shoot out. It is a terrible way to see a game end, but sometimes it takes a tough decision to separate two teams that are nearly indistinguishable. However, there were only four well taken penalty kicks out of the ten. Teams should have been practicing PKs since they began their post-season run. There is no excuse for tired legs because anyone on the roster can take a PK in college soccer, even if they did not play. Virginia utilized this with Sean Hiller (and his kick was excellent and the game winner).
Injuries: With Ampaipitakwong battling a nagging quad strain and Michael Nanchoff out with a hamstring injury, the Akron offense could never get past second gear. Their free kicks were disgustingly poor without their number ten, Ampaipitakwong, on the field. Virginia was missing Chris Agorsor with a long time knock and Brian Ownby was not 100%. It is a shame that the fans were not treated to the top talent the teams had to offer.
Local North Carolina fans: Half of the stadium was empty on Sunday because the losing teams on Friday (UNC and Wake Forest) fans turned in their tickets. Sure, it was nice of them to give up their seats to the fans of other schools that were in the final, but they were the home teams and they should have stuck around and made sure the atmosphere was electric and the place was full. It was a great game in not so great weather on Sunday, but it deserved a better live audience than it had.
Kyle Martino: ESPN should have hired an Akron grad to counter-attack the Virginia fluff piece known as Martino. Imagine Steve Zakuani and Martino bickering in the studio for ten minutes about the best chance of the game? And shame on ESPN for not sending a high definition camera to Cary.
With that, the 2009 NCAA Men’s Soccer season comes to an end. The College Soccer Professor will be back later this week with his first installment of an MLS mock SuperDraft.
Follow the College Soccer Professor at twitter.com/NCAAsoccer
Want more from Goal.com delivered right to your door? Check out "Goal.com Magazine." Subscribe now!
Akron’s amazing season came to an end on Sunday after battling for 110 scoreless minutes against a tough Cavalier defense; they lost in penalty kicks 3-2. Akron had their chances on the day but never appeared to have the right combination to put one away. Virginia played to their strengths and what got them to this point in the season: their defense. It was a clinic on how to play with a lone striker and make your opponent earn everything. It was a brilliant, physical, and tactical battle that showed off the beauty and passion of college soccer.
Dean’s List:
Jonathan Villanueva: He was the College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Let’s forget for a moment that his penalty kick was one of the worst on the day. He was absolutely stellar against Wake Forest. His assist on Brian Ownby’s game winning goal was Beckham-esque (I am disgusted I wrote that too, but it was that good). All weekend, he showed MLS scouts that he is dangerous with the ball on his feet and could be a real weapon off the bench.
Diego Restrepo: He was the College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player. He shattered many Virginia records this season and will go down as one of the best keepers in the history of the program. He now has an NCAA title to add to his resume. He came up huge in the penalty shoot out.
With Honors:
Anthony Ampaipitakwong: The popular saying is, Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well Teal Bunbury might have invented a new phrase this weekend with, Absence makes a wallet go lighter. The lack of the playmaker in the Akron offense was glaring and his effort to play at 70% health was admirable. He is the Steve Nash of the Akron offense. I would not be shocked if Ampaipitakwong did not snatch up a Generation adidas slot if his coach does leave for MLS.
Caleb Porter: Say what you will about his team failing to score in the final two games of the season, they played some beautiful soccer throughout the season. If D.C. United does make it official and hire him as their next coach, their fans will be treated to some of the best looking soccer in the league. This was a team with only one senior starter and they stormed their way to a perfect season. Porter knows what he is doing.
David Meves: He was clutch on blocking two penalty kicks to keep Akron’s title hopes alive. He did not allow a goal in the 220 minutes of action over the two games. He may have looked unsure on a few saves and crosses here or there, but he kept his clean-sheet streak intact through all the NCAA games this season. As a freshman, that is impressive.
Mike Volk and Greg Monaco: The two Virginia center-backs may not be superstars, but they are damn solid defenders. I do not know any coach that would not welcome these two on his squad. They make the right decision and they do not play above their means. These two very good center backs deserve the recognition.
Tony Tchani: Virginia's center midfielder commands the field like a man twice his age. He is a very polished offensive player with excellent vision and distribution skills. His defense is going to need a bit of work for the next level, but he was all over the field this weekend and saw plenty of the ball. He is the quiet leader that every great team needs, and he was stellar on his penalty kick.
Academically Ineligible:
Teal Bunbury: He was marked out of both games this weekend. His touch made a brick wall jealous and he never showed a killer instinct that a forward must possess. For a player that many projected to go in the top five in the MLS SuperDraft, it is hard to believe that his talent will translate to the next level. He does not seem fast enough or sharp enough with his shot to make the jump. Call it nerves or too much pressure but this is not the lasting impression you want to leave on scouts. And when the leading scorer in the country fails to step up and take a penalty kick in the shoot-out, some eyebrows have to be raised. Darlington Nagbe, his strike partner, deserves much of the same criticism.
Penalty kicks: It is hard to say that there is ever a winner in a PK shoot out. It is a terrible way to see a game end, but sometimes it takes a tough decision to separate two teams that are nearly indistinguishable. However, there were only four well taken penalty kicks out of the ten. Teams should have been practicing PKs since they began their post-season run. There is no excuse for tired legs because anyone on the roster can take a PK in college soccer, even if they did not play. Virginia utilized this with Sean Hiller (and his kick was excellent and the game winner).
Injuries: With Ampaipitakwong battling a nagging quad strain and Michael Nanchoff out with a hamstring injury, the Akron offense could never get past second gear. Their free kicks were disgustingly poor without their number ten, Ampaipitakwong, on the field. Virginia was missing Chris Agorsor with a long time knock and Brian Ownby was not 100%. It is a shame that the fans were not treated to the top talent the teams had to offer.
Local North Carolina fans: Half of the stadium was empty on Sunday because the losing teams on Friday (UNC and Wake Forest) fans turned in their tickets. Sure, it was nice of them to give up their seats to the fans of other schools that were in the final, but they were the home teams and they should have stuck around and made sure the atmosphere was electric and the place was full. It was a great game in not so great weather on Sunday, but it deserved a better live audience than it had.
Kyle Martino: ESPN should have hired an Akron grad to counter-attack the Virginia fluff piece known as Martino. Imagine Steve Zakuani and Martino bickering in the studio for ten minutes about the best chance of the game? And shame on ESPN for not sending a high definition camera to Cary.
With that, the 2009 NCAA Men’s Soccer season comes to an end. The College Soccer Professor will be back later this week with his first installment of an MLS mock SuperDraft.
Follow the College Soccer Professor at twitter.com/NCAAsoccer
Want more from Goal.com delivered right to your door? Check out "Goal.com Magazine." Subscribe now!
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