A 79th minute goal by Scott Caldwell was decisive as the University of Akron collected its first NCAA College Cup men's soccer title on Sunday.
View full sizeAs Akron players clustered around the NCAA championship trophy Sunday afternoon in California, coach Caleb Porter praised their determination. "It's an absolute credit to these guys' character," he said after the 1-0 victory over Louisville. "We were hungry all year long."Kathryn L. Knapp
Special to The Plain Dealer
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The second year back to the College Cup was definitely the charm for the Akron Zips' men's soccer team. A 1-0 win over Louisville gave Akron its first NCAA championship in any sport.
"It's been a long journey," Akron head coach Caleb Porter said. "It started Dec. 14 (2009) with a bitter loss [in the NCAA title game to Virginia], a painful loss. We recovered and moved on. It's an absolute credit to these guys' character. We were hungry all year long."
The first half allowed for a handful of opportunities for both teams. But in the second half, Akron took charge, attacking play after play. Finally the Zips broke through.
In the 79th minute, Akron's Anthony Ampaipitakwong soared a corner kick into the box. Scott Caldwell blasted a shot off the Cardinal defense. He picked up the rebound and sent it into the top of the net. The goal was the fifth in Caldwell's last seven games.
"Once I got my first one in, it gave me the confidence to keep going forward," Caldwell said. "It takes luck too. The ball's been bouncing my way lately."
From that point on, the Zips didn't stop. They kept creating chances. Akron out-shot Louisville, 15-10, in the final 45 minutes, forcing Louisville goalkeeper Andre Boudreaux to make four saves. Darlington Nagbe and Darren Mattocks spent a lot of the second half making runs. Each finished the night with four shots. Caldwell recorded four shots as well.
"Our goal was to stay on the ball as much as possible," Porter said. "We wanted to get in their defensive end. As the half went on, they were really just hanging on. Things got a little hectic in the last couple of minutes, but that's going to happen."
In the 50th minute Louisville sent a long free kick into the box, where Akron goalie David Meves stopped Colin Rolfe's header. The shot was the lone one on the day for Rolfe.
View full sizeAkron's Perry Kitchen goes airborne to get off a pass against Louisville's Dylan Mares in the first half of Sunday's NCAA men's soccer championship game at Santa Barbara, Calif.A late push by Louisville led to back-to-back shot attempts. The Cardinals' Aaron Horton, who scored the winners in the final minute of Louisville's last two games, got into the box. Horton blasted a short attempt toward goal. Meves was out of position, but defender Chad Barson was there to clear the ball out of harm's way.
"I don't really recall how Aaron got the ball," Barson said. "It was kind of crazy. Louisville had to push forward. Aaron took a shot and I was able to make the play. I knew if I didn't make it Zarek [Valentin] would have had it. We were covered."
Akron (22-1-2) dominated opponents, outscoring them, 64-16. The Zips were tough defensively as well. The win gave them their 14th shutout of the season.
"On a day where clearly we were not at our best, we hung in there," said Louisville head coach Ken Lolla, who preceded Porter at Akron. "In the second half we struggled to keep the ball. At the end we looked for the equalizer. We had a tremendous run."
Kathryn Knapp is a freelance writer in Santa Barbara, Calif.