Creighton 3 -  Virginia 0 - The Creighton Bluejays traveled to Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville to defeat the Cavaliers before a crowd of 2,317 fans.   Creighton now advances to the College Cup in Charlotte,  North Carolina to face Indiana University.  Creighton scored just a little over seven minutes into the match off a cross from Corey Fox to Brian Mullan that Mullan placed in the right corner of the goal.  It appeared that Virginia was going to know the score at 1 each during the 21st minute of play in the first half when they were awarded a penalty kick.  However, Creighton keeper Mike Gabb stopped the p.k. attempt by Virginia’s Steve Totten and the first half ended with Creighton up 1-0. Creighton widened the gap to 2-0 when Mike Tranchilla skillfully placed a chip shot into the back of the net from about twelve yards out ten minutes into the second half.  Credit Mullan with a nice cross to assist on the second goal.  The Cavaliers continued to attack to try to get back into the match but they were unable to dent the Bluejay defense.  The final Creighton goal came during the final minutes of the match with Mullan getting his second goal of the evening  with the double assist coming from Matt Jewitt and Keith Sawarynski.  Virginia outshot the Bluejays 24 to 11 but Creighton played solid team defense and they were the more effective team offensively in this match since they were able to capitalize on the opportunities that came their way. The early Creighton goal and Gabb’s stop of the Virginia penalty kick in the first half were very big.  Gabb had an excellent afternoon in the goal making nine saves for Creighton.  Creighton,  from the Missouri Valley Conference, now stands at 21-3-0 year to date.  Their NCAA Tournament wins include a 1-0 win over Ohio State, a 3-0 win over San Diego, and a 3-0 win over Virginia.  All of Creighton’s wins in the NCAA Tournament this season have been on the road.  Virginia, from the Atlantic Coast Conference,  concludes an excellent season of play with a record of 17-6-1.  The Bluejays advance to the final four for the second time in the last five years. 

 

Indiana 1 -  North Carolina 0 - The Indiana Hoosiers traveled to Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill for this third round NCAA Tournament game.  With the win, Indiana now advances to the College Cup in Charlotte, North Carolina where they will meet the Creighton Bluejays.  The loss ended what has been a great season for the Tarheels who finished the year with a record of 21-3-0.  The Indiana team defense was the key to this match.  The Hoosiers were able to disrupt the normal flow of the Carolina attack as they were the first team all year to hold the potent Tarheel attack lead by Chris Carrieri and Caleb Norkus scoreless.  Neither team scored during the first half of play.  Indiana got the eventual game winner 13 minutes into the second half when Ryan Mack scored off an assist from Pat Noonan.  The Noonan and Mack combination has been big for Indiana all year.  Once the Hoosiers took the lead they very effectively hunkered down into a defensive mode.  They marked and supported very effectively from a team perspective and played a very disciplined low risk style of soccer to protect the 1-0 lead.  The Tarheels outshot the Hoosiers 18-8 but were unable to finish the opportunities that they had to score.  Credit Indiana keeper Colin Rogers with six saves and a big afternoon in the goal making the saves that he needed to make to enable his team to be in a position to win.  Indiana is now 16-6-0 as the two time defending NCAA Championships keep their dream of making it three in a row alive.  Indiana University Coach Jerry Yeagley said it all after the game when he stated “Defense wins championships.”  “A few times I thought they (North Carolina) sent out their basketball team.”  “Our defense had to be a key in a victory against their big lineup.”  While the Hoosiers were locked in a close match with the Tarheels at Fetzer field, the basketball version of the University of North Carolina was getting thumped by Kentucky in the nearby Dean Dome. 

 

S.M.U. 2 -  Stanford 1 -  This one matched the high powered offense of  S.M.U. with the great team defense of Stanford.  S.M.U. traveled to California to face Stanford for this 3rd Round NCAA Tournament game before a crowd of almost 3,000 at New Maloney Field.  The Mustangs got a well deserved win and now advance to the College Cup for the first time in the history of the program.  Stanford took the early lead nineteen minutes into the match when senior forward Corey Woolfolk attacked down the right side and crossed the ball nicely to Aaron Biddle who alertly passed the ball to teammate Derek Shanahan who had room to work.  Shanahan skillfully one touched the ball into the back of the net.  The score remained 1-0 as the teams ended the first stanza of play.  S.M.U. tied the game at 1-1 during the 66th minute of play with defender Crunch Brown playing a long ball forward to Mohamed Fahim who curved a ball into the top left for a picture perfect goal.  The goal seemed to ignite the visiting Mustangs and the momentum of the match began to shift their way. Fahim got the game winner 15 minutes later with Carl Bussey attacking down the right side and opening up the field of play to create the scoring opportunity.  Bussey laid the ball off to teammate Luchi Gonzalez who switched the point of attack by crossing the ball into the front of the goal  mouth. Cardinal keeper Adam Zapala was unable to fully control the ball and Fahim aggressively and alertly finished it.  Stanford picked up the pace and attacked aggressively to try to tie the score but they were unable to find the back of the net.  Credit the S.M.U. defenders with a solid game and for maintaining their composure while under a great deal of pressure.  Stanford ends a very successful season with an 18-3-1 record.  Coach Schellas Hyndman’s S.M.U. Mustangs, who joined the Missouri Valley Conference this year, advance to the College Cup with a 19-4-0 record.   

 

Connecticut 1 -  Brown 0 - Brown traveled to Storrs, Ct. to play this third round NCAA Tournament game before an excited crowd of over 5,200 fans.  When it was all over Connecticut had a hard fought win and the right to advance to the College Cup in Charlotte to face Southern Methodist University.  Brown did the things that they needed to do to have a chance to get the win.  They made the match  a defensive struggle and limited the Connecticut attack to only one goal.  However, the Bears from Brown were unable to find the back of the net themselves and the lone Connecticut goal scored by Brent Rahim during the 19th minute of the match held up to be the eventual game winner.  The Huskie goal reflected the teamwork that has been their trademark under Coach Ray Reid.  Junior Mansour Ndiaye began the play by smacking an accurate pass upfield to freshman Cesar Cuellar who spotted Rahim making a diagonal run and quickly got the ball to his feet.  Rahim had a step on the Brown defender and cleanly drove the ball into the back of the net for the goal and the 1-0 Connecticut lead.  The teams were fairly even in shots taken with Connecticut having eight compared to Brown’s 6 for the evening.  Bryheem Hancock got the shutout in goal for the Huskies increasing his total for the year to a healthy 13.  Connecticut, whose record is now 18-3-2, travels to Charlotte for the College Cup for the second year in a row so they will enter this one with poise and confidence.  Credit Brown with a very good season in 2000 as they went undefeated in Ivy League play and made an excellent showing in the NCAA Tournament.