Postgame Quotes

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NCAA SEMIFINAL
POST GAME QUOTES

Virginia Head Coach George Gelnovatch

Opening Statement
“Obviously we’re ecstatic to be playing for a national championship with this win. Wake Forest is an excellent team. I thought the game had its moments both ways. I thought our demeanor and our resolve to start the overtime right from the start, right from the kickoff, I thought that we believed we were going to win that game. Whether it was overtime, whether it was pks, it didn’t matter. That’s how we’ve been all season.”

On Wake Forest’s aggressive start
“The first two times we played them it did not look like that. I think they put us on our heels. I thought they were sharp to start the game – very sharp, as sharp as I have seen them. But I do think as the half went on, later in the half, we found ourselves. I think their mentality was to try to jump on us early. They really came after us. In the previous two games they didn’t come after us like that. They caught us off guard a little bit. I think their mentality was to try to get a quick goal. Thankfully that didn’t happen.”

Sophomore Forward Brian Ownby

On the game-winning goal
“We won the ball. Johnny (Villanueva) had it. I saw there was a big gap between the defense and the goal. I told him to hit one over the top. He hit it perfectly, I just took a touch and lobbed it over the keeper. I saw I was behind the player so I ran past him. He ran backwards toward the goal. I just got there first and put it in the net.”

On the team’s mindset after Wake Forest scored
“It’s a little different for us obviously, but we’ve been all around it. We knew that eventually we were going to get another chance and we would have to put it away.”

Senior Midfielder Jonathan Villanueva

On Wake Forest’s pressure early in the game
“Throughout the season we’ve had our moments when we’ve kind of been on the back foot. We definitely had been there before so it’s same old, same old, for us. We knew the game would eventually slow down, we’d find our chances.”

On his assist on the game-winning goal
“I basically kicked it as hard as I can, as far as I can. I knew that he’s faster than anybody else that I know so I figured he’d catch up to it wherever it went.”

On playing for the national championship as a senior
“It’s great. I was here in ’06. Our exit wasn’t a very good one. We really wanted to come out here as seniors and put on a good performance.”

Wake Forest Head Coach Jay Vidovich

Opening Statement
“I think the result at the end of the game was something that I wasn’t expecting, so my words aren’t ready to be articulated here. I’m very proud of my team and the efforts that they put out during the season. They brought us back here to the College Cup. To see where they started out in the preseason and to end out here, I can’t say enough about them as young men and their potential as soccer players. They’ve done a tremendous job and I thank them very much.”

On Virginia
“They defend very well as a team and they play off of your mistakes. Their first goal came off a broken play. The ball slipped through, guy takes a shot, keeper saves it, knocked down and it goes in.”

Freshman Defender Anthony Arena

On the sequence of the final goal
“I don’t remember too much of the play developing up. One of the midfielders got a ball. We know that they like to tip the ball over the top and run on to it. Me personally, I think we underestimated a little bit of [Brian] Ownby’s speed, and he kind of got a head jump on it.”

On making it to the College Cup as a freshman
“Couldn’t ask for anything better, first year at the College Cup. It’s kind of frustrating just to know that we might not ever get here again. It would’ve been nice to go all the way, but fortunately I still have three more years.”

Senior Forward Zack Schilwaski

On the feeling on his career ending abruptly
“It’s pretty hard when it’s finally over. I didn’t think that we were going to go down. I thought we had some good chances throughout the game.”

“I thought we were going to get them.”

Junior Midfielder Corben Bone

On the team’s scoring
“We had some chances throughout the game, and we couldn’t find one [a goal]. After I got mine the momentum changed and we got a little bit of our legs back. We would’ve liked to have gotten a second one, and I thought we were, because momentum was in our hands I thought. I think that’s why it came so unexpectedly because we were kind of putting the pressure on them, tied it and put it into overtime.”