Virginia Faces Akron on Sunday for NCAA Championship

Story Links

CARY, N.C. – The UVa men’s soccer team faces Akron in the 2009 NCAA Championship game Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2, with J.P. Dellacamera and Kyle Martino calling the action.

Virginia (18-3-3) extended its unbeaten streak to 15 games and advanced to its first championship game since 1997 with a 2-1 victory over Wake Forest in the semifinal Friday night. Brian Ownby (Glen Allen, Va.) had the golden goal in the 93rd minute to send the Wahoos to the final.

Will Bates (Chester, Va.) leads the team with 12 goals and had a hat trick against Bucknell in the first round. He was a member of the ACC All-Tournament team, the All-ACC second team and the ACC All-Freshmen team.

First team All-America selection (NSCAA) Tony Tchani (Norfolk, Va.) had the Cavaliers’ other goal, one-timing a rebounded shot by Jonathan Villanueva (Grand Prairie, Texas) into the back of the net for his eighth goal of the year.

Goalkeeper Diego Restrepo (West Palm Beach, Fla.) did allow a goal vs. the Demon Deacons, snapping a streak of 11-straight shutouts (a new UVa record and tied for the NCAA record). Restrepo also set a school record with a consecutive total of 1,176 minutes and 51 seconds of scoreless soccer. The Cavaliers are out-scoring their opponents in 2009, 37-8.

Virginia is making its 29th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, dating back to 1981. That streak is the longest-active in the nation.

UVa holds a 51-25-4 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, and has won five NCAA Championships (1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994).

Virginia’s last appearance in the NCAA title game was in 1997 in Richmond, Va. The Cavaliers dropped a 2-0 contest to UCLA in that contest.

In all-time championship game appearances, Virginia holds a 4-1-1 record.

The teams have met three times and Akron holds a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series.

On Sept. 5, 1997, Virginia won 5-1 at the Coca-Cola Classic in Charlottesville, Va. Akron came up with two victories in the 1980 (1-0 on Oct. 12) and 1981 (2-1 on Oct. 4) regular seasons.

The Zips (23-0-1) are the No. 1 overall seed and unbeaten. Akron tied North Carolina in the semifinals, and advaned 5-4 on penalty kicks to the championship game.

Teal Bunbury leads the team with 17 goals and five assists, followed by Darlington Nagbe with 10 goals and three assists.

Goalkeeper David Meves has allowed seven goals in 24 games for a goals-against average of 0.29.