The Virginia men's soccer team won its sixth national championship in school history Dec. 13, defeating No. 1 Akron in the NCAA Tournament finals at WakeMed Soccer Park. Heading into the game, the Zips were undefeated during the regular and postseason, while the Cavaliers were riding a 15-game unbeaten streak. The game ended in a 0-0 draw after regulation and two overtime periods. The decision was then pushed to penalty kicks where the Cavaliers edged Akron 3-2 after a do-or-die kick by the Zips sailed over the cross bar. Sophomore midfielder Tony Tchani, redshirt freshman midfielder Ari Dimas and sophomore midfielder Sean Hiller all found the back of the net for Virginia during the penalty kick shootout.
The championship is the program's first title since 1994, and the 19th championship of any kind in school history - the last one earned by the men's lacrosse team in 2006. After the victory, Virginia coach George Gelnovatch was named Men's Coach of the Year by Soccer America. Gelnovatch finished his 14th season with Virginia, which included his 200th career victory and an ACC Championship - the program's fourth conference title under his tenure. Forward Will Bates was named Freshman of the Year. Bates led the team in scoring this season with 12 goals and an assist. With the honor, Bates becomes the first Cavalier to be named Freshman of the Year since Claudio Reyna in 1991. Meanwhile, both Tchani and junior goalkeeper Diego Restrepo were named first team All-Americans by College Soccer News.
Tchani has since entered the MLS draft and was selected second overall by the New York Red Bulls, while senior captain Ross LaBaeux was drafted in the second round by the Colorado Rapids. A celebration for the team is scheduled to take place Saturday starting at 6 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena. Both players and coaches will be available for autographs.
-compiled by Jack Bird
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