Massachusetts, Virginia Tech and Ohio State. Wake Forest knows what it's like to play in the College Cup, as they return for the second consecutive season. Virginia Tech and Wake Forest meet in Friday's first semifinal at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., with kickoff set for 5 p.m., followed by UMass-Ohio State at 7 p.m.
A look at each of the four finalists:
OHIO STATE: The Ohio State Buckeyes (16-3-5) could possibly be the last Big Ten team anyone expected to make it to the College Cup. But here they are and they're on fire. After topping Indiana University on penalty kicks in the Big Ten championship, OSU waited until the second round of the NCAA tournament to get things started. Since then, they've topped Louisville (1-0), California-Santa Barbara (4-3) and Bradley (4-0).
"We're very excited to be here," Ohio State head coach John Bluem said "It's a great opportunity for our players to experience the highest level of collegiate soccer. They've been a super group over the years. They have been a group that has been very focused and determined and have been on a great run since the end of September."
In the UCSB game, the Buckeyes fought back from a 3-1 deficit, tied the game in a four-minute span and won it in overtime. Last weekend, OSU topped Bradley by scoring 12 goals in a four-minute span. They've proven they're a tough team to beat.
The Buckeyes have outscored opponents 39-18. Xavier Balc leads the team with eight goals and 13 assists. Three other players are in double points. Casey Latchem has had a strong season in goal for OSU, with 14 shutouts and 89 saves.
"It's going to obviously be a tough game," Balc said. "It's a final four game. Our confidence level is way up after beating the defending national champion is UCSB. We know its going to be a tough game, we know we will get chances as we have in previous NCAA games, but we know it's going to be a hard defensive battle."
MASSACHUSETTS: UMass (17-7-1) brings its own Cinderella story to the table. Entering the tournament with an automatic bid, UMass topped Boston University 2-1 in round one action. The Minutemen went on to upset the No. 1 seed, Boston College, 2-1. They beat Central Connecticut State 3-2 en route to the quarterfinals. The Minutemen then bested Illinois-Chicago 2-1 off goals from Stuart Ammick and Mike DeSantis leading them to their first College Cup.
"It's been a fantastic season and we're excited to be here," UMass head coach Sam Koch said. "We're just very happy to be able to keep playing. We're pretty satisfied that we're one of four teams practicing right now, but we feel we have a job to do on Friday. We're not here just to be here, we're here to keep playing. We're not here for one game, we're here for two."
The Minutemen haven't exactly proven to be a scoring force. Bryan Hogan leads the team with eight goals and two assists. Five other players rank in double digits points-wise. UMass has however outscored opponents 35-20. Zack Simmons guards the goal and has earned nine shutouts for UMass.
"I think we've just come together as a team," Simmons said. "We've built character and we've really built on the success that we've had, especially in the (Atlantic-10), with conference play and the tournament. We came together in our time in Dayton (Ohio) where we won the A-10 championship. I think we've built on that and just carried that momentum and the quality of play that we brought there on to the tournament. It's taken us pretty far and we hoping to keep it going tomorrow."
WAKE FOREST: There is no denying that Wake Forest (20-2-2) is a talented team. The Demon Deacons ended Notre Dame's dreams when Austin da Luz tallied an overtime goal for a 1-0 win. Wake Forest made history last season by playing in their first final four, falling to eventual national champion UCSB in the semifinals. The team returns for another go at it.
"It's good to have that experience under our belt having been here before and gone through these types of events, seeing the media and everything that comes along with the College Cup," Wake Forest senior defender Julian Valentin said. "We're hoping to use that experience in a positive way, and hopefully we'll be a little be more prepared this year and we'll make a good run at it."
Wake Forest is strong all around. The offense is all but unstoppable, while the defense holds strong. The Deacons have outscored opponents 63-13 and posted 14 shutouts, while limiting opponents to very few chances. Three goalkeepers have combined for 60 saves, while the offense has forced opponents to make 94 saves. Brian Edwards is the go-to guy in goal with a 18-2-1 record and 12 shutouts.
As for offense, Cody Arnaux leads with two goals in the playoffs. He's also led Wake with 15 goals and seven assists this season. Da Luz, Zach Schilawski and Julian Valentin have added tournament goals.
"What you're going to see is 11 players on the field who are very committed to defending and getting the ball back," Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich said. "We like to attack, so our team works very, very hard to make sure that we have the ball."
VIRGINIA TECH: Chances are few people in the country knew Virginia Tech (14-3-5) had a strong soccer program, if even a program. But the Hokies are proving otherwise. Virginia Tech advanced to the semifinals by beating California (3-2), Old Dominion (1-0) and Connecticut (1-0). They, themselves, might not have seen a College Cup in their immediate future.
"Obviously we're thrilled to be here," Virginia Tech head coach Oliver Weiss said. "It's our first College Cup and we're looking forward to the games. Obviously, congrats to the other three College Cup participants, especially Wake Forest for doing it two years in a row, which is, as everybody knows, it's a hard thing to get here."
The Hokies dominated offensively this season, outscoring opponents 51-26. Four players have tallied more than 15 points. Patrick Nyarko leads the team, followed by Robert Edmans (7 goals, 5 assists), Georg Zehender (4 goals, 9 assists) and Ben Nason (7 goals, 2 assists). Sixteen different players have scored goals for Virginia Tech.
While the scoring is impressive, Virginia Tech has made it this far by posting 1-0 victories in its last two tourney games. The defense stepped things up in 2007 as well, posting seven shutouts. Markus Aignier has been solid for the Hokies in the back, with five shutouts and 50 saves. Regardless, they know they'll still have their hands full with Wake Forest.
"Especially on the attacking end, they put up a lot of goals this year," senior midfielder Ben Nason said. "They had three against us last time. They're really dynamic as far as their midfielders and forwards moving forward and making a lot of runs. In the back, they're solid as well, so I think it's their overall team chemistry."
Kathryn L. Knapp is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
