Wake Forest and Ohio State will be playing for the first soccer championship for both schools when they meet Sunday in the final of the NCAA College Cup, after winning their semifinal matches Friday evening at SAS Soccer Park.
Wake Forest returns to the final for the second consecutive year after defeating Virginia Tech, while Ohio State makes its first final appearance by overcoming Massachusetts. The teams will meet Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at SAS Soccer Park.
Both games were tied 0-0 at the half. And then the fun began. Marcus Tracy scored twice for Wake Forest in the second half for a 2-0 win against Virginia Tech. Eric Edwards scored in the 52nd minute for Ohio State, and despite a push by UMass the Buckeyes held on.
Tracy led the way for Wake Forest, with four shots. Two of those shots turned into goals. The junior forward was firing shots from the beginning of the game. Finally in the 50th minute he converted a goal. He added another one 32 minutes later for a 2-0 win.
"From the word go, Marcus was dangerous for us," Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich said.
In the 50th minute, Virginia Tech's James Shupp received a yellow card, putting Wake Forest in a dangerous position. On the right side of the box, Sam Cronin lined up to take the freekick. Cronin sent it into the box and Tracy jumped up and headed it into the net with ease for a 1-0 lead.
Despite attempts by the Hokies, Tracy put the game out of reach in the 82nd minute. He headed down a ball in the box and after receiving a return pass sent a bouncing shot in for a 2-0 score.
"It's a great accomplishment to be back in the final," Wake Forest goalkeeper Brian Edwards said. "Losing [in the final] last year drove us to work harder. Now we're seeing that the work paid off. But our job's only half done. We have a lot of work to do between now and Sunday."
But Virginia Tech certainly had its chances. The Hokies had six different players fire off shots on the evening, including four in the first half alone. M.A.C. Hermann Trophy finalist Patrick Nyarko made some noise early in the game.
While making a run, goalkeeper Brian Edwards came out to challenge him. Edwards slipped, allowing Nyarko to continue his run. Nyarko slipped. Edwards raced back into the box. Nyarko crossed the ball to Robert Edmans, who sent a high ball over the goal.
"I lost my step and tripped," Nyarko said. "When I looked up, I saw two defenders standing in the box. Robert screamed my name. He was in better position to score so I sent the ball to him."
The Hokies fought after the goals, but couldn't catch up in a 2-0 loss. Wake Forest (21-2-2) held on for the win. Virginia Tech (14-4-5) ends the season as one of the best teams in the Hokies history.
In the second game, one goal was all it took, but barely. The Buckeyes tallied a second-half goal off of a crazy play. Xavier Balc's shot was saved, then the rebound was tapped toward goal. UMass 'keeper Zack Simmons dove to the right and again blocked it, but Eric Edwards knocked the loose ball in for a 1-0 lead. The Buckeyes had a hard time getting the ball past Simmons. He made six saves on the night.
"They came out and were spot on with their passes," UMass head coach Sam Koch said. "They were in a good rhythm. They really moved the ball well in the first half, as well as any team we played against. Today, Ohio State was better."
The game wasn't over for UMass however. The team fired off six shots in the remainder of the half, but to no avail. Two minutes after the OSU goal, Douglas Rappaport blasted a long ball into Ohio State goalkeeper Casey Latchem's arms.
"We didn't play smart in the last 25 minutes of the game," Ohio State head coach John Bluem said. "I think we were tired or maybe it was anxiety. We expended a tremendous amount of energy in the first half. Should have been ahead by a couple goals at halftime."
In the end, Ohio State was able to hold strong. UMass (17-8-1) put an end to their "Cinderella" season, while the Buckeyes (17-3-5) advanced to their first College Cup final.
