After scoring the most combined goals in a title game since 1980, Georgetown and Virginia needed penalties to decide the 2019 Men’s Soccer National Champion. After last weekends Women’s College Cup, which ended with Stanford defeating North Carolina (5)0-0(4) in penalty kick’s, we thought nothing could top that match.
The Hoos and Hoyas proved us wrong.
Cary, North Carolina hosted one of the most thrilling championship matches in recent memory, ending in a (7)3-3(6) victory for the Hoyas. While Virginia was chasing their 8th title, Georgetown was chasing their first. After 13 straight made penalties, Cavalier freshman Axel Gunnarsson stepped up to the spot. But freshman goalkeeper Tomas Romero would make the only save of the shootout to cap off a historic season for the Hoyas.
First Period
It only took 10 minutes for Virginia to score the first goal of the match. Junior midfielder Joe Bell collected the ball at the top of the box, and struck home a volley to give the Hoos the lead. He got some help with a deflection from Georgetown defender Daniel Wu. The Hoyas needed only 6 more minutes to equalize, with junior midfielder Paul Rothrock capitalizing on a mistake from the UVA backline. Six minutes later, Daniel Wu would get his revenge. The freshman recorded his first career goal to make it 2-1 G-Town.
Second Half
Virginia equalized in the 58th minute, when sophomore Daniel Steedman slotted it past the keeper off the back post. It remained 2-2 until the 81st minute, when junior Derek Dodson made a run behind the Virginia back line and was one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He placed it beautifully past Colin Shutler and made Georgetown the first team to score 3 goals on the Cavaliers all season. That lead lasted all of 5 minutes. Sophomore Daryl Dike scored on the rebound in the front of the net to tie it up for UVA.
OT
For the third time in the last 4 seasons, the National Championship headed to sudden death overtime. There were few chances in the first period, with a free kick from about 20 yards out sailing over the crossbar to end the period. In the second period, Georgetown freshman Aidan Rocha had a chance to win it with 4 minutes left, but Virginia defender Henry Kessler dove in front of the shot to deflect it wide. That miss lead to the end of the second period, resulting in a penalty kick shootout.
The shootout lasted 7 rounds, where every shot was made until the last. Romero then made the save to clinch the first National Championship for Georgetown. It marked the first time an ACC team did not win the title in Cary, and the first time since 2000 that a team from the Big East won it all (UCONN).
