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Maryland wins soccer title
Zusi's goal gives Terps 1-0 victory over Tar Heels in NCAA final
AP Photo
UNC's David Rodriguez shows his disappointment while the Terps celebrate.
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Published: December 15, 2008
FRISCO, Texas
As second-seeded Maryland celebrated its 1-0 win over 13th-seeded North Carolina yesterday afternoon, Cameron Brown couldn't look.
On the field at Pizza Hut Park, the Tar Heels had to sit through the presentation as each player on the Terps received a plaque for winning the school's third NCAA national championship in soccer. Brown, a sophomore who hails from a suburb of Dallas, sat on the field with his back to the celebration.
"I couldn't watch," Brown said. "I didn't want to see something that I wanted and they got."
The way that the Terps (23-3) got it was similar to what they've done through a 16-game winning streak. They pressured just enough on offense, while never giving up an inch on defense.
Senior Graham Zusi, one of the team leaders, scored in the 66th minute as he left-footed an 18-yard shot that curled around goalie Brooks Haggerty of the Tar Heels. The ball came loose after Jeremy Hall's initial shot from about 22 yards out was deflected.
"Jeremy took the shot initially and it got deflected and I thought the ball was shielded from the goalie and I just tried to curl it around," said Zusi, who also scored the winner in Friday's 1-0 semifinal win against St. John's.
Zusi, the offensive MVP of the College Cup, has been one of Coach Sasho Cirovski's main cogs since the Terps lost 5-3 to Clemson in early October. It was Zusi who stepped up his game during the two games in the College Cup.
"Sash told us before the game that the ball popping out at the 18 (yard-line) happens quite a bit against them and he said to look for it and I just happen to be at the right place at the right time," Zusi said.
Haggerty, who faced 20 shots from top-ranked Wake Forest in a 1-0 win in Friday's semifinal, gave up his first goal in his last 270 minutes of play in the NCAA Tournament.
"I didn't know how the ball got to Zusi, I guess it was a miss clearance and it just bobbled around," Haggerty said. "In goal I just saw it was wide open on top and he had all the time in the world to place the ball. I did my best to get to it but he placed it real well."
The Tar Heels headed into the NCAA Tournament on a five-game losing streak, which included losing to the Terps twice in a span of five days. But they regrouped behind the steady play of seniors such as Michael Callahan.
After the loss, Callahan was at a loss for words. "It's tough to find positives out of a time like this," he said. "I'm disappointed in myself.… Its painful and it hurts."
Coach Elmar Bolowich of the Tar Heels said his team tried to mount an early charge, which worked against the Deacons on Friday night when they got an early goal and made it stand up. They couldn't find a goal yesterday, however, and finally wore down in the second half.
"That was a hard game for us," Bolowich said. "I felt like we had a tough time getting into a rhythm, especially in the first half. With the wind at our back in the second half I thought we would do a little more, but Maryland's defense held very strong."
The Tar Heels managed 14 shots, but only two of them were on goal. Brian Shriver, one of the top forwards in the ACC, worked hard creating chances but couldn't get one to go.
"Brian, I think in the end, lacked a little bit of energy," Bolowich said. "The will was there, but the legs weren't there. He ran a lot on Friday and put everything on the line to help us win that game and it's tough to recover."
Bolowich, who is in his 20th season, was trying to win his second NCAA title. As far as UNC has come since the end of the regular season, Bolowich gave his team credit for the run in the NCAA Tournament.
"I want to congratulate our team for putting out an outstanding effort," Bolowich said. "I think they left everything out on the field, and I can't ask for anything more."
One of the best scoring chances for the Tar Heels came with less than 23 minutes to go on a corner kick from Shriver. He put the ball right in front of the goal but freshman goalie Zac MacMath, who recorded his 12th shutout of the season, made a punch save and the defense cleared it.
"In the first half I thought we were doing better going against the wind," Brown said about the gusty 25-mph winds. "Of course they sat back a little more and defended better in the second half. But in the first half we were all over them and getting shots off and making people make saves, but we couldn't find the back of the net today."
Brown will be a key player in the midfield for the Tar Heels next season.
"We lose a lot of seniors and a lot of starters, but this year everybody counted us out and I'm sure next year everybody will count us out as well," Brown said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if you find us back here again because of our work rate and our will to win."
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.
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