College Cup Semifinal Preview for Friday
Published 11/30/2006 3:30:45 PM by Soccer Mogul Staff from Dallas, Texas U.S.A.
The 2006 NCAA Men's College Cup gets underway Friday with a semifinal doubleheader at Robert Hermann Stadium on the Saint Louis University campus in St. Louis, Missouri. Weather will be a factor as temperatures are forecast for the 20s but all precipitation should be ending in the morning before matches begin. It will be interesting to see how the warmer weather California schools adapt to the cold conditions.
UCLA will take on the Virginia to kick things off at 6 p.m. ET in a match that can be seen live on ESPN2. Then UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) will then take on Wake Forest to determine the other finalist. UCSB vs. Wake Forest will air tape-delayed on ESPNU at 2 a.m. ET and on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday. The championship match is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
UCLA advanced to the College Cup after a 3-2 win against Duke University in the quarterfinal round. The Bruins battled back from a 2-0 first half deficit to send the game into overtime where Sal Zizzo scored just 30 seconds after kickoff to send UCLA to its 12th College Cup. UCLA last won the national championship in 2002. UCLA comes in well prepared having played a schedule that included a whopping 15 teams that made the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia defeated the University of Notre Dame 3-2 in the quarterfinals to book its first College Cup trip in 10 years. Senior forward Adam Christman, who will be attending the adidas MLS Player Combine in January, led the way for the Cavaliers with a pair of goals. Virginia last won a national championship in 1994.
In the other semifinal match Wake Forest will play UC Santa Barbara. Wake Forest defeated Santa Clara 3-1 on Nov. 24 to secure a spot in St. Louis. MLS Combine invitees Steven Curfman and Wells Thompson each found the net to help the Demon Deacons to victory. Wake Forest has beaten UCLA 1-0 and had a win and a tie (won on pks) with Virginia during the regular season.
UC Santa Barbara rallied from a 2-1 halftime deficit to defeat Northwestern 3-2 on Nov. 25 to complete the final four. UCSB entered the NCAA Tournament unseeded, but defeated San Diego State and then shocked #3 seed SMU in Dallas to start their run to the Final Four.
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