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 A pair of Wisconsin players teamed up for the goal that sent the Creighton men's soccer team to the NCAA College Cup.
Junior midfielder Andrew Ribeiro (Green Bay Notre Dame) ripped a shot from outside the box in the 97th minute that was deflected by a defender and found its way to Ethan Finlay (Marshfield).
The senior forward turned, fired and sent the ball past South Florida goalkeeper Chris Blais to the lower left side of the goal to give the Bluejays a 1-0 overtime victory in a Division I quarterfinal match Sunday afternoon in snowy and chilly Omaha, Neb.
Finlay's team-leading 14th goal of the season sent second-ranked Creighton (21-2-0) into a semifinal matchup against No. 14 Charlotte (16-4-3) at 5 p.m. Friday in Hoover, Ala. It's the fourth College Cup berth for the Bluejays and their first appearance since 2002.
The game-winner was nothing new for Finlay, as 20 of his 43 career goals have been winners. Sunday's goal was his sixth in NCAA play, tying him with Brian Mullan and Mike Tranchilla for the program record.
Senior keeper Brian Holt made three saves to set the NCAA record with his 43rd career shutout as first-year Creighton coach Elmar Bolowich qualified for the College Cup for the fourth straight year – he took North Carolina to the national semifinals each of the past three seasons.
The third-ranked Tar Heels (20-2-2) advanced once again this year and will take on No. 13 UCLA (18-4-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Sophomore forward Carlos McCrary, who played for the Madison 56ers in the National Premier Soccer League last summer, has three goals and one assist in 18 appearances coming off the bench for North Carolina, which was seeded first in the 48-team tournament.
NCAA Division II women
Junior forward Ashley Botts (Beloit) scored the opening goal, but Carmelina Puopolo scored twice in an eight-minute span early in the second half as No. 10 St. Rose (N.Y.) rallied past top-ranked Grand Valley State (Mich.) 2-1 in the national championship game Saturday in Pensacola, Fla.
Botts gave the two-time defending national champion Lakers (20-1-4) the lead with her team-best 20th goal of the season in the 33rd minute, but the Golden Knights (24-1-1) came back to win their first title and snap Grand Valley's 42-match unbeaten streak (37-0-5).
The Lakers hadn't lost since dropping a 1-0 decision to Northern Michigan on Sept. 19, 2010. It also ended their 14-game unbeaten streak in NCAA matches, a streak dating to a 1-0 setback to UW-Parkside in a regional final on Nov. 21, 2008.
Puopolo scored in the 48th and 56th minutes as St. Rose became the first team to score two goals against Grand Valley in 45 games and kept the Lakers from becoming the second team to win three straight NCAA Division II titles. Botts was named to the all-tournament team.
Hermann Trophy
Finlay and UW-Milwaukee senior forward Sarah Hagen (Appleton North) are among the semifinalists for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy for the second straight year.
Hagen had 26 goals and nine assists for the Panthers this season and led the nation is goals per game (1.23), points per game (2.90) and game-winning goals (11). She finished in the top 20 in NCAA history in four categories: She's tied for ninth with 93 goals, tied for 15th with 212 points, ranks 12th in goals per game (1.08) and is 17th with an average of 2.47 points per game.
Fifteen men's and women's semifinalists were announced Sunday, chosen from a group of 42 players on the preseason watch list. Three finalists for the award will be announced Friday and will be invited to St. Louis for the Jan. 6 award presentation. The winners will be determined by a panel of coaches from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
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