After an exciting run that saw the Pack advance past UNC-Chapel Hill, 4-1, on penalty kicks and Boston College in the ACC semifinals Friday night by a score of 1-0, the men’s soccer team fell to the University of Virginia, 1-0, Sunday afternoon.
Virginia won its 10th ACC championship at the Pack’s expense. It was the second time the teams met in just over one week, as UVA defeated State 1-0 Nov. 7 in Charlottesville in both teams’ regular season finale.
The lone goal of the contest came in the first half from Cavalier freshman forward Will Bates in the 16th minute.
In the team’s post game press conference, an emotional coach George Tarantini congratulated Virginia on the win and said the team gave everything it had.
“The toughest part is to leave the people that I have been working with for four years,” Tarantini said. “It’s the toughest thing for me to see, that this is the seniors’ last ACC tournament. I’m so proud. This was great for the program.”
Three senior Pack players were named to the All-Tournament team after the final game concluded. Goalie Christopher Widman, forward Ronnie Bouemboue and midfielder Alan Sanchez were honored for their play.
Bouemboue said the Cavaliers defense handled the Pack admirably in the shutout.
“They are very well organized and they run a tight ship back there,” Bouemboue said. “It was a little tough for us to get balls in behind and even into my feet. They played me really tight today and they did a good job overall.”
Widman said Virginia was a tough opponent, which the team saw in its last meeting at Virginia.
“They are very big and very fast as you saw today and as they’ve shown all year,” Widman said. “I thought our defense played well, limiting their opportunities again just like last week in Charlottesville.”
Going into the tournament, the Pack was ranked No. 15 nationally and earned a No. 7 seed. Bouemboue said a number of players have been on the team four or five years and the run in the tournament was the best run they’ve experienced.
“We have been ranked all season long and we played our hearts all season long,” Bouemboue said. “Coming into this tournament, a lot of people wrote us out from the beginning. It was a surprise that N.C. State was in the finals. We’re very proud of ourselves throughout the season and during this tournament. But now we’re looking at the bigger picture which is NCAA tournament.”
The ACC has five teams ranked in the top 20, according a CollegeSoccerNews.com poll. Widman said the competition in the NCAA tournament couldn’t be any tougher than what the team faced in the ACC tournament.
“It’s the best teams in the country all in one conference and in one tournament,” Widman said. “So, if we can compete here, we’re ready for the NCAA tournament.”
With the NCAA tournament just a week away, Tarantini said the team will get back to practicing and preparing for its next opponent.
“This is not a goodbye; this is just a goodbye to the ACC tournament,” Tarantini said. “We’re ready for the NCAA and we expect to go the farthest we can.”
State will now have to wait to discover its seeding in the 2009 NCAA Men’s College Cup, which will be announced Monday at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN News.
