Akron, North Carolina, Louisville, Michigan Advance to NCAA Soccer Semifinals

Filed under: D.C. United, New York Red Bulls

Contributed by FanHouse correspondent Thomas Floyd

With ever-evasive College Cup berths on the line, this weekend's NCAA men's soccer quarterfinals certainly provided plenty of compelling theatre. When the dust settled following 22 goals, two penalty kick shootouts and one unlikely overtime winner, four teams emerged.

Akron and North Carolina, the past two NCAA runner-ups, will be joined by first-time participants Louisville and Michigan in Santa Barbara, Calif., for Friday's semifinals.

During a tournament largely devoid of upsets, Michigan has proven to be the one Cinderella story with a clock still setting the time before midnight. The only squad seeded outside the top eight to reach the quarterfinals, the No. 10 Wolverines booked their College Cup ticket with a 3-2 win at second-seeded Maryland on Saturday.

Wolverines midfielder Fabio Pereira -- a freshman with zero career goals entering the match -- tucked a sliding shot past Maryland goalkeeper Zac MacMath three minutes into the second overtime period, cutting short the Terrapins' hopes of winning a third College Cup in six years.

 

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