PDL Feature
Monday, December 3, 2012
The Creighton Bluejays advanced to their second consecutive College Cup on Sunday as a late goal by VSI Tampa’s Christian Blandon earned his side a 1-0 victory against Connecticut and a berth in Friday’s semifinals. Blandon led the PDL standouts who played key roles this past weekend in keeping their national championship hopes alive.
Entering as the No. 12 seed, the Bluejays were on top in the first half as they outshot the Huskies 8-3. No. 4 seed UConn stormed back after the break, recording 10 second-half shots, but the Bluejays were able to weather the pressure. Blandon, brought off the bench at the midway point of the second half, then grabbed the game-winner in the 88th minute as a cross by Reading United’s Jose Gomez came to him for a close-range finish.
Creighton will face No. 16 seed Indiana in the semifinals after the Hoosiers continued their remarkable run with a 1-0 victory against No. 9 seed North Carolina. Former Columbus Crew Juniors standout Eriq Zavaleta, who helped the Crew win the 2011 Super-20 League Championship, continued his outstanding sophomore season with the only goal of the game, his 18th of the season.
Indiana’s goal came just before the hour mark as Chicago Fire PDL midfielder Patrick Doody sent in a cross for Zavaleta. Carolina Dynamo goalkeeper Scott Goodwin was able to make the initial save, but Zavaleta maintained his position and was able to put away the rebound.
A trio of PDL players helped No. 2 seed Maryland secure its first trip to the College Cup since 2008 as the Terrapins took a 3-1 victory against Louisville on Saturday afternoon.
The Baltimore Bohemians’ London Woodberry gave the Terrapins the lead in the 34th minute, finishing off Real Colorado Foxes midfielder Taylor Kemp’s cross. The Cardinals hit back, Sounders FC U23 standout Zach Foxhoven tying the game six minutes later, but the Terrapins were able to take the lead for good just before the halftime whistle as former Real Maryland FC midfielder Jake Pace scored his fifth of the season, heading home Dakota Edwards’ cross.
New Orleans Jesters standout Patrick Mullins then added to the Terrapins’ lead in the second half, scoring his 16th goal of the season. Mullins, a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, had 12 goals in the past two seasons for the Jesters, and has been a key factor in Maryland’s continued success this season.
Maryland will face No. 3 seed Georgetown in the second semifinal on Friday night after the Hoyas defeated San Diego 3-1 this past Saturday to earn their first trip to the College Cup in program history. Reading United’s Steven Neumann was the driving force behind the victory, providing two assists to take his season total to 13, tied for second in the nation.
After a scoreless first half, former Houston Leones midfielder Blake Milton gave the Toreros a surprise lead five minutes after the break, but the Hoyas quickly responded as Neumann’s free kick was headed home by Brandon Allen. Neumann played provider again with 17 minutes to go as his back-post cross from a free kick found Melvin Snoh for what proved to be the game-winning goal. Former Orange County Blue Star standout Andy Riemer then added an insurance goal in the 88th minute to continue the best season in Georgetown program history.
The College Cup can be seen on ESPNU, with Friday’s semifinals kicking off in Hoover, Ala. At 5 p.m. ET as Maryland faces Georgetown, with Creighton’s contest with Indiana following at 7:30 p.m. ET. The 2012 NCAA Men’s Division I Championship Game will kick off at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.