After a disappointing loss in the 2009 College Cup, The University of Akron men’s soccer team (22-1-2) did not falter, and they certainly did not give up. Instead, they came out with vengeance in 2010 and won the school’s first ever National Championship in any sport 1-0 against Louisville.

It’s been a long journey, Akron Head Coach Caleb Porter said. It started Dec. 14 [2009] with a bitter loss [in the NCAA title game to Virginia], a painful loss. We recovered and moved on. It’s an absolute credit to these guys’ character. We were hungry all year long.

Akron, who beat Michigan 2-1 in the Final Four of the College Cup, took on an undefeated Louisville team in the Championship game. The No. 1 seed in the tournament, led by former Akron Head Coach Ken Lolla, was looking to become the first undefeated team since Santa Clara in 1989 to win a title.

The Zips possessed the ball most of the first half and almost had a scoring opportunity in the final 45 minutes of the half, when junior midfielder Darlington Nagbe fired a shot just wide of the goal on a breakaway. Freshman forward Darren Mattocks then hit a bullet right to Louisville goalkeeper Andre Boudreaux, who dove for the stop. 

Sophomore midfielder Scott Caldwell, however, ended Louisville’s dreams, as his lone goal from 15 yards out in the 78^th minute was all Akron needed after his first shot attempt was blocked from top of the penalty box.

On a day where clearly we were not at our best, we hung in there, said Lolla. In the second half we struggled to keep the ball. At the end, we looked for the equalizer. We had a tremendous run.

Caldwell, who had not scored a goal in the regular season, ended up scoring five of his career goals in seven postseason matches and ultimately deciding the fate of Akron soccer in the Championship game.

Once I got my first one, that gave me the confidence to go forward, Caldwell said. There’s luck involved, too. The ball’s been bouncing my way. That’s what happened today.

However, Louisville almost tied it in the final minute before a crowd of 9,672 at UC Santa Barbra’s Harder Stadium. Buck Tufty of Louisville took a dead-on shot that sophomore goalkeeper David Meves knocked away. Louisville’s Aaron Horton cracked the ball back at the goal, only to have sophomore defender Chard Barson clear it off the line.

I don’t really recall how Aaron got the ball, Barson said. It was kind of crazy. Louisville had to push forward. Aaron took a shot and I was able to make the play. I knew if I didn’t make it Zarek [Valentin] would have had it. We were covered.

Akron dominated opponents all season, outscoring them 64-16. The Zips’ defense was also a prominent fixture in their season’s success, as they recorded 14 shutouts while allowing a 0.62 goal against average.

” #1.1979725:1894255850.jpg:National Champs:The University of Akron’s men’s soccer team captured the first national title for Akron in any team sport. Akron defeated No. 1 ranked Louisville by a final score of 1-0 to secure the National Championship in Santa Barbara on Dec. 12, 2010:Caleb Clark”