Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 11, 1993 TAG: 9310110020
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Either his Virginia men's soccer team would win in regulation or it would win in overtime.
The Cavaliers' coach probably still is wondering what happened.
One moment, Virginia was waging an all-out assault on Clemson's goal. The next, the Tigers were celebrating wildly as the Cavaliers stood in disbelief.
The final second ticked off the clock as Jimmy Glenn's shot rolled across the goal line, giving fifth-ranked Clemson a 2-1 upset of top-ranked Virginia at Klockner Stadium.
The Cavaliers, who have won the last two NCAA Division I championships, had set an ACC record earlier in the week when they won their 17th consecutive game.
"Nothing occurred that we didn't anticipate or expect, with the exception of the score," Arena said. "I know I've lost some close games; I doubt any [were] as time expired."
Clemson (10-2-1 overall, 2-1-1 in the ACC) had four shots on goal all day, two in the last four seconds. After UVa goalie Jeff Causey had stopped Glenn's first blast, Glenn kicked in the rebound.
"I just wanted to kick the ball out of their end and get to overtime," said Glenn, referring to a UVa throw-in with 25 seconds left. "I never would have believed we could win in regulation.
"I never looked at the clock, not even after the ball went through the net. When I saw our players running on the field and jumping up and down, I knew it wasn't because of overtime."
It was particularly gratifying for 27-year Clemson coach Dr. I.M. Ibrahim, who, in his last visit to Virginia suffered a heart attack here in 1991.
"The last time we beat Virginia was 1984," Ibrahim said. "We won the ACC championship in 1985 and the NCAA championship in 1987, even though we didn't beat Virginia. Before that, we beat Virginia 10 years in a row.
"So, you figure out what it means to me."
In 1991, Clemson was leading 1-0 before Ibrahim experienced chest pains and left the sideline in the second half. The Cavaliers rallied for a 2-1 victory.
"This doesn't happen to us very much," said UVa defender Brian Bates, who couldn't chase down Glenn on the last breakaway. "Usually, we're on the other side."
Ibrahim said it was his impression Virginia (11-1, 4-1) was sending more players to the goal as regulation waned, even though two 15-minute overtime periods would have resulted from a tie.
"We like winning," Arena said. "We have a habit of winning games. Certainly, we fouled it up, but there's nothing wrong with trying to win at the end of a game."
Arena must have said five times or more that he had to credit Clemson, but he didn't seem overly impressed with the Tigers.
"It's a game we probably should have walked away from, winning by a couple of goals," he said. "Our fault was letting them hang around.
"They were pretty much out of that second half. They were never a threat. I'd gladly play this team again. We'll see 'em again down the road."
Nobody had forgotten that UVa beat Duke in the NCAA semifinals last year after losing to the Blue Devils at home during the regular season.
"A loss isn't the end of the world," Bates said. "We've lost every year I've been here. I don't want to make it a habit. Luckily, it hasn't been."
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB