By JOHN BOSCHINI
The second round of the NCAA tournament saw plenty of late-game drama as half of the 16 games were decided in overtime or via penalty kicks and several more were decided with goals in the final minutes.
No. 13 Butler's first loss of the season came at the worst possible time as Michigan State upset the Bulldogs 1-0. Butler dominated play for most of the game, outshooting the Spartans 15-6 and forcing several class saves Avery Steinlage. But in the 85th minute, Butler failed to clear and Jeff Ricondo took advantage of Bulldog goalkeeper Fabian Knopfler's poor positioning, blasting a 30-yard shot into the bottom corner.
No. 3 Akron faced a tougher-than-expected challenge from West Virginia but the Zips held on for a 3-2 victory. Freshman Darren Mattocks netted a first-half double to give Akron the early lead. The Zips appeared to have sealed the victory when Scott Caldwell scored in the 70th minute but the Mountaineers mounted a furious comeback, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes but couldn't the equalizer.
In other NCAA Tournament action:
No. 4 North Carolina rode its luck against a tough Georgetown team, winning 5-4 on penalty kicks after a scoreless 110 minutes. The game was far more offensive than the scoreline would suggest, with both teams combining for 12 shots on goal. In the shootout, Seth C'Debaca was stoned by Scott Goodwin on Georgetown's third spot kick and the Tar Heels took advantage, going a perfect five for five.
No. 14 Indiana justified its first-round bye with a 5-1 demolition of Tulsa thanks to senior Will Bruin's two goals and two assists. Andy Adlard broke the opening deadlock in the 41st minute with a strike from 12 yards out. Nikita Kotlov and Harrison Petts scored to put the Hoosiers up 3-0. Tulsa briefly brought a goal back with an Ashley McInnes chip before Bruin finished the former No. 2 Tulsa off with two goals just six minutes apart.
UC Santa Barbara's hopes of playing the College Cup on its home field were dashed when No. 6 California came back to defeat the Gauchos 2-1 in overtime. Michael Tetteh scored in the 82nd minute to break a 0-0 tie and it looked the UCSB would score an away upset. But Servando Carrasco scored with 1:40 left in regulation and Paul Davis got a golden goal with a single second left on the clock in the first overtime period.
A couple of late goals got No. 1 Lousiville's title charge off to a good start with a 3-1 defeat of College of Charleston. Nick DeLeon opened the scoring for the Cardinals by putting home a rebound after Paolo Delpiccolo's shot came off the post. Five minutes later, the score was level when Sean Flatery's header went in off the post. The Cardinals finally secured victory when Colin Rolfe and Charlie Campbell scored in the final seven minutes. With Butler's loss, Louisville is now the final undefeated team left in Division 1 soccer.
No. 11 Connecticut were overcome 7-6 in penalty kicks by Brown. Taylor Gorman put the visiting Bears ahead in the eigth minute with a low shot. The Huskies couldn't find an equalizer until the 87th minute with a goal from Mamadou Diouf. After a scoreless overtime, both teams made four of their initial five spot kicks but Max Wasserman missed UCONN's eight penalty and Jay Hayward provided the game winner.
No. 5 Southern Methodist survived a first-round scare from Creighton, winning 5-3 on penalty kicks. Arthur Ivo scored with just 12 seconds left in regulation to force overtime for the Mustangs. Jose Gomez's penalty kick was stopped by Craig Hill to down the Blue Jays.
Maryland had no trouble advancing to the final 16 as the Terrapins dispatched Pennsylvania 4-0. John Stertzer scored from six yards out in the ninth minute before Matt Kassel converted a penalty kick and Greg Young scored from close range to give Maryland a 3-0 halftime lead. After the break, Maryland protected that lead but freshman Patrick Mullins completed the rout in the 88th minute.
Duke became the third ACC team to exit the NCAA tournament in the opening week with a 1-0 overtime defeat to No. 7 South Carolina. Regulation saw both teams miss chance after chance as goalkeepers James Belshaw and Jimmy Maurer bailed their teams out on several occasions. The dealock was finally broken 59 seconds from the end of the first overtime when Bradlee Baladez slotted a close range effort past Belshaw.
No. 12 William & Mary survived a penalty kick scare of its own, dispatching UMBC 5-3 after a scoreless 110 minutes. W&M goalkeeper George McAdams came up with a stop in the shootout to advance the Tribe.
Just a few days after destroying Monmouth 4-0, Dartmouth continued its surprise run with a 2-1 overtime victory over No. 9 Notre Dame. Senior Andrew Olson opened the scoring for Dartmouth in the 65th minute with a rebound off of Phillip Tuttle. Dillon Powers brought the Irish level 17 minutes from time but Olson completed his brace in the ninth minute of the first overtime to seal the victory.
No. 8 UCLA had little trouble against Sacramento State, dispatching the Mountain Pacific champions 4-1. The Bruins rattled off the first four goals of the game, Chandler Hoffman scored a brace while Reed Williams and Victor Chavez added goals of their own. Freshman Kelyn Rowe showed his worth to UCLA, providing two assists. Ernesto Carranza saved face for Sacramento with a goal in the 87th minute.
No. 16 Ohio State stifled a Providence offense that posted six on St. Peter's in midweek, downing the Friars 2-1. Konrad Warzycha and Omar Vallejo scored less than 15 minutes apart after a scoreless first half at Ohio State. Greg Davis pulled one back for Providence with five minutes left in regulation but the Friars couldn't find an equalizer.
Old Dominion looked like it was about to pull of another shocking upset by going ahead early at No. 15 Penn State. But Corey Hertzog put on an offensive clinic with a hat trick as the Nittany Lions rattled off four unanswered goals to advance to the third round.
No. 10 Michigan extended its winning streak to seven games with 2-1 overtime victory over Central Florida. UCF drew first blood with a goal from Nik Keown-Robson in the ninth minute. The Wolverines equalized in the 50th minute with a goal from Justin Meram before Latif Alashe's golden goal in the 95th minute.