BY ADAM SERRANO

After months of matches and hundreds of goals, the college soccer field has come down to just two teams.

The No. 3 Akron Zips and the undefeated and No. 1 Louisville Cardinals will face off in Sunday's College Cup Final match (4pm ESPN2) to decide which team will bring home their first National Title.

Louisville's last minute heroics at the end of regulation were needed as the Cardinals defeated the University of North Carolina, 2-1. The Cardinals took the lead to start and held the lions share of the possesion, keeping the Tarheels on their backfoot for the most part.  The Cardinals wasted many chances until yet another moment of brilliance by Horton.    

Horton's goal which came less than one minute before the end of regulation earned the Cardinals earned their first appearance in the College Cup Final in the history of the program. Horton's strike came just a week after scoring the game winning goal against the UCLA Bruins, to advance to the final in dramatic fashion. 

“It is exciting to be playing for the national championship. For this group and this team, it’s a goal we set at the beginning of the season," said head coach Ken Lolla. "We polished each step every step of the way. I am very proud of this team because they faced a lot of adversity. This is the product of sowing seeds and we’ve reached the harvest of those seeds.”

Although the Tarheels were not defeated till the very late in the match, North Carolina struggled throughout the match to string together passes against a stronger and more athletic Louisville midfield. With the Cardinals midfield providing a great deal of pressure on its attackers, the Tarheels grew sloppy and turned the ball over until a late goal doomed them.

"It is a weird feeling because it is us getting that last minute goal, it's never fun to be on the other end of a situation like that," said Tarheels goalkeeper Scott Goodwin. "I am proud of the guys because they gave their full effort, you cannot ask for anything more."

In the nightcap, the Akron Zips proved far too much for the Cinderella of the tournament, the Michigan Wolverines with a 2-1 victory. The Zips battled back from an early deficit after a goal by Wolverines forward Justin Meram, but took complete control and never ceded. With skilled passing and speed, the Zips were constantly able to not only create their own attacks, but also stifle those of the Wolverines.

“Akron is a great team, they are well organized. I think everybody played their hearts out today," said Meram. "That first goal was a great shot; there was nothing we could do. I do not think Akron dominated us, I think they just played their hearts out.”

As the dust settles, the Zips have only one obstacle that stands in the way of their first College Cup trophy, a man who was instrumental in lifting the team to national prominence. Ken Lolla. Lolla was the head coach for 13 years at Akron before leaving after the 2005 season — where you he took the Zips to their first national number one ranking.

After leaving the Zips, Lolla revitalized the Louisville program, taking his Cardinals teams to a series of consecutive tournament appearances. Although Lolla has an extensive history with the Akron team, for current Akron head coach Caleb Porter, it means absolutely nothing.

"He’s a guy I respect a lot and he’s done great things with Louisville," said Porter. "And he did a great job at Akron. I look forward to playing the game, but I don’t think differently about any coach or any player. Nothing plays into it any differently. Just prepare my team and hopefully get a good result.”

As we look ahead to Sunday with the title on the line, there is just one focus for these teams. Not the cash and prestige of the pros, or the pride of the youth national team. Just the national championship trophy that remains on the minds of these players.    

That’s all we’re focused on: winning a national championship. All the guys that are in the stands, the agents, the possibilities, we can talk about that after Sunday. Right now, there’s only one thing on my mind and that’s a national championship.”