CHAMPIONS: MONARCHS WIN CAA MEN'S SOCCER CROWN

After 110 minutes of pulling, grabbing and tugging for momentum, the Towson Tigers and ODU Monarchs found themselves in a penalty kick shootout. The 0-0 stalemate set up a dramatic finish in which ODU would claim its first CAA Title since 1991, the first year in the league.

The hometown second team All-CAA goalkeeper Evan Newton (Virginia Beach, Va.) would knock home his kick and also made a diving save in the PK's setting up the game-winner off the foot of junior Trevor Banks (Madison, Wisc.). Senior midfielder A.J. Kulp (Ephrata, Pa.) was named CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Performer and will head to his fourth straight NCAA Tournament. In all, it will be ODU's sixth straight appearance in the national tournament.

"I think the better team prevailed. I don't want to take away from Towson, they were a very difficult team, a very good team," said head coach Alan Dawson. "But I think we deserved this. I know we deserved it. We've got terrific team chemistry and our guys deserved this. I'm just so proud of our guys."

Both teams struggled to get offensive opportunities in regulation, but ODU seemed to control the game from the opening kick. ODU outshot the Tigers 19-5 in regulation and the Monarch defense only allowed one shot on goal the entire game, which came off of a free kick from about 20 yards out.

The Monarchs outshot the Tigers 23-8 overall and had a 13-2 decided advantage in corner kicks.

The back and forth game featured the CAA Player of the Year in Towson's Pat Healy and the CAA Defender of the Year in ODU's David Horst (Pine Grove, Pa.) as well as the top two goalkeepers as decided by the league's coaches. The first team All-CAA goalkeeper was Towson's Billy Chiles and the second team All-CAA goalkeeper in ODU's Evan Newton. With the league's top two GK's in the game, it was fitting it would end in a shootout.

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