GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Roberto Carbone (So., Genova, Italy) scored with 57 seconds left in the first sudden death overtime period for the deciding factor as Atlantic Division Champion/No. 19-ranked the University of Virginia overcame Rocky Mountain Division Champion/No. 17 the University of Colorado, 15-14, in sudden death overtime during the final opening round game of the 2024 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship at the University of Florida’s Ann Marie Rogers Swimming & Diving Pool at the O’Connell Center.
The victory advances Virginia to a 9:00 a.m. Eastern quarterfinal game on Saturday, November 9, against 2022 and 2023 National Champion/Southwest Division Champion/No. 1 the University of California-San Diego – which defeated Florida Division runner-up Florida State University by an 18-4 score in the opening game of the 30-contest championship weekend.
Colorado slips into the consolation side of the bracket as the Buffaloes will face Florida State at 9:50 p.m. on Friday, November 8, to avoid competing in a 13th/15th Place game on November 9.
For Virginia, Willem Palmer (Sr., Mill Valley, Calif.) (seven), Carbone (five) and Doruk Ozar (Gr., Istanbul, Turkey) (two) notched multi-goal games with Nick Hoffs (Jr, Laguna Beach, Calif.) slipping in a solo strike. Pranay Vittal (Sr., Princeton N.J.) stopped 13 shots to earn the win.
Benjamin Budic (Sr., San Diego, Calif.) keyed Colorado with six goals, while Luke Shropshire (Jr., Ellicott City, Md.) and Ryan Bannon (Gr., Broomfield, Colo.) deposited three and two markers, respectively. Ron Zamir (Fr., Palo Alto, Calif.), Dylan Armstrong (Fr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Chase King (Fr., Danville, Calif.) put away single tallies to support a combined 16 save effort from netminders Tyler Armstrong (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Austin Dale (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.).
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | OT1 | OT2 | SDOT | – | FINAL | |
| No. 19 University of Virginia |
3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | – | 15 |
| No. 17 University of Colorado | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 14 |
| Colorado Goals: | Benjamin Budic (6) Luke Shropshire (3); Ryan Bannon (2); Ron Zamir; Dylan Armstrong; Chase King | ||||||||
| Virginia Goals: | Willem Palmer (7); Roberto Carbone (5); Doruk Ozar (2); Nick Hoffs | ||||||||
| Saves: | Colorado – Tyler Armstrong (13), Austin Dale (3) ; Virginia – Prany Vittal (13) | ||||||||
| Exclusions: | Colorado – 13 ; Virginia – 13 | ||||||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Colorado – 4-for-13 ; Virginia – 7-for-13 | ||||||||
| Sprints: | Virginia – 4-for-7 (1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th) ; Colorado – 3-for-7 (2nd, 4th, 5th) | ||||||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | YC – Virginia (Bench, six seconds left in 2nd Q) | ||||||||
| Officials: | Michael Schofield, Ted Bresnahan | ||||||||
The University of Virginia’s Penn Clay (#8) defends the University of Colorado’s Matteo Petty (#24)
The University of Colorado’s Ryan Bannon (#3)
The University of Colorado’s Nico Madrid (#7) pursues the University of Virginia’s Willem Palmer (#7)
