Cary, NC – Harrison Burtos scored 1:54 into overtime after Washington blew a two-goal lead in the second half and the Huskies defeated North Carolina State. 3-2 to win the Men’s College Cup at First Horizon Stadium on Monday night.
It was the first national championship for unseeded Washington (16-6-2), which became the first team to win six road matches in the tournament by defeating six seeded teams under the guidance of coach Jamie Clark. The Huskies won in their second trip to the finals after losing 2–0 to Clemson in 2021.
No. 15 seed NC State (16-3-4) made the finals for the first time under coach Mark Hubbard. The Wolfpack was aiming for the school’s first national championship since Jim Valvano led the men’s basketball team to the title in 1983.
Zach Ramsey scored without an assist with 1:12 remaining in the first half, and Washington took a 1–0 lead into the break. It was only the second time this season NC State trailed at halftime.
Ramsey fired into the empty net after Wolfpack goalkeeper Logan Erb was unable to stop the ball at the top of the box. This was Ramsey’s second goal of the tournament.
Richie Amon sent a cross into the center of the goal and Joe Dale made it 2–0 in the 62nd minute.
Donavan Phillips responded in the 66th, scoring on an assist from Nikola Markovic and making the score 2–1 with his fourth goal of the tournament. The Wolfpack went ahead 11–0–1 when Phillips scored.
Tag Healy scored the equalizer with 3:28 remaining on assists from Justin McLean and Calem Toomey.
Igor Akulov had an assist on Bertos’s winner.
Huskies keeper Jadon Bouton, the only remaining player from the 2021 team, made five saves.
Erb saved six shots for NC State, the last school to concede a goal this season.
When the match started between two teams who had never faced each other, the temperature was 28 degrees.
