DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Celebrating his fourth NCAA soccer championship was not the only thing on Virginia sweeper Clint Peay's mind yesterday.
"I've got two papers due tomorrow, six to 10 pages each. I'll be begging to my teachers," said the rhetoric and communications studies major from Columbia after his Cavaliers edged top-ranked Indiana, 1-0, in the national title match before a Final Four record 12,033 at Davidson College's Richardson Field.
Striker A. J. Wood of Rockville scored the game's only goal -- an NCAA tournament career-record 13th -- in the 21st minute to provide the difference as he, Peay, striker Nate Friends and midfielder Tain Nix became the first Division I players to win four titles in their four years.
Wood also tied the NCAA tournament mark of 29 points. "That's the first goal I've scored in four finals, so I was very happy," said Wood, who extended his single-season goals record to 23 and finished his career with 56. "I just wanted to produce today in the clutch."
The Cavaliers (22-3-1), who took all four title matches by shutout, overcame the absence of standout midfielder Mike Fisher, who earned a one-game suspension after receiving his third postseason yellow card in Friday's 2-1 semifinal triumph over Rutgers.
Indiana's midfield, which included first-team All-Americans Brian Maisonneuve and Todd Yeagley, appeared to have a great advantage, but it was Virginia's mids who were the better unit yesterday with a physical approach that stifled the Hoosiers (23-3).
"I think they certainly felt they were going to get at us a little today. I think a lot of people considered us underdogs," said Nix. "That wasn't how we felt about it. We felt we could play with them, with or without Mike Fisher.
"We've seen some great midfields before and give them credit. They were tough to mark, but I think we raised our game to a new level and that was the difference. They were great players and maybe some things didn't go their way. That's the way things go."
Nix initiated the sequence that produced the game's only goal. He beat midfielder Brandon Ward down the left flank and sent a pass forward to overlapping defender Brandon Pollard. Pollard quickly sent a left-footed cross over defender Mike Clark to Wood, facing the left post.
Wood trapped the ball with his right shoulder and neck, and stood over it until goalkeeper Scott Coufal approached. Wood then used the outside of his left foot to push his shot into the left side of the net.
"In this profession, you get the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and you can't get much lower than this," said Hoosiers coach Jerry Yeagley, whose teams won NCAA crowns in 1982, '83 and '88. "It was a tough game. It didn't seem like either team got much of a flow going. It seemed the two teams were having a heck of a tug-of-war for 90 minutes. The goal was a tremendous piece of work."
Virginia freshman midfielder Billy Walsh, who scored the game-winner Friday against Rutgers, preserved the one-goal lead 4 1/2 minutes before intermission, using his head to prevent Brian Maisonneuve's 8-yard blast past goalkeeper Mark Peters from finding the far right corner.
"Peters gave him this angle, so I just got into the goal," said Walsh. "Luckily, he hit it hard, but it came square at my face. If it's an inch away, there's no way I can get that."
Peay nearly made a costly error in the match's second minute. Hoosier midfielder Jeff Bannister stripped the Oakland Mills graduate 1 yard above the penalty area. Peay slid in from behind to knock the ball away 2 yards inside the box, sending Bannister to the ground.
The large Indiana contingent screamed for a penalty kick, but none was called. "I was pretty confident. I knew he had a little bit of a step, but I thought I'd get ball," said Peay. "When I went down, I thought it was a clean tackle. It was a mental error by me. Luckily I was able to compensate and get back.
"As far as the four championships go, what I do have to say, for all the people who counted us out, what can they say now? We proved everyone wrong."
Indiana .... 0 .. 0 .. -- .. 0
Virginia ... 1 .. 0 .. -- .. 1