does anybody know how bad the kick to Julian Valentin's face was? the pics don't look so good. 30+ stitches.

congrats to wake. seems like a good group of kids in their program. nice to have the champion in the acc.

1) Why did the OSU keeper go ballistic?
There wasn't a foul nor anything close to offsides.

2) Did he get carded for that tantrum?

GK claimed the bouncing ball touched Tracy's hand before he left it off.

30 stitches, and you need to know how bad it was? :) It wasn't intentional, though -- from what I recall the guy was kicking high, but was hit and went even higher.

Wynalda said "those are studs" -- and my wife thought he was making an odd comment about the guys playing. Only Rick "Doc" Walker can say that!

That was my only guess as to what the keeper was desperately begging for, too. Glad he got carded.

Watch the video again -- the ball makes an odd bounce as Tracy got past that first defender. From one angle it looks like it may have gotten close to hitting the forearm of either Tracy or the defender. I can see why the GK was so incensed, although there's no way of definitively knowing whose forearm touched the ball (if that indeed happened).

Much less knowing, if it did indeed hit either arm, whether it was deliberate handling.

that goalkeeper should be more incensed about his weight.

With caveat that I was watching on TV, not there, I think:

*no hand ball; that poor left back who came off the bench got victimized then as he did on several plays. Not every funny bounce is a hand ball. The OSU keeper was pretty mouthy on the set pieces at the end of the game too. Wake didn't take the bait.

* the shot to Valentin's face came as he was trying a header. #27's boot was like 7 feet off the ground, and straight into his face, studs first. I thought it would have been a red card, but maybe I don't understand the rules. I didn't see #27 getting contact from someone else influenced the play, and they showed it several times in slo mo. Wynalda thought it wasn't intentional, but he never sides with a defender in such situations, it seems. Valentin is fortunate a stud didn't catch one of his eyes.

*Wake needed the USWNT staple gun from the World Cup.

The ref was crap both ways. OSU's coach said he watched the replay and believed it was a hand ball, does not matter whether it was itentional or not. So the keeper had a legit argument. Either way the OSU defense should have took care of it as there was 2 guys right by him before he made the pass.

Of course it matters whether it's intentional or not. If it's not intentional, it's not a hand ball. Sheesh.

The ref was crap both ways. OSU's coach said he watched the replay and believed it was a hand ball, does not matter whether it was itentional or not.

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Here we go again. From the NCAA rule book...a player shall be penalized if the player DELIBERATELY handles the ball...

If the OSU coach wants to look at tape he should look at the shot that his defender took on the Wake kid who ended up scoring the winning goal. It was a pretty damn good imitation of Clinton Portis stepping up to take on a linebacker. There was not even a pretense of playing the ball, it was in the box, it clearly should have been a PK.

Goff: Are you finally going to get your time off? If you are, then we can milk this thread for the next few weeks and get into Guinness for producing the longest single thread on a blog (2,387 posts or whatever).

Ohio State keeper is a prick. Touching the referee like that should have been dealt with sternly.

If it was a handball you'd think the defender who got beat by the "handball" would have protested. He doesn't even talk to the ref let alone make a scene so I'd say there's no argument for the GK or coach to make.

the players are told not to talk to the ref, the goalie is a captain, therefore he has the right to protest...and he's not a prick he's passionate

Captains have no right to protest a call, especially not a clear factual call, more than any other player.

I agree with the poster upthread. Anyone who touches a referee like that deserves to see red. Totally uncalled for, championship game or not.

Wait wait wait wait ...

"Mandatory TV timeout"?

Greeeatttt. Just what we need ...

Touching an official during a protest is "passion"? Wow. Maybe he should be passionate about covering his near post and he can avoid that situation in the future.

Uh yeah, that keep should have seen Red, under no circumstances to you touch the ref especially if you are getting in his face like that. Peter Shilton didn't touch the ref after Maradona palmed it in...

This is from the article Goff links above:

"Well, I've played in a lot of games and controversial calls have gone both ways," Tracy said. "I don't think it was a hand ball, personally. And (the referee) didn't call it. So that's the way it goes."

I don't THINK it was a hand ball? Anybody else who plays soccer--when you don't commit a hand ball, you usually know it, don't you?