The 20th anniversary of UConn winning the 2000 Division I men’s championship passed last Thursday, capping two decades since the Huskies beat Creighton 2-0 for the program’s third national title.
The game was held Dec. 10, 2000 in North Carolina and marked the last time a New England-based team (men’s or women’s) won a D-I final. Chris Gbandi and Darin Lewis delivered the goals, all as UConn posted its 15th shutout of the year.
But the opening free-kick strike from Gbandi almost never happened, with the now-Northeastern men’s soccer head coach recounting that memorable run to New England Soccer Journal. Gbandi was nearly pulled off free kicks by then-assistant coach George Kiefer, who’s now the head coach of North Carolina State men’s soccer.
