Upsets

Providence Score 4 Goals In 12 Minutes To Beat Maryland, A Comeback For The Ages

Providence provided the upset of the 2016 Men's NCAA Tournament by shocking top-ranked and previously undefeated Maryland 5-4 in the second round. Even more stunning than the upset was how they went about achieving it.

Down 4-1 in the 54th minute, the Friars' season appeared all but over. However, Providence got a glimmer of hope in the 70th minute, Julian Gressel scoring his second of the match and cutting the defecit to 4-2. Thirty six seconds later, Nick Sailor scored his first goal of the season for Providence with a stunning effort from 30 yards out.

Semi-Pro Side Score Huge Cup Upset With 45-Yard Extra-Time Winner

Semi-professional club Green Gully completed one of the biggest upsets in the history of Australian soccer by defeating A-League side Central Coast Mariners in the FFA Cup — the country’s relatively new domestic knockout competition.

A tiered football league system is almost nonexistent in Australia. A-League clubs, of which there are 10, have no worry of relegation while lower division sides are typically semi-professional outfits. In the three-year history of the FFA Cup, A-League clubs had only been defeated by lower-league teams on one occasion.

The Biggest Upsets In The History Of Soccer

This has been the year of the underdog in soccer. From Leicester City in the Premier League to Wales and Iceland in Euro 2016, upsets have come to the fore. 

Soccer is the most democratic sport in the world. Once the players enter the pitch, there’s little the coach can do to upset the proceedings. The nature of the game lends itself to unpredictability — 90 minutes of continuous action where a single mistake or moment of genius can decide the game’s outcome. 

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