Sports > December 6, 2007

By Connor Swarbrick | Staff writer

It’s a one-game season and the Deacons live to fight another day. In third-round action Dec. 2, the Deacons defeated West Virginia 3-1 to advance to the elite eight in the 2007 NCAA tournament.

The first half was scoreless, but there was no lack of action. The Deacons had a multitude of opportunities and outshot the Mountaineers 10-3 in the first half.

With 40:27 remaining in the contest, the Deacs fouled Mike Anoia in the box. Andy Wright found the back of the net, slipping the ball past diving redshirt senior goalie Brian Edwards, on the ensuing penalty kick.

The goal gave the Mountaineers a 1-0 lead. Entering the match, West Virginia was a perfect 14-0 when they scored the first goal, something that made Deacon Head Coach Jay Vidovich anxious.

“I think we were a little nervous, well maybe just coaching staff was, but they are very good at hanging in there and surviving in 1-0 games,” Vidovich said.

The players, however, had confidence in their ability.

“There was no panic because we know that when we play our game there is no one that can stop us,” sophomore Austin da Luz said. “We knew if we kept playing our game it would come.”

With the season hanging in the balance it did come. Sophomore Patrick Phelan fed da Luz the ball down the left side. Da Luz, with one man to beat, dribbled towards the backline and hit sophomore Zack Schilawski just in front of the goal. Schilawski drilled the shot, recording his eighth goal of the season.

With 25:27 remaining sophomore Cody Arnoux broke the 1-1 tie. Freshman Corben Bone, returning from a hip flexor injury, found Arnoux who beat Mountaineer goalkeeper Zach Johnson by firing a shot in the upper right corner of the net.

With a 2-1 lead, the Deacon offensive assault did not stop. With just 3:16 remaining Arnoux solidified the victory with his second goal of the match and his team-leading 15th of the year. Da Luz assisted the goal, recording his second of the game. The Deacons scored their three goals on 21 shots, while the Mountaineers managed only seven shots. Bone attributes the Deacons’ offensive success to their familiarity with one another.

“It’s to the point where I know exactly what Austin is going to do and he knows exactly what I am going to do,” Bone said. “It’s a lot easier to play with each other because we already know what’s going to happen and we can be there before the defender is there.”

Wake Forest moved to 19-2-2 on the season. That mark eclipses the previous record for most wins in a season and Vidovich was pleased with his team’s performance.

“I think there were some moments of some pretty good stuff,” Vidovich said. “We keep telling the guys if you make a little bit better touch and one little bit better decision we are going to be scary good.”

The Deacons will host the No.-10 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7 p.m. Dec. 8 at Spry Stadium. Notre Dame advanced to the elite eight by defeating Santa Clara 2-0.

The Fighting Irish, who are 14-4-5 on the season, are led by last year’s Herman Trophy winner Joseph Lapira. “Our offense will be tested once again because they are very organized defensively, they don’t give much away,” Vidovich said. “The whole team plays a collective soccer that’s great so I imagine it’s going to be a fantastic game.”The winner will advance to the College Cup at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., Dec. 14.