Sports > August 28, 2008

By Connor Swarbrick | Sports editor

The 2007 National Champion men’s soccer team is beginning 2008 right where they left off, ranked No. 1 in the country. Head Coach Jay Vidovich, in his 15th year, has his players poised to repeat.

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The Deacons celebrate after scoring a goal in the exhibition win against Wofford Aug. 19. (Allison Lange/Old Gold & Black)

The 2007 National Champion men’s soccer team is beginning 2008 right where they left off, ranked No. 1 in the country. Head Coach Jay Vidovich, in his 15th year, has his players poised to repeat.

“I think I am very fortunate to have a bunch of ambitious guys, so I don’t think we have to refocus,” Vidovich said. “We are trying to push the envelope to see how good we can be.”

In the spring the Deacon coaching staff broke down the NCAA Championship game to show their players how much better they can be.

The Deacs are returning 19 players, eight of which started last season. Vidovich thinks the combination of the experienced players returning and hungry newcomers is the recipe for a special team. Up front the Deacons return three of the best weapons in the ACC. Junior Cody Arnoux scored a team-high 15 goals last season and senior Marcus Tracy found the back of the net 11 times and was named Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the 2007 College Cup. Junior Zach Schilawski, who had five game-winning goals in 2007, along with freshman Alfredo Rodriguez-Allen will also make significant contributions.

The Deacons have great depth and experience in the midfield. Senior captain Sam Cronin, sophomore Corben Bone (the 2007 ACC and Soccer America Freshman of the Year), senior Michael Lahoud, junior Austin da Luz and senior Jamie Franks will all be featured at midfield. Vidovich also thinks freshman Luke Norman will make contributions.

The defense was the strength of the 2007 squad. The Deacons lost First Team All-American Pat Phelan and captain Julian Valentin. Seniors Evan Brown and Lyle Adams will be asked to step up. Sophomore Ike Opara, a First Team All-Freshman by Soccer America and a member of the U.S. U-20 team this summer, is dominant in the air.

Undoubtedly the biggest hole for Vidovich to fill is goalkeeper. Brian Edwards had a record breaking year as a fifth-year senior in 2007. Edwards, now playing for Toronto FC of MLS, was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player at the 2007 College Cup. Junior Akira Fitzgerlad will take his place.

Vidovich is very confident in Fitzgerald’s abilities after playing behind Edwards for the previous two seasons. He is an energetic leader, and the coaching staff feels he has matured at a rapidly.

Cronin, Tracy and Opara were named to the first team Preseason All-Americans by Soccer America. But, perhaps more important than the individual talents of the players was the trip the team took this summer.

The squad left May 9 for a 10-day excursion through Brazil that included matches with top club teams, training sessions and community service. The team spent time in both Sao Paulo and Rio.

The Demon Deacons matched up with South America’s best including Brazil’s U-20 National Team on May 17 at Granja Comari, the site of the world famous National Training Center in Rio de Janeiro.

The Deacons attended professional training sessions at the Sao Paulo Football Club Training Facility and the Santos Football Club.

On May 14, Wake made a social support trip to the Brazilian Favelas in Sao Paulo, home to some of the most underprivileged youth in the country. The Deacs distributed gear they collected throughout the year, including shoes, socks, shorts, jerseys, balls and other equipment to families in the area.

“That had the biggest impact on us overall,” Vidovich said. ”Our guys enjoyed it so much we literally got kicked out of the place a half hour earlier than we were supposed to leave because we were creating a riot situation, they were just having a blast.”

The team also had chance to do some sightseeing including Corcovado Mountain and Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro as well as in Sao Paulo. Soccer specific points of interest are also on the docket, including the Pele Museum and the world famous Maracana Stadium. The team took a lot away from the unique opportunity.

“I think on the trip to Brazil the guys saw a different level of soccer,” Vidovich said.

This was something Vidovich had been dreaming of for 10 years, and it was made possible after winning the championship by soccer alumni and the Deacon Club.

“I think one of the deficiencies with being a student-athlete is sometimes we are limited by our pursuit of excellence on the sports field,” Vidovich said. “Our manager just left for Salamanca, Spain and for the next four months he gets to be in that culture and study and that just doesn’t happen for the student-athlete. It was a great growth experience for us.”

The 10-day excursion brought the Deacons together even more so than they already were and that makes them that much more dangerous this fall as they look to repeat as National Champions.

The schedule will once again be one of the most difficult in the country. It features eight teams that advanced to the postseason in 2007 including games against 2007 College Cup semifinalists Virginia Tech and Massachusetts and 2006 National Champion U.C. Santa Barbara.

The Deacons open the season at the Nike Carolina Classic. They face Virginia Commonwealth Aug. 29 and Florida International Aug. 31. The 2007 Naitonal Champions return home Sept. 5 to face the UCLA Bruins.

In their second and final exhibition game against No. 20 Furman Aug. 23 the Deacons won 1-0. Arnoux scored the lone goal for the Deacs, his third in two exhibition matches

The Wake Forest defense was solid all night, allowing only one shot on goal by Furman and out shot the Paladins 13-8.

Arnoux’s goal came in the 36th minute when senior Evan Brown played a cross from the far right side of the field into the box.