Wake Forest wins 2-1 in men ' s soccer

Wake Forest's drive to a fourth straight College Cup is alive and well after a 2-1 win over UNC Wilmington yesterday at Spry Stadium in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Deacons (15-3-3) controlled the game early thanks to constant pressure that led to several scoring chances. Finally breaking through for the Deacons was Austin da Luz, who curled in a pretty left-footed shot from about 12 yards out that left goalie Brock Duckworth grasping for air.

"He put a lot of whip on that," Duckworth said about the English that da Luz put on the shot with 10:41 left in the half.

There were at least four different Deacons who touched the ball on the mad scramble, with an assist being awarded to Zack Schilawski, who hustled to dig the ball out while being on the ground.

"Austin's goal was a fantastic goal," Vidovich said. "Not only did we build it, but that's a special play with not only how Austin finished but the way Zack Schilawski kept the ball alive in that space to where it was played.

"It was a special moment and those plays make the difference."

Said da Luz: "It took a few deflections and it just fell to me and I connected well with it."

After taking the 1-0 lead the Deacons kept the pressure on thanks to the strong play of the midfield led by sophomore Luke Norman. Last season as a freshman Norman didn't see much time because of the senior-dominated team, but he is much more comfortable in his role each this season.

"Last year as a freshman we had such a special team I was lucky to get 15 minutes a game," Norman said. "I'm blessed this year to have a bigger role and the coaches just keep telling us to battle it out and this was one of the toughest games to play because it's the first one in the tournament for us."

The Deacons led 1-0 at halftime, but made it 2-0 with less than 15 minutes to play, scoring off a corner kick. Corben Bone put a perfect pass just out the reach of Duckworth and freshman Anthony Arena headed it in from close range.

Arena, a freshman defender who has started every game, picked up his third goal of the season, all on corner kicks. All three of his goals have also been game winners.

The Seahawks (14-3-5) were making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 44 years of the program. They tied the school record for wins and had a 14-match unbeaten streak snapped by the Deacons.

They cut the margin to 2-1 with five minutes to go when Shawn Guderian got behind the Deacons' defense and scored off goalie Akira Fitzgerald. The play was set up with a pass from Daniel Roberts.

Coach Aidan Heaney, who doesn't have a fully-funded program of scholarships to work with, said he didn't allow his team to get caught up with the Deacons' tradition.

"We came in here looking for a result," Heaney said. "And our guys weren't going to quit."

In the final five minutes, however, the Deacons didn't allow the Seahawks any more real scoring chances.

The Deacons, who won the NCAA title two years ago, are hoping to make another run to the College Cup, which will be played in Cary next month. Now they have a head of steam thanks to their first win in the tournament.

"I don't see anybody in the country being that much better than us," da Luz said. "We've got the experience in the NCAA Tournament and that showed tonight. We're ready to make it a long season."

The Deacons outshot the Seahawks 14-6 and also led in corner kicks 7-2.

Vidovich, whose team lost to North Carolina 1-0 in the College Cup semifinals last season, says that the Deacons are rounding into shape at the right time.

"I'm very proud of my guys and their performance," Vidovich said. "I just see them getting better."

One thing that Vidovich was concerned about was that UNC Wilmington had already played a tournament game, beating UNC Charlotte in the first round.

"I love the bye, we work hard for that," Vidovich said. "But it's just a different thing because coming in they've already had success. So as much as we love the bye and get to play at home there's a situation where the other team has experience in the tournament."

The Deacons will play at Spry Stadium on Sunday at 5 p.m. against Duke, which was a 2-1 winner yesterday over Michigan State.

jdell@wsjournal.com.

727-4081