The da Luz family has its competitive side, and it's coming out.
Austin da Luz won an NCAA soccer championship playing for the Wake Forest men in 2007.
His father, Tony, has been trying to join that club, and he'll get his best chance this weekend, when he leads the Wake Forest women into the College Cup semifinals in Kennesaw, Ga.
"It's unbelievable for your son to go through that, and for me to be able to have that (chance), it's getting a little competitive," Tony da Luz, who is in his 15th season as the Deacons' women's coach, said after Friday's 3-0 victory against Central Florida.
The berth in college soccer's final four is the first for the Wake Forest women, who will play Duke at 7:30 Friday.
Austin da Luz, now playing with D.C. United in Major League Soccer, had one of the Deacons' signature goals in the national championship run — scoring in overtime for a 1-0 quarterfinal victory against Notre Dame at Spry Stadium. After the goal, he ripped off his jersey and climbed onto the wall in front of the student section in celebration.
Tony da Luz shared that goal with the women's team on the eve of its match against UCF.
"I showed (my team) his goal in the quarterfinals in '07," da Luz said. "The way he celebrated. … And he said after (our) game that Wake Forest is now 5-0 in quarterfinal matches at home to get to the College Cup. The men did it four times, and now us."
Austin da Luz, 24, attended the women's quarterfinal and gave his father a little pep talk on the drive to the stadium.
"I never rub it in or anything like that," Austin said of his national championship. "But I just told him the da Luz family is undefeated in Elite Eight games at Spry, so it would be great to keep that streak alive."
Austin da Luz said that he and others from the men's championship team — including Zach Schilawski, Corben Bone and Justin Lichtfuss — plan to attend the women's semifinals to help cheer on the Deacons.
"Right after they won the other night, I told my mom (Amy) that it's the greatest feeling in the world, to win at Spry Stadium to go to the College Cup," Austin said. "I'd love to do that again, but to see my dad do it was really special. I know how he's worked so hard, and the team has worked so hard all season.
"(A national championship is) something he wants so bad, so I hope it happens for him."
Friday's match will be the third this season between the Deacons and Blue Devils. Duke won 2-0 in the regular season, a game high-scoring forward Katie Stengel of the Deacons missed because of an injury. Stengel was back for the rematch in the ACC tournament semifinals, and the Deacons won 2-1.
One thing the women's team has in its favor is depth. da Luz substituted frequently against Central Florida, and it paid off.
"I just think it's the chemistry on the team," da Luz said when asked about the key to the season. "From the freshmen to the seniors, they all get along great, and they all spend time together, and everybody just kind of hangs out.
"That's definitely the glue that gets us through those tough moments."
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