Wake Forest Athletics
Tuesday's Men's Soccer Press Conference Quotes
9/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 14, 2004
Junior Defender Michael Parkhurst:
"Right now, we're 3-0-1 and we've started out real well. We played in two tournaments, and haven't had a home game yet, so it's nice to get back here in Winston-Salem. We've gone to overtime three times now, so we're learning to battle. Last year we didn't play in any overtime games, so this year we're learning. We've had a lot of success and been able to get two wins in those three games. We're learning how to battle for more than 90 minutes."
"We learned to put the rankings away when we step on the field; rankings are just people's opinions. We try not to focus on that too much as a team. When we step on the field, the other team is going to have to beat us. We go into the games thinking that we are the best team on the field. We have learned not to deal with the rankings as much as other people stress them."
"We're good enough to win a championship. I think we're better than we have been in the last couple years, and in the last couple years we've had a chance to win a national championship, so we're right on course this year."
Head Coach Jay Vidovich:
"It's a tough game. It is going to be a great opportunity for us to see how we're going to do as we jump in the ACC play. It's another game. We are a team that can compete against them and can beat them, but we just come out on the short end of the scoreboard recently. Right now our program has progressed to we can beat anyone in the country. While these games are important now, it's all to prepare for the NCAA Tournament."
"Our goal is just how we are getting better. We find how our game is and how we're going to play. We just want to get better. We have a lot of rookies playing and contributing, new to the system as freshmen, or even seniors who haven't played a lot. We're just trying to play our game better."
"We want to play soccer, we want to go for it, we want to score goals, and we want to get the ball back as soon as possible. Whether it's playing Virginia or South Carolina or FIU, we just like playing good teams and seeing how good we are."
"What it helps in is giving us experience and gives us character. Our team believes in themselves, they know they can handle the rigors of going against the top teams, and going to overtime and winning games. It allows you to find the character of your team."
