Wake Forest Earns No. 1 Seed in NCAA Tournament
11/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 17, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After finishing the regular season with an 18-1-1 record and spending the entire season as the consensus No. 1 team in the country, the Wake Forest men's soccer team earned the No. 1 seed in the 2008 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament.
"We're very proud to be the No. 1 seed in such a prestigious tournament," head coach Jay Vidovich said. "We're looking forward to getting to work this week and preparing for whoever comes out of the William & Mary and Winthrop match."
Wake Forest, the 2007 national champion, received a bye in the first round of the tournament and will open defense of its national title on Tuesday, November 25 at 7 p.m. at home against the winner of the William & Mary/Winthrop match. As the No. 1 seed, Wake Forest will enjoy home field advantage through the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
The Deacs have faced William & Mary three times, holding a 3-0-0 advantage in the series. Wake Forest has faced Winthrop once, winning the only matchup against the Eagles.
Wake Forest is making its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is in the tournament for the eighth straight season. The Deacons are the No. 1 seed in the tournament for the third time in program history, also earning the tournament's top seed in 2002 and 2004.
Wake Forest won the first national championship in program history in 2007, defeating Furman, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Ohio State en route to the title. Zack Schilawski scored the game-winning goal in the national title victory over Ohio State.
The Deacs have an all-time record of 14-9-2 in the NCAA Tournament. Wake Forest is unbeaten in its last nine NCAA Tournament games, with its last loss coming on November 24, 2005, a 3-2 double overtime loss at California. Since 2004, the Deacons are 11-1-2 in the NCAA Tournament.
Wake Forest has been dominant all season, out-scoring its opponents 68-16 on the season. The Deacons had a 24-game unbeaten streak snapped in the ACC Tournament semifinals, falling to Virginia 3-2 on a penalty kick in double overtime.
The NCAA Tournament features the top 48 teams in the country, with the top 16 teams receiving first round byes. The tournament culminates with the 2008 College Cup at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas on December 12 & 14.
Stay tuned to WakeForestSports.com for updates as Wake Forest prepares for its first NCAA Tournament match.
