Quotes from Men's Soccer College Cup Press Conference
12/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Dec. 9, 2008
Press Conference Video: Jay Vidovich | Sam Cronin | Marcus Tracy
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich and seniors Sam Cronin and Marcus Tracy met with members of the media on Tuesday morning.
The Deacons are preparing to face North Carolina in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, December 12, at 5:30 p.m. (ET). The game will be shown live on ESPN2.
Wake Forest advanced to their third straight College Cup with a 5-0 victory over South Florida in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament last weekend. Five different players scored goals for Wake Forest in the victory.
Tickets for the College Cup can be purchased by calling 214-SMU-GAME or by calling 214-705-6700. Fans can purchase all-session tickets or individual tickets for the matches on Friday and Sunday. The official Web site of the College Cup can be found here.
A transcript of Tuesday's press conference follows:
Wake Forest Head Coach Jay Vidovich
On advancing to the College Cup three straight seasons...
"We're very proud, especially if you look at the senior and junior class, who have been to three straight College Cups. It's very exciting. I think what makes it special is the ambition of the team. After winning the national championship, a lot of people take a break and say that was a great accomplishment. Our guys said what a great accomplishment; lets do it again. They've been paying the price since last winter. They worked very hard through the summer and this year, on the field and in the classroom, to be able to enjoy an experience like this. They're ready for it."
On three ACC teams advancing to the College Cup...
"The ACC, for at least the last 25 years, has been recognized as the top soccer conference in America. It's shown with more national championships and with more teams in the final four. This year, people thought that this would be a down year for the conference. Now, we have three teams in the final four. It speaks volumes about the quality of teams, quality of players and the quality of the coaching staffs. It's a tremendous accomplishment for the league. We're guaranteed of at least one team being in the championship game."
On having already played North Carolina once this year...
"When you start looking at the quality of the College Cup this year, it's unbelievable. In the last nine years, each team has won a national championship. Each team, except for North Carolina, has been to the College Cup at least three times. It's a tremendous four teams. To play against Carolina, which has always been one of the top teams in the country and in the ACC, is a tremendous honor. We've had some success over them in the last couple of years. This year's game against them was probably one of our more challenging games. We went to their place on Senior Night and we went down a goal in the first half. We really came back and it showed the character of our team to come back and win 4-2. It's going to be a great match. College soccer is going to win because both teams play a tremendous attacking level of soccer. It will be a very competitive match."
On Wake Forest scoring 12 goals in the last two games...
"A lot of people talk about there not being as many goals in soccer. Our attacking players and the majority of our team have been together for three years. Our trip to Brazil and our experiences in these types of competitions has become fruitful. Our guys are going to the goal. They're very good at it. We hope to continue playing at a high level. Right now the goals are falling in a pretty spectacular fashion."
On what it would mean to win back-to-back national championships...
"I think we'd be very excited to bring back a second trophy. This group here has found a way to find success. I think it would be a tremendous statement for the athletic department, the university and the town of Winston-Salem, which has done an unbelievable job in supporting us on our third trip to the College Cup."
Senior Forward Marcus Tracy
On the difficulty of winning back-to-back national championships...
"We've experienced a lot of pressure. Our opponents that we play are giving us their best because we are the number one team in the country and everyone is coming after us. I think we've done a pretty good job of focusing on ourselves and really concentrating on what we're capable of doing. From that standpoint, we've been able to deflect some of those pressures that a team might normally feel."
On scoring 12 goals in the last two games...
"Certainly, that's not typical soccer. Like coach said, the guys that we have on the field have been together for a long time. I think we all know each other very well. We have a lot of chemistry. It's not just our offense. It starts with our defense. We're really able to read each other and feed off of each other. We take that momentum and we go with it. Sometimes we're able to produce results like we have the last two games."
On potentially facing two ACC teams at the College Cup...
"To some degree, that could be a disadvantage because you're facing teams that are familiar with you and that you're familiar with. I think it speaks volumes about the conference. People talk about UNC having a down year but this shows that any team in our league is capable of beating other teams and playing well in big games because they've got to the final four. To have three ACC teams represented in the final four is tremendous and speaks volumes about the conference.
On if the team is playing its best soccer of the season...
"I think we're going to have to play better because we're going to be thrown different challenges in different situations coming up. I think we're pretty happy with where we are. We just try to take it day-by-day and improve and focus on the game."
On North Carolina...
"They're going to give us a tough game. Every time we face them, it's tough. They have great players. They're very good at moving the ball. They have great ball speed. We're expecting a tough game from them. Hopefully we'll be able to come out on top."
Senior Midfielder Sam Cronin
On advancing to a third straight College Cup...
"It's exciting. When we finished last season, our class in particular made a goal to get back to the College Cup. Starting last year and throughout the spring and the summer, we've been working hard to get back here. We've done well so far. Hopefully, we have two more games left. Most importantly, we have Carolina on Friday night and we'll try to make the most of that opportunity."
On if it was harder to get back to the College Cup this year...
"I don't think so. I think our team has done a good job of focusing on what we can control. We haven't really thought about the national championship from last year much this season. We've just tried to take the group of guys we have and improve each day. We've done a good job of that. We have a quality team with a lot of talented players. Getting back is a product of our work ethic and keeping our goals small. We've done a good job so far."
On if there is a swagger to the Wake Forest men's soccer program...
"We're confident for sure. Based on the experiences we've had with going to final fours and going to Brazil this past summer, our program has grown tremendously since I've been here. The team we have is a very confident group and we're really excited."
On Wake Forest's offensive attack...
"I think one of our strengths is the way we can counter and the pace we have up high with Marcus (Tracy), Cody (Arnoux) and Zack Schilawski. Those three within a second can be behind the defense. At all times opposing defenses have to be aware of our pace up high. Throughout the year, the way we've been able to counter teams and the pace at which we can do it has really been a strength of ours. I think most of our goals this year have come on really quick counter attacks and we've been able to do it with a lot of pace and a lot of skill."
