Wake Forest Men's Soccer Announces 2010 Schedule
6/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
June 7, 2010
2010 Schedule | 2010 Schedule (PDF) 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's soccer team has announced its 20-game 2010 schedule, which includes nine games at Spry Stadium and three contests against teams that advanced to the 2009 College Cup.
"I think this schedule is a very competitive one for several reasons," head coach Jay Vidovich said. "First, the quality of opponents on the schedule is very high and the rhythm of the schedule will make it a big challenge. The youth of our team this season will also make the schedule a tremendous challenge."
The Deacs will have two exhibitions before the start of the regular season. Wake Forest faces Georgia State at Spry Stadium on August 21, and travels to Furman on August 27 for the final exhibition match before the regular season.
Wake Forest will test itself early in the 2010 season, facing two talented teams in the season's first weekend. The Demon Deacons open the regular season on September 3 against Seton Hall in a game that will be played at Bryan Park in Greensboro. Wake takes the pitch at Spry Stadium for the first time in the 2010 regular season on September 5 with a match against 2009 College Cup finalist Akron.
"Traditionally, we play a very difficult early season schedule because I'd much prefer to know what our problems are at the beginning of the season and be able to work on them for the rest of the season," Vidovich said. "Our fans are such a big part of our program and fortunately, we'll be able to open up the home schedule against a quality side like Akron, which is one of the top teams in the country."
The Deacs open their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule on September 10 with a home match against Clemson. Other ACC home games for Wake Forest in 2010 include Virginia Tech (October 1), NC State (October 16) and Boston College (October 30).
Wake Forest travels to Virginia on September 17 for its first road conference match of the season. The Cavaliers defeated Wake Forest, 2-1, in overtime in the 2009 College Cup semifinals en route to winning the national championship. The Demon Deacons will also travel to 2009 College Cup semifinalist North Carolina (October 8), Maryland (October 23) and Duke (November 5) in conference play.
"It's going to be a particularly difficult year in the ACC," Vidovich said. "Not only is the league strong once again, but we have some particularly difficult venues to play in. Duke, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia are all extremely tough places to play and also have very strong soccer programs."
As always, the Demon Deacon schedule includes several non-conference fixtures against in-state foes. Wake will play five non-ACC games against teams from the state of North Carolina in 2010, starting with a match at 2009 NCAA Tournament team Charlotte on September 14. Other non-conference games against in-state teams include at UNC Greensboro (September 25), Appalachian State at Spry Stadium on October 5, at Elon (October 26) and at Davidson (November 2).
"We're very fortunate to have a lot of quality teams in the state of North Carolina," Vidovich added. "Most of the teams in the state have NCAA Tournament experience so it's always a good test for us when we play these in-state opponents."
The Deacs will face College of Charleston for the second straight season, hosting the Cougars on September 21. On September 28, Wake Forest welcomes South Carolina to Spry Stadium. The Demon Deacons will play their first-ever game at William & Mary on October 12.
The 2010 ACC Tournament is scheduled for November 9-14 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. The first round match between the eight and nine seeds takes place on November 9, with quarterfinal matches slated for November 10. The semifinals are November 12, with the championship match scheduled for November 14.
The first four rounds of the 2010 NCAA Tournament will take place on college campuses throughout the country. The tournament begins on November 19 and 20 with first round games. Second round contests will be played November 24, while the third round will be played November 27 or 28. The quarterfinals will take place December 3, 4 or 5.
The 2010 College Cup will be held at UC Santa Barbara's Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, Calif., on December 10 and 12. Wake Forest has advanced to the College Cup each of the last four seasons.