Wake Forest Athletics
Gold Rush Feature: Learning Experience
9/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 3, 2010
This article was originally published in the Aug. 28 issue of Gold Rush.
By Jay Reddick
In retrospect, the most important year of Akira Fitzgerald's soccer career may be one in which he barely played.
Fitzgerald was a reserve goalkeeper on Wake Forest's national championship soccer team in 2007 -- he saw time in the net in only four games behind standout Brian Edwards. But he has carried that winning feeling, and the lessons he learned on the bench, with him to this day.
Now a fifth-year senior, he'll be the most experienced player on the field by far when the Deacons open the 2010 season on Sept. 3. That's a crucial distinction on a team with 11 incoming freshmen.
After playing a small role on that 2007 team (he redshirted the 2006 season), the Baltimore native has built a winning resume of his own. Coach Jay Vidovich said Fitzgerald had the talent to start for most teams in that first year, but Edwards had seniority.
"You could see his leadership even then, in the way he handled being a backup," Vidovich said.
Fitzgerald approached that year as he takes on most challenges -- as an educational experience.
"I was just fortunate to be a part of that team," Fitzgerald said. "It's the ultimate goal for any team to win a championship, Brian played in front of me, and I was just able to learn a lot about the position from him."
Since then, he has propelled the team to two College Cups and currently ranks first in school history in goals-against average (0.67) and second in save percentage (.821). He's been durable, starting 48 consecutive games and has already been selected as one of 30 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for excellence in community, classroom, character and competition.
As far as coach Jay Vidovich is concerned, no award is too lofty for what the team's only senior has meant.
"He's the main one here who truly comprehends what Wake Forest soccer is all about right now," Vidovich said. "He sat the bench, he redshirted, he started, he played in College Cups, he got a trophy and a ring. Those are things you can't buy."
Fitzgerald's got one more season to win another ring with the Deacons, but he's also hoping that his actions will have an impact on the program for years to come. As team captain, he's taking it upon himself to teach the next generation of Wake Forest athletes, starting with the team's large freshman class.
He trained this summer with Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew and United Soccer Leagues' Carolina RailHawks, and as much as he learned for his own benefit, he also seemed eager to pass along his knowledge.
"Columbus' goalkeeper is (former Deacon) Will Hesmer," Fitzgerald said. "I would pick his brain after each practice session. I loved seeing how intense each drill was, how much pace everything had. If you get the best out of your repetitions, the games become a little easier, a little slower."
Fitzgerald is tasked with bequeathing the Wake Forest system to the new kids but also with the larger task of preparing them for college soccer and, in a sense, for college itself.
"They have to learn -- nothing they ever experience, whether they were on national teams, club teams, whatever, will prepare them for this level," Fitzgerald said. "This is a huge jump. And the biggest thing I had to learn (when I was a freshman) is, after preseason's over, you have to start going to classes and get that balance in your life. It takes time."
Fitzgerald has mastered that balance, becoming an Academic All-ACC honoree last fall. He'll graduate in December with a degree in Communication, plus minors in Psychology and Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise.
That course of study is quintessential Fitzgerald -- his play has prepared him for a possible pro career, but his schooling have him ready for life as a coach or in the business world. Vidovich isn't surprised Fitzgerald wants to coach.
"Akira has done an unbelievable job leading this group throughout the spring and the summer," Vidovich said. "He's patient, he's mature, and he's really grown into it."
