Wake Forest Athletics
Forming Early Bond, Arena Benefited From Family Mentality
9/21/2020 12:30:00 PM | Men's Soccer, Les Johns
Feeling right at home from his first official visit, Anthony Arena thrived in Men's Soccer's family atmosphere as he, in turn, helped boost the program's rich history.
Both functional as well as ceremonial, Wake Forest men's soccer seniors have the honor of locking the gates of Spry Stadium after the final training of the season.
Doing so in 2009, the class that included the likes of Austin da Luz, Nick Courtney, Zach Schilawski, Austin Chelko and Justin Lichtfuss locked gates with games remaining to be played in the NCAA College Cup four-straight seasons.
That's a tradition that freshman Anthony Arena didn't want to disrupt.
"Having the seniors lock the gate and still have games to play," Arena said about one of his biggest moments as a Demon Deacon. "We didn't want to mess up this run. Having them be able to lock those gates and move on to a Final Four was special. Obviously it didn't end the way we wanted it to, but it was special ending things at Spry the right way."
The Deacs fell to Virginia 2-1 in overtime of the national semifinal match in Cary, N.C., ending a remarkable run for the Demon Deacons. For Arena, a freshman defender from Washington, it was just the start of his Wake Forest journey that began after working in a local camp with then-Demon Deacon assistant coaches Bobby Muuss and Carson Porter.
"I was 14 or 15 playing for my club team in Seattle," Arena said. "I grew up in Seattle. There's a club that hosted teams [and] would host college coaches and train us for a week. It was excellent exposure. Bobby Muuss was an assistant at the time, and Carson Porter came up as well.
"They came out and we formed a relationship through training and we kept in contact over the next couple years. I took an official visit and then that was that. It didn't take much, as much success as the program had. The coaching staff was phenomenal. The players on the team made my visits excellent. They made my decision pretty easy, honestly."
Arena started every game as a true freshman, and scored three goals — all game-winners.
"I had my own challenges," Arena said about his first season. "I was injured when I first got in, so I missed a bit of preseason to begin with. I was a couple weeks behind in my development in the college game, but was ready by the last pre season game. Right away, not being able to practice at full speed and get going made me have to adjust once the season got going.
"Academically, it was a challenge for me as well. Wake is a demanding school. Although everyone who is admitted at Wake has arrived at a prestigious academics-based school upon their previous achievement, it's still another level up, both in soccer and academics. The soccer came naturally, but the academics took a lot of work to be where I needed to be. It doesn't come easy, but Wake provides the resources and support around you to make that adjustment."
After 79 games wearing the Old Gold & Black, Arena was drafted by Houston Dynamo with the 18th pick of the 2013 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft, where he began his professional soccer career.
According to Arena, former Demon Deacon head coach Jay Vidovich often told the players they "have to earn" their Wake Forest jersey, and it's something former players take pride in.
"As a player, the pride is there," Arena said. "Day in and day out, you have to earn it, so that's something you take a lot of pride in as a player. Once I graduated and went on, you realize what a special place Wake Forest is, not just as a soccer program.
"Obviously the soccer program has a unique bond with our alumni, but the university as a whole, the people you meet and the opportunities that come are just endless."
Arena said all of his best friends are from Wake Forest, and that's where he met his wife Amanda as a freshman back in 2009.
"They always preach family," Arena said of his time at Wake Forest. "It wasn't just the soccer team, it was everywhere on that campus. It's small and tight knit. You don't realize it until you step back and think about the relationships you've formed with people 20 years before you. It's just understood. We take a lot of pride in it."
