Defending National Champs Open up Fall Practice
Deacons open exhibition play on Tuesday, August 19 against Wofford

Aug. 13, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Wake Forest men's soccer team returned to the practice field for the first time since winning the national title, opening up fall practice on an overcast Wednesday afternoon at the W. Dennie Spry Soccer Stadium practice fields.

"We got what we expected to get on the first day of practice," head coach Jay Vidovich said. "I was hoping for a little bit more. I think we got something to work with. There's a lot of work to do before the season opener."

The Deacons opened their day early in the morning at 7:30 a.m. on the Kentner Stadium turf with a fitness test. After a short rest, the squad held its annual picture day at Spry Stadium.

The team reconvened in the afternoon for the first official practice of the season. The practice started with ball handling drills, before the focus switched to defensive drills. The session closed with a series of 4-on-4 matches.

Wake Forest returns 19 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's national championship team, including All-American Sam Cronin and Marcus Tracy, who was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the 2007 College Cup.

The Deacs open the exhibition portion of their schedule on Tuesday, August 19, with the Genna Wiley Memorial Match against Wofford at 7 p.m at Spry Stadium. Wiley, the wife of former Wake Forest trainer Steve Wiley, passed away from cancer just days after the team won the national title in 2007. To honor her memory and all of those who have lost loved ones from cancer, Wake will wear commemorative pink Nike jerseys, which fans will be able to bid on in a silent auction during the game. Fans will also have the opportunity to make a donation to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure as they enter the game.

The Deacons will host 25th-ranked Furman in the second exhibition match of the preseason at 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 23rd. The regular season opener is scheduled for Friday, August 29th, against Florida International in Chapel Hill, N.C.

-WakeForestSports.com-