Wake Forest Receives No. 3 Seed for 2009 NCAA Tournament
Demon Deacons to face either Charlotte or UNC-Wilmington in second round

Nov. 16, 2009

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After winning the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship and posting a 14-3-3 record, the No. 3 Wake Forest men's soccer team has earned the third overall seed for the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Wake Forest, which has advanced to three consecutive College Cups, received a first-round bye in the tournament and will face either Charlotte or UNC-Wilmington in the second round on Sunday, November 22. A game time will be announced on Tuesday. As the No. 3 overall seed, Wake Forest will have home field advantage through the quarterfinal round.

Wake Forest and Charlotte have already played once this season with the 49ers claiming a 3-1 win at Spry Stadium. The Deacs lead the all-time series against Charlotte 7-4-2. Wake has a 4-2-1 lead in the series against UNC-Wilmington.

The Demon Deacons are in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth straight year and 14th time overall. Wake Forest has a 17-10-2 record all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

In 2008, the Deacs were the top overall seed in the tournament and advanced to the national semifinals, before falling to North Carolina 1-0.

Wake Forest has been led offensively by senior forward Zack Schilawski. A 2009 All-ACC First Team selection, Schilawski leads the conference with 11 goals and 27 points. He has also added five assists.

Senior midfielder Austin da Luz leads the ACC with 12 assists and has also tallied four goals to rank second on the team with 20 points.

The Demon Deacons also feature ACC Offensive Player of the Year Corben Bone (2g, 10a, 14p) and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year Ike Opara (3g, 1a, 7p).

In goal, senior Akira Fitzgerald has a 0.65 goals against average, allowing 12 goals and making 69 saves. Fitzgerald has a 14-3-2 record on the season and has six shutouts to his credit.

Undefeated and top-ranked Akron is the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, while ACC Tournament champion Virginia is the No. 2 seed. Big Ten champion Ohio State received the fourth seed.

The NCAA Tournament features the top 48 teams in the country, with the top 16 teams receiving first-round byes. The tournament culminates with the 2009 College Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., on December 11 & 13.