Wake Forest topped UCF 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament
As head coach of the Wake Forest women's soccer team for 16 of the program's 19 seasons, Tony da Luz has built the Demon Deacons into an ACC and national powerhouse. He holds a 205-113-31 record at Wake Forest, with his 205 wins trailing only legendary North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance among coaches of ACC programs since the conference first recognized women's soccer in 1987.
Da Luz is one of only 10 coaches in Wake Forest history across all sports to win 200 games at the helm of the Demon Deacons.
Under da Luz's guidance, Wake Forest has earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament in 17 consecutive seasons, the sixth-longest active streak in the country, and in 2011 he achieved his greatest success to date, leading the Demon Deacons to their first-ever College Cup appearance.
Recent years have seen Wake Forest reach a new level of women's soccer prominence. The Deacons captured the 2010 ACC Championsip, the first in the history of the program, and made a return trip to the ACC Tournament final in 2011. The 2012 Wake Forest squad finished in a tie for second place in the ACC standings, equaling the program's best-ever finish.
Wake Forest's success under da Luz has not only been limited to the conference level. In addition to their 17 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, the Deacons have also advanced to at least the second round in seven straight seasons and have reached the NCAA Quarterfinals in two of the past four years - culminating in the program's first College Cup in 2011.
Under da Luz's guidance, Wake Forest has constantly produced some of the most talented players in the nation.
U.S. U-20 International and current Deacon Katie Stengel helped lead the U.S. U-20 team to the 2012 FIFA U-20 World Cup title, starting at forward in the championship match. Stengel led the ACC in scoring in both her freshman and sophomore years, scoring 16 goals in 2010 and 19 goals in 2011, becoming the first-ever Wake Forest player to lead the conference in scoring and the first player since North Carolina's Mia Hamm in 1992 and 1993 to win the ACC's goal-scoring title in back-to-back seasons. She was named the 2011 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, the first Demon Deacon to take home that award, after having taken home ACC Freshman of the Year and Top Drawer Soccer National Freshman of the Year honors in her freshman season. Stengel has earned All-America honors in all three of her seasons at Wake Forest.
Current Wake Forest goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe has earned widespread recognition as one of the best `keepers in the country. A two-time NSCAA All-American and two-time All-ACC honoree, Bledsoe holds the Wake Forest all-time shutout record with 25 career shutouts.
In total 37 Deacs have earned All-ACC honors under da Luz, including 13 first-team selections, one ACC Player of the Year and three ACC Rookies of the Year.
Da Luz has helped guide four Freshmen All-Americans and 11 to the ACC All-Freshman team, including one National Rookie of the Year winner. Also, 23 Deacs have been named All-Southeast Region and 12 have been selected to ACC Championship all-tournament teams, while the team has continually been ranked among the top-25 in the nation.
Long respected as one of the nation's top managers, da Luz was named the 1998 ACC Coach of the Year in a vote of his peers.
A number of key injuries as well as the absence of leading scorer Katie Stengel for a third of the season while she was on international duty forced da Luz to field 17 different starting lineups in 23 games in 2012, but he still led the Demon Deacons to a second-place finish in the ACC, which equaled the program's best-ever conference result. The Deacons earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round, in addition to making a third-straight semifinal appearance in the ACC Tournament.
The 2011 season was the culmination of da Luz's methodical build-up of Wake Forest to one of the nation's elite teams. Led by ACC Offensive Player of the Year Katie Stengel along with 12-goal scorer Rachel Nuzzolese and All-ACC First Team performer Aubrey Bledsoe, the team jumped out to an 11-1-1 start before closing out a fourth-place finish in the ACC. The Deacons turned it up a notch in the postseason, upsetting top-seed Duke to reach the ACC Championship Match for the second year in a row, and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time before posting multi-goal wins over Oakland, Boston University, Penn State and UCF to reach their first-ever College Cup. The 2011 squad finished with a program-best 18-4-4 record and was ranked as high as No. 3 nationally in the NSCAA poll and No. 1 in the NCAA RPI ranking - with both marks the highest in program history.
Da Luz achieved what might be his most impressive accomplishment in 2010 when he guided a team that was picked to finish seventh in the preseason to the program's first-ever ACC Championship. Under his tutelage, freshman forwards Katie Stengel and Rachel Nuzzolese established themselves as one of the most dynamic striking duos in the nation. As a rookie, Stengel set new school records with 16 goals and 37 points and received numerous honors, including ACC Freshman of the Year and TopDrawerSoccer National Rookie of the Year. She became the first freshman in Wake Forest history to earn First Team All-ACC honors.
Da Luz enjoyed one of his most successful seasons in 2009, as the Demon Deacons finished the year with a 16-6-2 record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Wake Forest's national ranking was as high as No. 5 during the season, then highest ranking in program history, and the Deacs finished the year with a No. 8 national ranking. Goalkeepers Amanda Barasha and Laura Morse combined for a program record 15 clean sheets during the year. Led by All-Americans Kaley Fountain and Jill Hutchinson, Wake Forest easily advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, picking up a pair of home victories with a 2-0 win against Kennesaw State and a 3-0 victory against West Virginia. Wake reached its first quarterfinal appearance in program history with a dramatic 1-0 win at South Carolina on Bess Harrington's header goal as time expired. The magical run came to an end in the quarters as Wake fell, 5-2, at eventual national champion North Carolina.
The 2007 season was another successful one for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest finished the season with a 13-7-3 record, including an impressive 6-2-2 mark in the ACC to tie for second place - its highest-ever conference finish. The Deacons advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight year, defeating Boston University in the first round, before falling to Connecticut in the second round.
Prior to coming to Wake Forest, da Luz coached five years at the University of San Diego, where he compiled a 46-42-3 record. Da Luz was entrusted with starting the San Diego program from the ground up in 1992 and in his final two seasons he guided his teams to a 25-13-2 mark.
His final season at San Diego was his most impressive, leading the Toreros to a 15-7-1 record and into the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1996.
His success at San Diego earned him West Coast Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1996. He was named the West Region Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association.
Da Luz has been coaching for 21 years. He worked as an assistant coach for the San Diego men's team from 1985 until 1991. He has also been active in coaching at the youth level with his involvement with the Winston-Salem Twins Club organizations.
Da Luz achieved success as a player as a midfielder and defender while at San Diego. He was an All-WCC honorable mention selection in both 1981 and 1982. As team captain in 1982, he led the Toreros in assists and earned the team MVP award.
Da Luz earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from San Diego in 1985. He and his wife, Amy, reside in Winston-Salem and have three children Tyler, Austin and Jonah. Austin, who was an All-ACC selection for the Wake Forest men's soccer team, currently plays the Carolina Railhawks in the NASL after previously spending time with the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United in MLS.
Da Luz's Year-by-Year College Head Coaching Record
