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Bring on the big time Cavaliers
By Tripp Mickle
Old Gold and Black Reporter

Forget Raleigh. Save time. Spare gas. Stay here.

Sept. 14 action will not be under the lights of Carter-Finley. No, it will be under the lights at Spry Stadium when the 13th-ranked men’s soccer team squares off against 6th-ranked Virginia at 7 p.m.

It should be a classic game — wide open for all sports fans.

The ingredients are in place for a Deacon victory — eight starters are back, one of the nation’s best recruiting classes joins them, and everyone is confident.

"We want to win championships, both ACC and NCAA," head coach Jay Vidovich said. "We’ve got a bitter taste in our mouth from (the NCAA Tournament loss to American last season)."

Vidovich can prove he’s serious. The team is currently 2-0-1 with victories over Akron and Old Dominion and a draw against, at the time, 10th-ranked St. Louis.

The Deacs’ provide plenty of talent.

Their eight returning starters include junior Jeremiah White, the ACC’s leading scorer from the 2001 season, junior Will Hesmer, one of the nation’s best goalkeepers and junior Brian Carroll, a pre-season All-American midfielder and member of the U-23 U.S. National Team.

The Deacons added a dominant freshman class that has made immediate contributions. The class includes Justin Moose, who was rated the nation’s 7th-best freshman by Soccer America, Ryan Alexander, who was ranked 24th, and central defender Matt Parker.

The Deacs are extremely athletic and quick. They use intense, pressure defense to force their opponents to give up the ball, then they swiftly move forward, stringing together short one touch passes to spring players forward. If the passing game breaks down, there is no shortage of individual talent to break things open.

The game against Virginia starts the conference season for the strongest soccer conference in the country. Five conference teams, including the Deacs, are ranked in the top 25. That includes last year’s national champions, UNC.

It’s been a decade since the Deacs beat Virginia. The Wahoo’s were No. 1 in the country a week ago, but a loss to Penn State Sept. 8, dropped them five places in this week’s poll.

That loss is no reflection of Cavalier tradition. The team has dominated the NCAA for over a decade, winning three national championships between 1991 and 1994 under U.S. National Team Coach Bruce Arena. World Cup players Claudio Reyna, Jeff Agoos and Tony Meola top the list of talent the program has produced.

Nor is the loss a reflection of Virginia’s talent. The squad features a horde of talent that has been reared within the national program. It is led by pre-season All-American and U-23 National Team star forward Alecko Eskandrian, who has scored seven of the Cavs 11 goals this season.

Fortunately for the Demon Deacons, Eskandrian earned two yellow cards and a subsequent red that will prevent him from playing Sept. 14. The Cavs will have to turn to someone else for goals.

Odds look good for the Deacs with Eskandrian out.

The team will be playing in front of a near capacity crowd. The Winston soccer faithful will be in attendance, bringing hundreds of kids, all dreaming of one day donning a Wake Forest jersey.

Make an effort to join them. Pack a cooler, grab a chair and find a spot on the hill. It will be worth it — the torch of ACC dominance could be passed on Sept. 14. You won’t want to miss it.