June 3, 2008

2008 Schedule

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's soccer team has announced the 2008 schedule, which features a top non-conference slate as well as an intense league lineup for the upcoming season.

The Demon Deacons will host nine regular season matches at Spry Stadium, which continued to solidify itself as one of the premier venues in 2007 with record breaking attendance. Wake Forest finished out last season with a 13-0-1 record at home, and posted three wins in the NCAA Tournament at Spry en route to the team's first National Championship.

After two home exhibition matches with Wofford and Furman, Wake Forest will start the 2008 season on the road at the Carolina Nike Classic for the fifth consecutive season. This year, the tournament features matches with Florida International and Virginia Commonwealth in Chapel Hill.

The Demon Deacons will officially open play at Spry Stadium on September 5 with the Deacon Fall Classic, presented by NewBridge Bank. Wake Forest will face UCLA for only the second time in program history on opening night and follow up with South Carolina on September 7.

On September 21, Wake Forest will have the opportunity to go head-to-head against the 2006 National Champion, UC Santa Barbara, in California. The meeting will serve as the first match-up between the two teams since the 2006 College Cup semifinals in St. Louis.

Other non-conference match-ups include home contests with Elon and Appalachian State and road matches with Davidson and UNC Greensboro. On October 7, the Deacons will face fellow 2007 College Cup contender Massachusetts for the teams' inaugural meeting at Spry Stadium.

Clemson kicks off Wake Forest's Atlantic Coast Conference slate on September 13, when the Tigers travel to Winston-Salem for a 7 p.m. start. The Demon Deacons will also host Virginia Tech, Duke and Boston College in 2008, while making road trips to Maryland, NC State, UNC and Virginia.

Last season, Boston College took the ACC title, becoming the only conference squad to take a victory over the Demon Deacons during the year. Wake took the runner-up spot in the league with a 6-1-1 mark, while Duke finished third (4-3-1) and College Cup contender Virginia Tech placed fourth with a 3-1-4 conference record.

For post-season play, the 2008 ACC Tournament will return to Cary, N.C. November 11-15. The NCAA Tournament will begin at regional sites on November 21 and run through December 7. The College Cup will be held at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, hosted by Southern Methodist University in conjunction with FC Dallas, scheduled for December 12-14.

For information on purchasing tickets for the 2008 season, please visit the Wake Forest Box Office website or call 1-888-758-DEAC.

- www.WakeForestSports.com -