Tribe Drops Second Straight to Top-20 Foe

Junior Goalkeeper Brennan Wergley Finished with Seven Saves vs. Wake Forest.

08/27/06 6:55PM

Winston-Salem, N.C. - The William and Mary men’s soccer team dropped its second-straight match to top-20 foe, 1-0, to No. 16 (NSCAA) Wake Forest on the second day of the Wake Forest adidas Classic. Playing the second of five straight against teams that made the 2005 NCAA Tournament to open the season, the Tribe could not over come a first-half Demon Deacon goal, as the host claimed their own classic title on goal differential, following their 5-0 victory over Central Florida on Aug. 25. The Tribe falls to 0-2 on the season with both losses coming to ACC foes.

“I thought we competed well against another top-20 opponent,” head coach Chris Norris said. “Wake Forest is clearly another good team. While we are disappointing to not get a win out of the weekend, hopefully, we will be able to look back and say we gained a lot playing the caliber of teams we faced at the classic. Hopefully, with a little work, we will be able to start getting the results we want.”

W&M had the first look on goal in the contest. Sophomore forward Andrew Hoxie saw his attempt on frame denied by Wake Forest goalkeeper Brian Edwards only 1:14 into the contest.

Austin da Luz scored the lone goal of the contest off a rebound in the 12th minute of play. The tally came as a result of some intense Wake Forest pressure, as da Luz shot was the fourth on frame in less than 10 seconds for the Demon Deacons. Junior goalkeeper Brennan Wergley made three straight saves denying Ryan Solle, Sam Cronin and Julian Valentin, but could not keep da Luz shot out of the net. Wergley made a sprawling save to deny Solle’s initial opportunity before stopping a pair of point blank shots from inside the six-yard box before allowing the goal. Valentin was credit with the assist after his attempt was saved.

The Demon Deacons continued the offensive pressure and narrowly missed taking a 2-0 advantage. After Wergley made a save in the 13th minute, the Demon Deacons were awarded a penalty kick with 14 minutes showing on the clock. Steven Curfman stepped to the spot for Wake Forest, but Wergley was up to the task, saving the attempt.

W&M narrowly missed notching the equalizer in the 35th minute. Junior midfielder Ryan Overdevest had the opportunity for the Tribe, but his shot hit the post.

The Tribe had a pair of chances in the second half. In the 66th minute, Hoxie had his attempt blocked. Five minutes later, Edwards once again denied the College, making a save on junior midfielder Doug Ernst shot on goal.

The senior trio of forward Pat Scherder and defenders Jeff Marklin and Brendan McCurdy earned All-Tournament honors for their efforts at the Wake Forest adidas Classic. The three Tribe players were joined on the squad by Central Florida’s Akin Akinrinade and Jake Howard, North Carolina’s Justin Hughes, Andre Sherard and Ted Odgers as well as Austin da Luz, Julian Valentin, Ryan Solle and Sam Cronin of Wake Forest.

Wergley finished the game seven saves against the Demon Deacons. The Oak Hill, Va., native has notched six or more saves in all seven of his career starts for the Tribe.

W&M will continue its difficult early-season ledger with its home opener against Stony Brook on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. The Seawolves captured the America East Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago. The Tribe also will face defending Conference USA Champion South Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m. The College opens the season with five teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2005. It marks the first time in school history W&M will face five straight teams that made the postseason the year prior.

Box Score