Athletics Department. Men's and Women's Soccer Records
Soccer at Wake Forest began as an intramural club sport in 1972. The school fielded it's first ACC men's soccer team in 1980. The women's intercollegiate soccer team was started in 1994. Both the men's and women's soccer teams at Wake Forest have been highly successful and competive teams since their innaugural seasons. The records in this collection cover both men's and women's soccer and contain media guides, schedules, promotional materials, correspondence, and administrative files.
Biographical and Historical Note
The men's soccer team at Wake Forest was first formed as a club sport in January 1972, according to the Old Gold & Black. The team began competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 1980, and was led by head coach George Kennedy from 1980 through 1985. Kennedy was named the ACC coach of the year in 1981. In subsequent years the head coaches of men's soccer were Walt Chyzowych (1986-1993), Jay Vidovich (1994-2014, 5-time ACC Coach of the Year), and Bobby Muuss (2015-2024, 4-time ACC Coach of the Year).
The men's soccer program has achieved success in conference and national play. The team won the ACC championship in 1989, 2016, 2017, and 2024. Among its nearly 30 appearances in the NCAA tournament, the team won the national championship in 2007, reached the finals in 2016, and reached the final four an additional four times. The 2024 men's soccer team made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA College Cup, but lost to The Ohio State 3-0.
Numerous players have been selected to all-America, all region, and all ACC teams. Three Wake Forest players have won the Hermann Trophy recognizing the NCAA National Player of the Year: Marcus Tracy (2008), Ian Harkes (2016), and Jon Bakero (2017). Coach Walt Chyzowych and seven soccer players have been inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
More than 50 Wake Forest soccer players have been selected by professional teams through the Major League Soccer draft and other player allocation processes.
The Wake Forest women's soccer team was established and began competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 1994. The first head coach was Chris Turner, who served in that position for three years and led the team to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1996.
Tony da Luz became the head coach in 1997 and remains the head coach in 2024. He was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 1998. During his tenure, the team has been successful in tournament play. The team won the ACC Championship in 2010 and has made more than 20 appearances in the NCAA tournament, reaching the quarterfinals twice (2009 and 2011) and the semifinals once (2011).
Player Katie Stengel was named the Top Drawer National Freshman of the Year in 2010 and was a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy for NCAA National Player of the Year in 2010 and in 2011. Numerous players have been named to All-American and All-ACC teams. Players from the women's soccer program have played on U.S. national teams and been drafted by teams playing in the National Women's Soccer League.
The 2024 Demon Deacons Women's Soccer Team reached the College Cup final for the first time in team history, but lost to UNC-Chapel Hill 1-0.
Collection Overview
These records document men's and women's intercollegiate soccer at Wake Forest University. Soccer is one of the more recent sports to be officially incorporated into the University's intercollegiate athletics program. The men's soccer team had its inaugural season in the fall of 1980 with the women's to follow nearly 15 years later in 1994. These records were originally held by the Director of Women's Athletics for administrative purposes. Materials include administrative and seasonal materials such as rosters, season schedules, budgets, correspondence and season evaluations. Some materials of note include the proposal to start a women's soccer team and the construction of the Spry Soccer Complex. Other materials included are published media guides from intercollegiate matches against conference and non-conference opponents as well as seasonal prospectus guides.
Common abbreviations in this collection include the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into two series. Series 1: Men's Soccer and Series 2: Women's soccer.
Both Series 1 and Series 2 are further arranged into two sub-series. Sub-series 1: Administrative and season materials and Sub-series 2: Publications.
All files within Sub-series 1: Administrative and season materials are arranged alphabetically. Material in Sub-series 2: Publications are arranged chronologically.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by Ashelee Gerald Hill, 2024 February
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open to researchers.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Athletics. Men's and Women's Soccer Records (RG21.13), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.