If you listen closely (or you’re so drunk you can no longer feel your palms), it does sound kind of like Freddy Mercury’s singing “Deeeeeacs are the champions, my friends!”. Or at least it did to me for a couple of hours yesterday after watching Wake Forest’s insanely hot men’s soccer team win their first national title with a 2-1 victory over Ohio State.
Junior Marcus Tracy and sophomore Zach Schilawski each scored for the Deacs in the second half, with Schilawski netting both the game winner and a 40 point Scrabble score.
Jump with me, readers, for more about the game, more Wake Forest trivia sure to impress…um…other Wake Forest graduates, and for some delicious pics of men who aren’t allowed to use their hands.
With seven minutes to play, senior Julian Valentin took a foot to the face and had to leave the game to get 30 stitches. I haven’t seen someone get booted in the head like that since Santa kicked Ralphie down the slide.
Valentin and fellow seniors Patrick Phelan (below) and goalkeeper Brian Edwards all played (and won) their very first college game against Ohio State…and yesterday their careers came full circle, giving them all a nice set of Buckeye bookends. For the record, the Deacs have never lost to the Buckeyes. Sorry, Ohio State…sometimes you’re Amy Winehouse, sometimes you’re the drugs.
Edwards, Phelan, and Valentin have all been invited to the MLS player combine, which will be held January 11-15, 2008. I have no snarky follow-up comments…making fun of Major League Soccer is like making fun of the ADHD kid who has to wear a helmet and spend recess tethered to the jungle gym–everyone knows it’s there, you just try to ignore it.
Forward Marcus Tracy, who scored the tying goal, was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the tournament.
Goalkeeper Brian Edwards (seen clutching the trophy yet leaving the Papa John’s unguarded) was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player; he had four saves against Ohio State.
I read just about every article about Wake’s win available online, and I didn’t appreciate USA Today classifying Wake under “Other Colleges”. I love that my alma mater was slighted by a newspaper with fewer words and more puzzles than the side of a Happy Meal box.
Fun Wake Forest Fact: While this was the university’s first national soccer title, they have three titles in field hockey (’02, ’03, ’04), three in men’s golf (’74, ’75, ’86), and one in baseball (1955). Wake has also won “Prettiest Smile” and “Abercrombiest”.
OK…fewer words, more pictures of boys.
Ike Opara, the excellently named Corben Bone, Evan Brown, Marcus Tracy
Sophomore Forward Cody Arnoux successfully evades Dhalsim. Yoga fire!
Finally, a collection of Deacs for suitable for your home, office, or back tattoo.
Click here to enlarge.
Deeeeeeeeacs are the champions! Deeeeeeeacs are the champions!
I swear that’s what he’s saying…
Ladies... 
Man, I love defenders. Thirty stitches to the face and he was still trying to get back on the field. And I’m probably a creepy old lady for saying this, but blood on the jersey? Hot.
Dear #5,
I’m not typically into redheads. Would you like to be my exception? You’re tasty.
Love,
Minda
P.S. You have superbly shaped calves.
Good Lord those are some ugly GKs. Believe me, ladies, we’re not all like that.
Minda, all soccer posts should involve shots of just the legs. Seriously, my love for soccer legs knows very few bounds. So bite-able.
Congratulations to your Deacs, G-Shum!
Now, now, BTO… I think they’re all adorable and would personally invite them to try to block my advances.
Everytime the camera panned to Valentin w/blood streaming down his face, I couldn’t help being reminded of Brian McBride in the WCup.
Mmmmm…McBride…..
Sigh…college soccer….oh how I love you so
You know, there was a time when Rutgers was relevant in college soccer. I, of course, was still in grammar school.
Good lord.
On the left, second one down. Awesome.
WOW. That is going to be one gnarly scar.
Are the Wake kids wearing stickers that say “SKIP” on their kits? That’s nice.
Bristlesage, thanks! Hopefully, the next time Wake wins something (Meineke Muffler Bowl, anyone?) they won’t be on the “other colleges” page.
TSW, I think you’re talking about Julian Valentin. Since that pic, he’s grown his hair and, um, gotten some stitches.
Clare, yep… I believe all of Wake’s sports teams are honoring him this year.
gordo – I’m just jealous because the Purdue club team won the national championship the year after I stopped playing with them. What does that say about me?
Helloooooo Julian Valentin. Does he need a nurse to tend to his wound?
Oh, my god. Valentin looks positively unfazed by the fact that he just got 30 stitches. That’s a real man.
Having watched that boot to the face on TV, Valentin has my utmost respect.
And if I were him, I’d have kept that jersey, grass & blood stains and all.
http://users.wfu.edu/valeje4/
Are the Wake kids wearing stickers that say “SKIP” on their kits? That’s nice.
That is awesome.
That scar is scaring the crap out of me. And yet it’s hot.
And whoever you are bottom row, second from left-Hi!
Congrats GS on your Deacs.
I don’t normally like a group of kids who look like they are supporting a local barber strike, but I spy a couple of “yesses” in the mix…
Becky…you had to go there:
row1: maybe, yes, maybe, yes, no
row2: yes, no, no, no, maybe
row3: no, no, no, no, maybe (worst row!)
row4: maybe, no, maybe, maybe, no
row5: no, yes, no, no,no
the “maybes” require further investigation. Some people aren’t as photogenic as others, so they need to be seen in person.
Ha! I wonder if I would be a no, a yes or a maybe. My guess is maybe.
SA
Good call on bottom row, second from left. Dibs!
Pam, by contrast, my selections are more like:
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
look at those legs…yowsers!
J-Money,
Did you make sure that you did all of the Scrabble scores in the point systems that the last name would accrue in the language of origin? Because I have a friend who once voted for the NHL All-Star teams that way.
Way to go Deacs!
Valentin was bleeding everywhere!!! Do you think he even felt the pain after winning??? I wish I had a man that could take a cleat to the face and still smile like that.
I do love me some soccer players… this was niiice
I LOVE JAMIE FRANKS (: