July 24, 2002

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's soccer team, who finished fourth in the regular season in 2001, has been picked to finish in that same spot by the league's seven head coaches, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Wednesday.

Virginia, the 2001 ACC regular-season champions, have been selected as the favorite for the upcoming 2002 ACC Men's Soccer season.

The Deacons bring back eight starters from last year's 13-6-2 team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Among those eight starters are junior Jeremiah White, the ACC's leading scorer in 2001, and second team All-ACC picks last year goalkeeper William Hesmer and midfielder Brian Carroll.

Head Coach Jay Vidovich, who enters his ninth season, and the Deacons open their regular season schedule on August 30 against Saint Louis in Chapel Hill, N.C. The home opener is set for September 14 against Virginia.

The coaches picked Virginia to win the league, followed by Clemson and defending national champion North Carolina. Wake Forest was fourth, ahead of Maryland, Duke and NC State, respectively.

Considered by many to be one of the top soccer conferences in the nation, ACC schools have won 10 national championships in men's soccer over the last 18 years. Below is a listing of the preseason coaches' poll with 2001 records and regular season finishes.

2002 PRE-SEASON ACC MEN'S SOCCER POLL

School         Points          2001 Record/Finish
1. Virginia      45            17-2-1, 6-0 ACC/1st
2. No. Carolina  43            21-4, 4-2 ACC/2nd
3. Clemson       36            19-5, 4-2 ACC/3rd
4. Wake Forest   26            13-6-2, 3-2-1 ACC/4th
5. Maryland      22            11-9-1, 1-4-1 ACC/6th
6. Duke          17            8-10-1, 2-4 ACC/5th
7. NC State       7            4-15, 0-6 ACC/7th