USF Takes on Wake Forest to Open the Season

The Bulls start the 2011 season tonight.

The 2011 season officially begins for the USF men's soccer team as they head on the road to take on ACC opponent Wake Forest. The Bulls have had success against the ACC in the past and are hoping to get the season started off right (game starts at 7 PM).

The Demon Deacons finished the 2010 season at 8-9-2 (4-3-1 at home), not the greatest season on record for them. They averaged just 1.11 goals per game and were 1-3 at home vs. non-conference opponents, so the stats work in our favor. Also, Wake Forest added 9 freshman in their 2011 recruiting class and have no seniors on the roster, so they have a very young squad on the field, but a talented one. Here are the players to watch in this game. [keep reading]

Wake Forest returns their top goal scorer from last season. Junior forward Andy Lubahn (6-1 170-pounds) played all 19 games last season, scoring 8 goals and the center of their offensive attack. The Bulls will have to look to shut him down on the attack. Sophomore midfielder/forward Luca Gimenez (5-10 160-pounds) had 5 goals last season and chipped in 2 assists. He had 14 shots on goal, so he is a very active striker. Sophomore midfielder/forward Kyle Emerson (5-10 170-pounds) had 1 goal and 2 assists last year and will continue to see more playing time.

Junior defender/midfielder Anthony Arena (5-11 170-pounds) had 2 goals and 4 assists last season. Junior defender Danny Wenzel (5-11 165-pounds) had 1 goal and 2 assists last season and helped anchor a solid back line. Sophomore Chris Duvall (5-10 142-pounds) had 4 assists last season and played a lot of minutes as a freshman, so he has the experience.

The question for Wake Forest is their goalkeeper situation. Veteran goalie Akira Fitzgerald is gone now leaving the Deacons with inexperience in net. Junior Doug Ryan (6-8 195-pounds, should be on a basketball court) last played in 2008 in the ACC tournament for 31 minutes, making one save in a win (Fitzgerald was injured). He is likely to take over but is green. True freshman Matt Pacifici (6-2 180-pounds) is also on the depth chart.

Outcome: The Bulls have a more experienced team, at least on player. The biggest factor comes down to defense and goalkeeping. Wake plays solid defense and has a low scoring team, something the Bulls can play up to. USF has the decisive factor in net with Blais and should win this game.