2. MEN: Wake takes over top spot

• by Soccer America , Oct 30, 2006

Wake Forest moved into the top spot in the Soccer America Men's Top 25 with a 2-1 win at Virginia on Friday night. The Demon Deacons climbed two spots, moving ahead of SMU, which fell at UAB, 2-1, on Wednesday, and Duke, which lost at  Clemson, 1-0, on Saturday.

Substitute Cody Arnoux scored the winning goal for the Demon Deacons in the 77th minute when he rifled a shot from 15 yards out off a cross from Steven Curfman. Nico Colaluca put Virginia ahead in the 50th minute, but Wake Forest answered a minute later when Pat Phelan's shot from 25 yards was saved by Ryan Burke, but Julian Valentin knocked in the rebound. The win was the fifth in a row for the Deacons and their first over Virginia since 2002.

In Duke's loss to Clemson, a game postponed until Saturday because of the bad weather, sophomore Michael Brooks had the only goal. Duke and Wake shared the ACC regular-season title. The Blue Devils earned the top seed by virtue of their 4-3 win over Wake on Sept. 8.

SMU captured the Conference USA regular-season title with a 1-0 victory over visiting Marshall Saturday evening. The Mustang win was Coach Schellas Hyndman's 450th career win.

TOURNAMENTS

BIG EAST. West Virginia, No. 2 in the Soccer America Top 25, beat South Florida, 1-0, to move into Friday's semifinals. Dan Stratford scored on a floater from 35 yards for the only goal in a game marred by rain, snow and sleet. Adam Sternberger netted two goals, including the game-winner in double overtime, to give Rutgers a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame. For the second straight game, Ryan Soroka's goal was the difference for St. John's. The Red Storm beat Pitt, 1-0, on Wednesday and UConn, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon to move into the semifinals. For the second straight year, Providence knocked Cincinnati out of the Big East Tournament, topping the Red Division champion Bearcats, 2-1, on goals by Amir Ikner and Jonathan Medcalf.

HORIZON. Croatia U-21 Tonci Skroce ended a heart-pounding shootout by scoring in the 12th round, giving No. 1 seed UIC a spot in the semifinals with a 9-8 shootout win over No. 8 seed Wright State after the teams played to a 0-0 tie. Other quarterfinal winners: Loyola (Ill.), Butler and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

SOUTHERN. All-American Randi Patterson scored twice as top-seeded UNC Greensboro advanced to the semifinals with a 2-0 win over Wofford. Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Furman also moved into the semifinals.

(Click here for Soccer America's Men's Conference Tournament Scoreboard.)