July 8, 2004

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's soccer recruiting class for this fall was ranked sixth in the nation, according to CollegeSoccerNews.com. The Demon Deacons are one of four Atlantic Coast Conference schools who had their classes ranked among the top six in the entire country.

Three of the incoming freshmen have U.S. Youth National Team experience. Four have been named adidas Youth All-Americans and the class includes the 2003 Gatorade National Player of the Year. The five-man recruiting class consists of midfielder Cooper Bryant (Niedernhausen-Oberseelbach, Germany), forward Alimer Gonzalez (Miami, Fla. / Belen Jesuit), defender Patrick Phelan (Enfield, Conn. / Wilbraham & Monson Academy), goalkeeper Marcus Rein (Modesto, Calif. / Edison (Fla.) Academic Center), and defender Julian Valentin (Lancaster, Pa. / Edison (Fla.) Academic Center).

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"It's an exciting class," said 11th year head coach Jay Vidovich. "It fills our program's immediate needs with individuals who can lift us to greater success. They are strong players with strong personalities. They have been very successful everywhere they've been and they will develop into great leaders as time passes. This is a cornerstone class which will enable our program to continue to reach new heights."

According to the website, "Vidovich brings in another top notch five member recruiting class that includes three players with U.S. Youth National Team experience, four who have been honored as NSCAA All-Americans, and the 2003 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year in defender Patrick Phelan from Enfield, Connecticut. Midfielder Cooper Bryant, forward Alimer Gonzalez, goalkeeper Marcus Rein and defender Julian Valentine are all ready for prime time."

UCLA, the 2002 NCAA champion, garnered the nation's top class, followed by Duke, South Florida, North Carolina and Maryland. ACC newcomer Virginia Tech's class was ranked eighth and Clemson's eight-member class was ranked 10th.