March 17, 2005

Winston-Salem, NC - The Wake Forest men's soccer team begins spring play this weekend in Wilmington, NC with a match against the United States U-17 National Team. The Deacons return to Spry Stadium on Thursday, March 24 for a home opener with Campbell University. Kick off with the Camels is set for 7 p.m.

Current Deacon freshmen Julian Valentin and Marcus Rein and sophomore Steven Curfman each played for the U-17 National Team during their high school years. Last season, the U-17 team traveled to Winston-Salem, defeating the Deacons 2-1. Paced by Valentin's solid defensive play and Rein's 13 saves in goal, the U-17s converted twice on only six shot attempts for the victory. Curfman had three of the 25 Deacon shots, but it was not enough, as Wake Forest fell short of a victory.

In 2004, Valentin led all Deacon freshmen in scoring, with two goals and one assist. He started in 12 of the 17 games in which he played. Rein red-shirted his freshman year, as Deacon starting goalkeeper Brian Edwards minded the net for the season. Curfman notched one goal and tallied four assists last season, as the Deacons clinched the No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and finished the year 14-5-2.

Thursday's game with Campbell will be played in Spry Stadium. Admission for the event is free.