Wake Opens Exhibition Season with Loss to Tennessee

Wake Forest opened the exhibition portion of its 2011-2012 15s season on Saturday against the University of Tennessee on the campus of Elon University in Burlington, NC. In unseasonably cold weather and on a soaking wet field, the Demon Deacons fell 55-5 to a very strong Volunteer side. UT used an excellent attacking platform and a stifling backline defense to control territory and possession, while denying Wake many significant attacking opportunities. Wake's lone try came midway through the first half, after a long run by sophomore wing Mark Veikos, playing in his first ever rugby game, led to a penalty on UT deep in Volunteer territory. Prop Matt Storck bashed towards the line off a penalty play and a few tight phases later the Demon Deacons were able to touch down in the corner for their only points of the game.

Head Coach Pat Kane was optimistic about his team's play, despite the lopsided scoreline. "We are at the start of our 15s season, while Tennessee was at the tail end of theirs. We held our own physically, but simply were not used to the speed with which a team like UT plays the game. This was a great experience for our guys and there are alot of positive things I saw that we can build on. 3 freshmen and 11 sophomores saw time for us today, and once these young guys start getting more comfortable with the attack and defense patterns we want to play, I think we have the potential be very good."

Wake will next be in action against UNC-Greensboro on Friday night at UNC-G. Kickoff time is TBA and both a Varsity and JV game are expected to be played.

Wake Lineup vs. Tennessee

1. Matt Storck, Sr.
2. Jeff Millar, Sr. (Bryce Lambert, So. @ 60)
3. Nick Conte, Sr. (Iain Dormer, Fr. @ 72)
4. Rob Elmore, So. (Liam McIntyre, So. @ 40, Tim Zage, So. @ 60)
5. Paul Shumaker, So. (Christian Gutowski, Fr. @ 40)
6. James Watson, So.
7. Matt McCurdy, So.
8. Brendan Shea, Sr. (c)
9. Will Hank, Sr.
10. Jack Zimmerman, So.
11. Mark Veikos, So. (Franco Cima, So. @ 40)
12. Ben Cohen, Sr.
13. Ryan Tacon, So.
14. Brandon Turner, Sr.
15. Tommy Kinzer, Fr.

Tries: Hank

Annual Alumni Game Moved to Davidson College

2009 Alumni Team After 41-32 Victory

Due to unresolvable issues with Poteat Field, the annual Alumni Match will be played at Davidson College on Oct. 15. The Alumni will take on Wake's Varsity side at 12pm followed by Wake's JV side playing Davidson. The Alumni will look to record a 5th straight win in the annual game.