Tag: Wake Forest

UNC women’s soccer program wins record 23rd National Championship

The UNC women’s soccer team snapped its long championship drought on Monday night, beating a fellow ACC rival.

Despite being the winningest program in women’s college soccer history, the North Carolina Tar Heels last won a National Championship in 2012.

That quickly changed on Monday night.

Only needing a free kick from sophomore Olivia Thomas in the 62nd minute, UNC captured their record 23rd National Championship in program history, winning 1-0 against in-state ACC rival Wake Forest.

North Carolina (22-5, 7-3 ACC) didn’t gain a ton of opportunities against a stout Demon Deacons (16-4-4, 7-2-1 ACC) defense, but made the most of its chance midway through the second half.

Thomas collected herself, curled a shot over Wake’s wall and past the outstretched arms of goalie Valentina Amaral. The Demon Deacons entered Monday’s championship match allowing just three combined goals in the NCAA Tournament, making Thomas’ goal against them a rarity – but one the North Carolina faithful expected of Thomas.

Speaking of goalkeepers, Tar Heels goalie Clare Gagne was a brick wall between the goal posts. Gagne made three saves on the night, including a couple point-blank ones early in the first half.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDYWYHVpzod/

UNC almost added a second goal in the closing seconds, but Amaral averted the threat.

Many outside of Chapel Hill wondered if North Carolina would even make the NCAA Championship, with longtime head coach Anson Dorrance retiring on August 11, after 45 seasons at the helm. The Tar Heels quickly tagged soccer mind Damon Nahas, an assistant coach with the program since 2015, as their interim head coach.

With Nahas leading UNC to a National Championship his first season as head coach, it’s time for him to be named the permanent head coach.

After yet another successful year, the Tar Heels are back at the top where they belong: the queens of college soccer.

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Here are the best photos from Texas A&M’s 57-44 win over Wake Forest

View some best photos from Texas A&M’s 55-44 win over Wake Forest

Texas A&M’s defense was on full display in the second half of the game against Wake Forest. It was so dominant that even the announcers blamed the turnovers that A&M committed in the first half for Wake Forest’s inability to find an offensive footing.

While the Aggies once again shot below 40%, they held the Deacon Demons to 18 points in the second half, leaving them scrambling on offense. The A&M big men have stepped up the past few games as guards Zhuric Phelps and Manny Obaseki have struggled to score. Henry Coleman III is off to his best start since his freshman year with 11.1 points and 6.4 rebounds through the first nine games

All of the pieces are there for A&M, and the proof is that they can have objectively bad shooting while still winning games against quality teams. The Wake Forest win can be a good Quad 1 win in the future when the selection committee starts flexing its power.

Below are some of the best photos from the game.

 

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.

Instant reaction to Texas A&M basketball’s 57-44 win over Wake Forest

Texas A&M pulls away late to move to 7-2 on the season after beating Wake Forest at Reed Arena

Texas A&M (7-2) came on strong in the second half to beat Wake Forest (7-3) in the SEC/ACC Challenge at Reed Arena.

The best way to describe this game is “out of sync.” Neither team performed well in the first half, with the Aggies committing an unacceptable 14 turnovers. Wake Forest struggled to execute their offensive plays, resulting in a shooting percentage of less than 30%. Fortunately for Texas A&M, their strong defense allowed them to take a narrow 29-26 lead into the locker room.

A&M intensified its defense in the second half, limiting Wake Forest to just 18 points. While the Aggies didn’t significantly improve their shooting, Andersson Garcia and Henry Coleman played crucial roles in gradually expanding their lead as the half progressed. Garcia recorded 16 rebounds and contributed five points, while Coleman added 10 points to the team’s efforts.

At this point, we know who this Aggie team is until they show us something different. It’s a team that will sub 40% shooting team that plays relentless defense, and grabs every offensive rebound in sight. Coach Buzz Williams can’t shoot the ball for his guys but before it gets too late, they need to find a way to capitalize on playmakers on the team.

Texas A&M will go on the road to Fort Worth, TX to face Texas Tech at Dickies Arena at 2:00 pm CST on Dec. 8. The game can be watched on ESPN2.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Notre Dame guard Markus Burton named to Preseason All-ACC First Team

He’s the player to watch on the Irish this season.

Although Notre Dame was rebuilding a season ago, [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] was a clear bright spot. He led the Irish in averages for scoring (17.5), assists (4.3) and steals (1.9). Basically, he was the men’s equivalent of [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] put together.

All of that was enough for him to be named ACC Rookie of the Year as well as Third Team All-ACC. Now entering his sophomore season, a select media panel expects to produce highly once again.

Burton has been named to the Preseason All-ACC First Team, receiving 41 votes. He joins a group that includes Cooper Flagg of Duke, Hunter Sallis of Wake Forest, Nijel Pack of Miami and RJ Davis of North Carolina, the unanimous selection for Preseason ACC Player of the Year.

The same panel has picked the Irish to finish 10th out of 18 teams in the expanded ACC. It’s an indicator that the Irish still have some work to do to get back near the top of the conference. It should be a fun season though.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Sean Payton speaks on the decision to sign another ex-Saints wide receiver

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton spoke on the decision to sign another ex-Saints wide receiver. He views A.T. Perry as someone worth developing:

Sean Payton earned some more ire from New Orleans Saints fans last week when his Denver Broncos signed another ex-Saints player — former 2023 draft pick A.T. Perry, the wide receiver from Wake Forest. Perry showed up on game days but his poor day-to-day performance at practice didn’t help his case for a roster spot, and the team chose to waive him.

Now he’s on the Broncos practice squad. Payton spoke about the decision to add Perry, who he sees as a player with impressive physical gifts and plenty of skills to develop further.

“We had some exposure with him,” Payton said Friday. “I obviously wasn’t there, but Pete Carmichael (was). We noticed him in his rookie year last year on film… We weren’t going to claim him, but we sure would like to recruit him to come to the practice squad. He’s long with good hands.”

It should also be noted that former Saints assistant college scouting director Cody Rager was hired into Denver’s front office this offseason, and he was part of the decision to draft Perry a year ago.

Payton emphasized that they view Perry as a stash-and-develop signing, not someone likely to get thrown into  a game right away. He’s  a longshot to p lay against the Saints next Thursday night, but never say never. He learned Carmichael’s playbook as a rookie which is derived from Payton’s system. Perry may not need as much time to get up to speed as other players in his  position.

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Saints cut second-year draft pick in surprise roster move

The New Orleans Saints cut A.T. Perry in a surprise roster move. The second-year draft pick never did climb the depth chart this season:

This is a bit of a shock. The New Orleans Saints waived wide receiver A.T. Perry on Friday, as first reported by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill and confirmed by other local outlets. Perry was only in his second year with the team after the Saints traded up to draft him in 2023 out of Wake Forest, sending tight end Adam Trautman to the Denver Broncos in the process.

The timing is odd — because the Saints are playing on “Monday Night Football” this week, they’re only in the second day of practice — so you have to wonder if there’s an injury involved. Perry was limited on Thursday with a hamstring issue, so maybe they waived him with the goal of putting him on injured reserve. It’s also possible they want to keep him on the practice squad. It’s just too soon to say for sure.

Either way, it’s a disappointing turn for his career. Perry struggled to get in the lineup last season due to injuries and finished his rookie year with  a dozen catches for 246 yards, scoring 4 touchdown receptions. But he never did meet expectations over the summer and was surpassed on the depth chart  by other players. Minor injuries and inconsistent performance on the practice  field have kept him out of each of the first four games this season, and it might be the end of the raod for him in New Orleans.

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Panthers OC Brad Idzik recalls embarrassing story involving TE Jordan Matthews

Panthers OC Brad Idzik admits that TE Jordan Matthews put his playing career to an end when they were both back in college.

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik was already familiar with one of the team’s pass catchers entering his first year on the job. But that familiarity doesn’t necessarily stem from a positive experience—at least for him.

Idzik chatted with reporters before hitting the practice field on Thursday afternoon. He was asked about veteran tight end Jordan Matthews, who actually provided Idzik with what may have been the most humbling moment of his playing career.

“My last game at Wake Forest was at Vanderbilt,” said Idzik, who played wide receiver and safety for the Demon Deacons from 2011 to 2013. “And Jordan Matthews—we kid about it all the time—it was fourth-and-20, it’s a little embarrassing . . . fourth-and-20, we had a first-round corner on him and safety help and he catches a go ball to win the game. My last career college game.”

Here’s the catch:

Matthews finished the day with 11 receptions for 125 yards in Wake Forest’s 23-21 triumph.

“Yeah, yeah, it kills me,” Idzik later joked. “It’s my lingering moment of actually putting on the pads. So, he drove me to a coaching career quicker than I wanted to.”

Now, with Idzik helping coach up Matthews as a pro, that moment has come full circle in Carolina.

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A.T. Perry led the NFL in preseason receiving yards

Here’s the final tally. New Orleans Saints wide receiver A.T. Perry led the NFL with 176 receiving yards across three preseason games:

Take a bow, A.T. Perry. The NFL announced Monday that the New Orleans Saints wide receiver led the league with 176 receiving yards across three preseason games, just ahead of  Los Angeles Chargers wideout Simi Fehoko (170). The former Wake Foreset wideout is a gamer.

He needed to make some plays in these exhibition games after struggling to string together good days of practice at Saints training camp. Perry had too many dropped passes and quiet days in Irvine in-between leaping grabs worthy of the highlight reel. It wasn’t the consistent, productive growth his  coaches hoped to see. And charting from NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill found that Perry caught just one ball from Derek Carr in team drills all throughout camp. That’s concerning.

But there’s a lot to be said for turning it on when playing under the bright lights. There aren’t many receivers who weigh in at 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds who can run 40 yards in just 4.47 seconds, and of those who can only a few match Perry’s body control and concentration on tough catches. He’s got a rare combination of size, speed, and skill. Pro Football Focus charting says he dropped just one pass on 13 targets.

Is that enough to keep Perry on the roster? Probably, but we’ll just have to see how the coaches feel about their receiving corps. Other players like Equanimeous St. Brown have been more steady presences at practice while getting looks ahead of Perry in the preseason games. He’s someone to watch as roster cuts are filed ahead of Tuesday’s deadline and in the days that follow when the depth chart continues to take shape.

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Countdown to Kickoff: A.T. Perry is the Saints Player of Day 17

Countdown to Kickoff: A.T. Perry is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 17. What’s his story, and what are realistic expectations for him in 2024?

We’ve got just 17 days left until the New Orleans Saints open up their 2024 regular season against the Carolina Panthers, which makes our player of the day wide receiver A.T. Perry, the current owner of the No. 17 jersey. Perry is currently in a battle for the Saints No. 3 receiver job and is hoping to take that next step to being a legitimate option for his team.

Let’s give a little bit of a background on the second-year pro and what we can expect from Perry in 2024:

  • Name (Age): A.T. Perry (24)
  • Position: Wide Receiver
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 205 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 9.62
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $959,091
  • College: Wake Forest
  • Drafted: 6th Round, No. 195 in 2023 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: 2nd season

A.T. Perry grew up in Lake Worth Beach, Fla. where he was a three-star recruit at Park Vista Community High School. Amongst many collegiate scholarship offers, Perry made the decision to attend Wake Forest where he would spend the next five years developing.

As a freshman in college, Perry was redshirted sitting out the entire season in 2018. In his redshirt freshman season, Perry found himself active in four games totaling 4 receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. His role would slowly increase in 2020, now catching 15 balls for 211 yards and a touchdown in six games. And finally in his redshirt sophomore season, Perry reached new levels. In 2021, Perry would catch 71 passes for 1,293 yards and a school records 15 touchdowns. Perry was named first-team all-ACC and was regarded as one of the best receivers in the country. Choosing to stay for an additional season, Perry posted another 1,000 yard season but this time surpassing his career-high in catches (81) and scoring double digit touchdowns for the second year in a row.

At the end of his final season at Wake Forest, Perry declared for the 2023 NFL draft where he was projected to go in the mid- to late-rounds. But during the draft, Perry heard his name called at pick No. 195 in the sixth round when the New Orleans Saints traded up for him. Perry was quickly regarded as a steal for the Saints due to his falling stock during the draft. It was reported that there were character concerns tied to this but it was never really discussed or examined further.

In his first season as a Saint, Perry was active in 10 games totaling 246 yards receiving on 12 catches while scoring 4 touchdowns his rookie season. Perry became one of the teams big play threats down the stretch as he averaged 20.5 yards per catch in 2023. It was starting to look like the Saints had potentially a nice, young core at receiver with Olave, Shaheed and Perry.

Going into 2024, Perry had a slow start to training camp and didn’t really asserting his dominance as the team’s third receiver. It took all the way until the first week of preseason for Perry to start consistently making some plays within this new Saints offense. He made a statement during his first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, making some big catches down the field, but quickly followed that up with a disappointing outing with the San Francisco 49ers.

As of now, there’s still hope for Perry to become the player that many think he can be but he doesn’t have much time to show us as the start of the regular season is just a few weeks away. He needs to step up soon.

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2025 four-star power forward recruit lists Notre Dame on final five

Hope he chooses to stay in-state.

Notre Dame does not yet have a commit for its 2025 recruiting class. However, one four-star power forward recruit from Indianapolis could change that. We’ll just have to see.

Brady Koehler, who attends Cathedral, has narrowed his choice to five schools, including the Irish. Also on the list are Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Iowa and Northwestern. He has visits lined up with each school. Notre Dame’s visit, the third chronically on his itinerary, happening from Sept. 6 through Sept. 8.

Koehler is listed as Indiana’s fourth-ranked recruit in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247Sports. That site also indicates that the Demon Deacons are the favorites to land him. However, Cathedral has also the Fighting Irish as its mascot along with the Blue and Gold as its colors, so maybe that’s an advantage for [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] and his staff?

Koehler is coming off a season in which he averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks a game. That will catch the attention of any college program.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89