Trophy News from Winston-Salem, Massachusetts
The Real Deal – Wake Forest’s Marcus Tracy could become the school’s first Hermann Trophy winner
Marcus Tracy leads the Wake Forest soccer team with 10 goals and 26 points, which includes six assists.
While watching Marcus Tracy play soccer, it’s easy to envision him in a helmet and pads helping the Wake Forest football team at safety, or lacing up his old basketball shoes and filling in at point guard.
However, Tracy is content with soccer and with trying to help the top-ranked Deacons win another national championship.
He has maintained his high level of play from last season — he was voted the most outstanding offensive player at last year’s College Cup trophy — and has helped Wake Forest to a 13-0 record heading into today’s 7 p.m. match against Duke at Spry Stadium.
Midfielder Sam Cronin, a fellow senior, summed up what Tracy has meant to the program.
“He’s the essence of this team because as many goals as he scores, he’s always looking to the guy who gave him the assist to compliment him,” Cronin said. “He kind of gets the spotlight a lot, but he deflects a lot of that to his teammates.”
Tracy (6-1, 170) leads the Deacons in goals (10) and points (26, with six assists). He has breakaway speed and, Coach Jay Vidovich says, one of the best vertical games in program history.
“In terms of athleticism, I don’t think there’s anybody we’ve had as complete as Marcus,” said Vidovich, who is in his 15th season. “With his air game, he can open it up, he’s technically clean, and he’s a team guy. And athletically, he’s just special that way.”
Although it seems as if there’s nothing Tracy can’t do, there are things he doesn’t like to do. He has a hard time talking about himself. He especially doesn’t like spiders.
Cronin said: “I do know he doesn’t like spiders. And I think off the field, he’s the greatest, nicest guy and is so humble. He’s probably going to be mad that you are even doing a story on him.”
Tracy, who has a chance to become Wake Forest’s first Hermann Trophy winner as the top player in college soccer, was a main cog in the Deacons’ run to their first NCAA championship last fall. He scored three goals in the College Cup trophy, including the winner in the semifinals against Virginia Tech.
There was some speculation that Tracy might bypass his final college season to turn pro — there are as many as 10 former Deacons playing Major League Soccer — but he decided to return.
“We have set higher goals for this team this year,” said Tracy, an economics major who is on schedule to graduate in May. “And (there’s) the degree and how far that can take you in life. These opportunities don’t present themselves all the time, so I talked to all the right people, from my family to the coaches, and I’m happy with my decision.”
Donald Tracy, Marcus’ father, said that his son didn’t think too hard about leaving school early.
“I do know his mother, who is an educator, wanted him to finish his degree,” Donald said of Marguerite, a fifth- and sixth-grade math and science teacher in Newtown, Conn. “And I wanted him to finish as well.”
At Newtown High School, Tracy played soccer and basketball and also ran the 400 meters for the track team. At Wake Forest, Tracy, Cronin and several other soccer players formed an intramural basketball team as freshmen and dominated their league.
“The team was pretty much built around getting the ball to Marcus,” Cronin said.
Tracy said he enjoyed playing basketball again, for at least that one season.
“We didn’t sign up fast enough to be in the ‘A’ division, so we were playing frat kids, and we were just killing people,” Tracy said.
“We were winning every game, but the mercy rule was that if we got up 30, the game was over. It was pretty much like that in about every game.”
Tracy said that the team finally quit the league during the playoffs, because it wasn’t any fun anymore.
“Up until freshman or sophomore year of high school, I was better at basketball than soccer,” Tracy said. “But I don’t look back on that and I don’t have any regrets.… I’m completely happy with how soccer has turned out for me.”
When asked about the Hermann Trophy consideration, Tracy shrugged his shoulders.
“I think for me the biggest thing is to accomplish our three goals, getting the regular-season title, getting the ACC Tournament title and the national title and that would bring recognition to everybody on this team,” Tracy said. “That’s really my focus.”
Originally written by By John Dell, JOURNAL REPORTER
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