Wake Forest Soccer Midfielder Named a Second-Team All-American
Wake Forest men's soccer senior midfielder Cooper Flax has been racking up awards and accolades since his time at Wake Forest began. This one may be the sweetest, as he was just named a Second-Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. This is the second time Flax has been selected as an All-American, having achieved the same honor in his junior season as well. He improved from his third-team selection to second-team this season.
This season was yet another standout year for Flax. He had nine total goals along with seven assists this season, leading both categories for the Deacs. He also had 25 total points, which was eight better than the closest Demon Deacon. Cooper also attempted four penalty kicks this season and converted all four. From a statistical standpoint, Flax was certainly the leader of this team.
Beyond the team, Flax's numbers were also outstanding nationally. He ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in the three major offensive stat categories. He was second in total points, third in goals, and sixth in assists.
Earlier this week, Flax was named to the United Soccer Coaches' First Team All-South Region. Additionally, Flax earned All-ACC first team honors last month. This is an improvement from his second team selection a season ago.
Flax also has some unbelievable individual performances in outings this year for the Deacs. Against Liberty on September 22nd, he had a hat trick as part of the Demon Deacons' seven-point outing. On October 11th against Cal, Flax delivered the game-winning goal. In his last game at Spry Stadium, Flax had a goal and an assist on the road to a 3-0 victory over Notre Dame. Finally, despite losing in the ACC Tournament in a heartbreaker to SMU, Flax put on the cape again, scoring two goals to lead the Deacs.
This selection is not just impressive for Flax himself. Under head coach Bobby Muuss, the Deacs have had 13 United Soccer Coaches All-American selections in the 11 years he has been coaching. This shows the incredible amount of talent coach Muuss has been able to develop over his time with the Deacs. Cooper is a special talent, but another piece is a long line of stars brought up by Bobby Muuss during his time at Wake Forest.
This season did end disappointingly for the Deacs. They finished 7-4-6 overall and ended a streak of 14 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Everything good must come to an end eventually, and Coach Muuss appears committed to getting this program back on track next season.
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Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.