One of the best soccer players in Wake Forest history is returning as an assistant coach

One of the best players in the history pf men's soccer at Wake Forest is coming back to Winston-Salem as an assistant coach.

Zack Schilawski, who played on the 2007 national championship team, has been named the director of player development. Coach Bobby Muuss made the announcement earlier this week.

Schilawski, 39, replaces Steve Armas, who left Wake Forest to become the associate head coach at Maryland. Armas, who played for Coach Sasho Cirovski at Maryland, had been on Muuss' staff since he came to Wake Forest 11 seasons ago.

"I can't wait to be back at Wake Forest," said Schilawski, who is a 2010 graduate of Wake Forest and is from Raleigh. "The university and the men's soccer program helped shape my life both on and off the field. The education, relationships, culture, and ambition that Wake Forest instilled in me have stayed with me long after I left campus. The opportunity to return to a place where I spent four unforgettable years truly means everything to me."

For the last two seasons, the former pro soccer player was an assistant for Coach Jay Vidovich at Pittsburgh. Vidovich guided the 2007 Demon Deacons to the school's only NCAA championship.

"Zack knows exactly what it takes to win at the highest level because he has lived it here at Wake Forest." Muuss said. "Since leaving Wake, he has continued to grow under outstanding coaches and incredible people, gaining a wealth of experience that will immediately impact our program. He has a tremendous brain for the game, but what separates Zack even more is his unmatched love for Wake Forest and his desire to see this program succeed."

Schilawski played 99 games for the Demon Deacons during his standout four-year career and scored 40 goals and had 20 assists. The 99 games are the most in school history.

In the College Cup final against Ohio State in 2007, it was Schilawski, an All-America, who scored the game-winning goal in his hometown of Raleigh where the College Cup was played that season.

As a senior in 2009, Schilawski earned third team All-America honors after leading the ACC in both goals and points. He was also a two-time Academic All-American and finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, exemplifying Wake Forest's tradition of excellence both athletically and academically.

"I would like to thank Coach Muuss for giving me and my family the opportunity to return to North Carolina and Wake Forest University," Schilawski said. "In many ways, this experience has come full circle, as Coach Muuss originally recruited me to Wake Forest and coached me during my playing career. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside him and the rest of the staff."

Following his collegiate career, Schilawski was selected ninth overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by the New England Revolution. He scored five goals during his rookie season and made league history by becoming the first MLS rookie to record a hat trick in his home debut.

Schilawski later played professionally for the Carolina RailHawks before transitioning into coaching and law. He graduated from the UNC School of Law and practiced family law before fully returning to soccer.

Schilawski also held assistant coaching roles at UNC Wilmington and Denver.

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