Demon Deacons Advance To Third Round Of NCAA Tournament

Nov. 17, 1999

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's soccer team, ranked 15th in the nation by the NSCAA, earned its fourth consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament this season. The Demon Deacons, who earned a bye in the first round of the event, defeated Michigan (1-0) in the second round last weekend at Spry Stadium. Wake Forest now advances to the round of 16 and will travel to Clemson on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.

The Demon Deacons currently own a 16-6 overall record and have already set a new school record for victories in a single season. The Deacs are under the guidance of head coach Tony da Luz, the 1998 ACC Coach of the Year.

WAKE FOREST (16-6-0) at CLEMSON (14-6-1)
NCAA Tournament Third Round
Saturday, Nov. 20, 1999 - 7 p.m. - Riggs Field

DEMON DEACON FACTS

1999 Record: 16-6, 4-3 ACC
National Rank: #15 (NSCAA)
Head Coach: Tony da Luz
Record at WF: 40-21-3 (3rd yr)
Career Record: 86-63-6 (8th yr)
Assistant: Kelly Walbert

A GLANCE AT THE DEMON DEACONS
The Wake Forest women's soccer program, now in its sixth season of competition at the varsity level, has made a name for itself on the national level as one of the country's elite programs. The Demon Deacons have been ranked among the nation's top 25 teams and earned invitations to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons. Head coach Tony da Luz has assembled a squad comprised of a number of key veterans plus a talented freshman class while leading the Deacs to their fourth consecutive NCAA playoff appearance this fall.

THE WAKE FOREST LINEUP

GK - sophomore Erin Regan ... started 19 of 22 games and owns a solid 0.78 GAA ... leads the ACC with a .881 save percentage and ranks 3rd in the league in GAA and shutouts (6 solo) ... 1999 first-team All-ACC.

F - freshman Joline Charlton ... the 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year and a second-team all-ACC pick ... named to ACC All-Tournament team ... leads the Demon Deacons in goals (10) and points (27) ... scored two goals in her first collegiate outing (vs. South Carolina).

F - sophomores Emily Taggart ... 1999 first-team All-ACC selection ... third on the team with six goals and 19 points ... the 1998 ACC Rookie of the Year.

M - senior forward Anne Shropshire ... ranks second on the team with seven goals and 20 points ... Wake Forest's career leader in goals (28), assists (29), points (85).= and game splayed (86).

M - sophomore Sarah Kate Noftsinger ... three goals and two assists in 1999.

M - junior Rachael Lewis ... scored game-winning goals in ACC wins over Clemson and Florida State ... three goals and two assists in 1999.

M - freshman Katie Johnson ... started all 22 games ... two goals and one assist this fall.

D - sophomore Stacy Roeck ... second-team All-ACC honoree and All-ACC Tournament pick ... four goals and one assist this season.

D - senior Karli Schilling ... 80 career games played with 15 goals and 14 assists.

D - junior Colleen Bradley ... started all 22 games this fall ... one goal scored.

D - freshman Liz McDowell ... started all 22 games ... named to the ACC All-Tournament team ... younger sister of North Carolina All-ACC midfielder Rebekah McDowell.

Off the Bench - freshman midfielder Lindsey Griffin, leads the squad with eight assists ... freshman defender Gabi Lieb, played in 20 games this fall.

THE DEMON DEACONS VS. CLEMSON
Wake Forest and Clemson will be meeting for the ninth time on Saturday night, with the Tigers holding a 6-2 advantage in the series that dates back to 1994. Earlier this season, however, the Deacons defeated the Tigers 2-1 in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest built a 2-0 halftime lead behind goals from Sarah Kate Noftsinger and Rachael Lewis. Clemson's Beth Keller cut the lead to one with a goal in the 84th minute, but the Demon Deacon defense held off a furious Tiger rally to preserve the victory.

Wake Forest's only other victory over Clemson came ironically at Riggs Field in the 1996 NCAA Playoffs. The Demon Deacons defeated the Tigers, 2-1, in the tournament's first round.

Wake Forest is 1-2 against Clemson under head coach Tony da Luz.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Wake Forest is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship this year after earning invitations in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The Deacons own an all-time tournament record of 2-3 in the four appearances.

The Demon Deacons made their first ever appearance in 1996 when they visited Clemson in the first round of the championship. Wake Forest earned a 2-1 victory in that game to advance to the final 16 before being eliminated at Florida by a 5-0 score.

Wake Forest made its second appearance in 1998 and was eliminated by eventual national champion North Carolina by a score of 6-0. The Deacs made their third straight NCAA appearance last fall, being eliminated by Georgia (5-2) in Athens.

With their 1-0 victory over Michigan last weekend, the Deacs advanced to the round of 16 for the second time in school history. A victory over Clemson this weekend would put Wake Forest in the Final 8 for the first time in school history.

Individual Career Statistics in the NCAA Tournament

Player	GP	G	A	Pts
Emily Taggart	2	1	0	2
Rachael Lewis	3	1	0	2
Anne Shropshire	5	0	2	2
Joline Charlton	1	0	1	1

ACC TOURNAMENT RECAP
Wake Forest is coming off its most successful run in the ACC Tournament in school history as the Deacons advanced to the championship game for the first time. The Deacs, seeded 3rd, opened the tournament with a 4-0 shutout of #6 seed NC State, getting goals from freshman Joline Charlton (2), sophomore Stacy Roeck, and freshman Katie Johnson.

In the semifinals, Wake Forest faced #2 seed Maryland and avenged a 1-0 loss to the Terps earlier in the season with a 1-0 victory this time around. Senior Anne Shropshire scored the game's only goal in the 44th minute when she found the back of the net off a pair of nifty passes from Charlton and Emily Taggart.

The Deacs then advanced to the championship game for the first time in the six-year history of the program, falling to top seeded and 3rd-ranked North Carolina, 3-0. Charlton, Roeck and freshman Liz McDowell were all named to the All-Tournament team.

CHARLTON NAMED 1999 ACC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Freshman forward Joline Charlton was selected as the 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year after a vote of the league's eight head coaches, becoming the second Wake Forest player in as many years to win that honor (Emily Taggart won the same award in 1998). Charlton has appeared in all 22 games this season, making 21 starts at the forward position.

Charlton leads the Demon Deacons with 10 goals and 27 points this fall, ranking among the ACC leaders in each of those categories as well. She got her career off to a good start by scoring two goals in her first collegiate appearance, a 5-0 win over South Carolina.

FOUR DEACONS NAMED TO ALL-ACC SQUAD
Wake Forest is well represented on this year's All-ACC team as sophomore midfielder Emily Taggart, sophomore goalkeeper Erin Regan, freshman forward Joline Charlton, and sophomore defender Stacy Roeck were all elected to the 22-member team by a vote of the league's eight head coaches. Taggart and Regan were each placed on the first team, while Charlton and Roeck both earned second-team honors.

After earning second-team All-ACC honors and being named the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1998, Taggart is following that up with an outstanding sophomore season. Despite missing nearly five matches with a knee injury, she still ranks among the team leaders with 6 goals and 19 points this fall, and she becomes the first WFU field player to be named to the first-team all-ACC squad.

Now in her second season as Wake Forest's starting goalkeeper, Regan turned in a superb season this fall and joins Taggart as the first Demon Deacons to be selected to the All-ACC first team. She currently owns the best single season GAA in Wake Forest history (0.78), while also recording 8.0 shutouts this season. Regan ranks first in the ACC in save percentage (.881).

Only a sophomore, Roeck has emerged as the leader of a Wake Forest defense that is allowing a stingy 0.81 goals per game this fall. Serving in her role as sweeper, Roeck also provides an offensive spark with four goals and one assist this season.

Charlton becomes the second Wake Forest freshman in as many years to be named to the All-ACC team (Taggart earned second-team all-conference honors last fall). Charlton is enjoying a standout rookie season, leading the Demon Deacons in both goals (with 10) and points (27) and ranking among the ACC leaders in each of those categories.

DEMON DEACONS CONTINUE IMPRESSIVE RUN IN THE ACC
After winning just four ACC matches in the program's first four years of existence, Wake Forest took a major stride forward last fall when the Demon Deacons posted a 4-3 league record and finished in 4th place in the regular season.

The Deacs have carried that momentum into 1999 by duplicating that 4-3 league record while improving to third place in the ACC regular season standings.

Now spanning the last two seasons, Wake Forest owns a much improved 8-6 (.571) record against the ACC as opposed to the 4-23 (.148) mark posted in the program's first four years.

INSIDE THE ACC STATISTICS
The Demon Deacons have several players listed among the ACC's statistical leaders. Freshman Lindsey Griffin is tied for 2nd with 8 assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Erin Regan is 1st in save percentage (.881), 3rd in GAA (0.78) and 4th in shutouts (6 solo). Freshman forward Joline Charlton is tied for 5th in the ACC with 10 goals and is 5th with 27 points. As a team, Wake Forest is ranked 3rd in scoring defense (0.81) and 3rd in offense (1.91) in the ACC.

TAGGART LIGHTS UP THE SCOREBOARD
Dare we say it, but sophomore midfielder Emily Taggart has been en fuego during the second half of the season. Since missing five games with a sprained MCL, Taggart has made her return to the lineup with authority over the second half of the year by scoring six goals. She had one stretch during the season where she scored one goal in four consecutive games (UNC Greensboro, UNC Charlotte, Duke and Brown). Since a slow start to the 1999 season, Taggart has displayed the talent that earned her ACC Rookie of the Year and Freshman All-America honors last year with her play in recent weeks.

IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
The Wake Forest women's soccer team is well represented in this week's national polls. The Demon Deacons are ranked 15th in the NSCAA coaches' poll, 11th by Soccer America, 13th by Soccer Buzz magazine, and 12th by Soccer Times - a poll voted on by a panel of 16 coaches across the nation. A 7th place ranking by Soccer America earlier this season represented the highest ranking for the Demon Deacons in school history.

TAGGART WINS THE GOLD
Sophomore midfielder Emily Taggart spent her summer helping the United States capture a gold medal in international competition. While the U.S. National team was busy capturing the World Cup, Taggart was a member of the U-18 national team that competed in the Pan-Am Games in July and August and won the gold medal.

SHROPSHIRE CONTINUES ASSAULT ON RECORD BOOK
Senior forward Anne Shropshire rewrote the Wake Forest record book last season as she set new single season records for goals, assists and points while also breaking the career marks in each of those categories, too. She picked up in the first game of 1999 where she left off in 1998 by netting two goals and two assists to add to her school record career totals. Shropshire currently has 28 goals, 29 assists and 85 points in her WFU career, all school records, and she played in her school-record 86th game on Saturday against Michigan.

FRESHMEN OF INFLUENCE
As the 1999 postseason approaches, the talented Wake Forest freshman class has already asserted itself as a key ingredient in the Demon Deacons' success. Five different freshmen have cracked the starting lineup this season, while combining to tally 13 goals and 20 assists.

Forward Joline Charlton made the biggest impact of the rookie class as she has scored a team-best 10 goals and has seven assists to lead the team with 27 points. Also making the starting 11 this season are defender Liz McDowell, who scored the game-winner at Air Force with under five minutes remaining in regulation, midfielder Lindsey Griffin, a playmaker who has a team-best eight assists, defender Katie Johnson, with two goals, and defender Gabi Lieb, with one assist.

ROECK ANCHORS THE DEFENSE
With last year's sweeper Jessen Snyder lost to graduation, head coach Tony da Luz turned to sophomore Stacy Roeck as the Deacs' new anchor in the backfield.

Last fall Roeck started 20 of 21 games in the backfield, giving the Deacons an offensive threat by scoring seven goals and adding one assist. Still an offensive threat, Roeck scored the game-winning goal in the Deacs' 2-0 win over UNC Greensboro and now has 11 goals in her two-year career. She has helped the Deacs' hold opponents to a stingy 0.81 goals per game (18 goals in 22 games) while the Deacs rank third in the ACC and among the Top 25 nationally in scoring defense. Although her name may not be on top of the stat sheet, Roeck may be the team's MVP in 1999.

da LUZ NAMED 1998 ACC COACH OF THE YEAR
Wake Forest head coach Tony da Luz was selected as the 1998 ACC Coach of the Year by a vote of the league's eight head coaches. Da Luz guided the Demon Deacons to a 13-7-1 overall record last season, including a school-best 4-3 record in ACC play. The Deacs finished fourth in the league standings after placing seventh in each of the last four seasons.

Now in his third season at Wake Forest, da Luz owns a 40-21-3 record as the Demon Deacons' head coach while leading the squad to the NCAA Tournament in both 1997 and 1998. In his eighth season overall as a head coach, da Luz has compiled a 86-63-6 record.

He came to Wake Forest after a successful five-year stint at San Diego, where he led his team to the NCAA playoffs in 1996. His success at San Diego earned him West Coast Conference Coach of the Year honors as well as NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year accolades in 1996.

Wake Forest Athletics