Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Soccer Weekly Release
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
September 7, 1998
DAVIDSON, NO. 6 PORTLAND ON TAP FOR WAKE FOREST
The 1998 season is now into full swing for the Wake Forest women's soccer team. Last week, the Demon Deacons opened the season with a 2-0 win at College of Charleston and a 1-1 tie at South Carolina. On tap for the Deacs this week is a visit to Davidson on Wed., Sept. 9, for a 5:30 p.m. match and then a trip to ranked Portland, Ore., for the adidas Invitational which takes place on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12-13. Wake Forest takes on Oregon on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and then faces 6th-ranked Portland on Sunday at 5:15 p.m. ET.
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
The Wake Forest women's soccer program, now in only its fifth season of competition at the varsity level, has made a name for itself on the national level. The Demon Deacons have been ranked among the nation's top 20 teams and have earned invitations to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons. Head caoch Tony da Luz has a squad comprised of a number of key veterans plus a talented freshman class which he hopes will guide the Deacs to their third consecutive NCAA berth this fall.
Heading the returnees for Wake Forest is senior midfielder Stefanie Mathews, who became the first player in school history to earn all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors last fall when she tallied eight goals and six assists. Also in the midfield are junior Anne Shropshire, with 33 career points, and senior Meghan Suddes, who scored five goals last season. Freshmen Stacy Roeck and Sarah Kate Noftsinger also earned starting roles in the midfield after strong play in the preseason. Up front, the Demon Deacons will look to a duo of freshman in Emily Taggart, who scored a goal in her first career game against College of Charleston, and Rachel Parri, as well as sophomore Christie Melby to handle the forward position.
The Wake Forest defense is anchored by senior Jessen Snyder, who owns 65 career starts, and junior sweeper Lauren Hook. Sophomore Colleen Bradley and senior Norine Fernbach round out the backfield. In goal, the Deacs will turn to either freshman Erin Regan, 0.75 GAA in 1998, or senior Sari Rose, who recorded a shutout vs. Charleston, to provide steady play as the starter from 1997, Beth Klein, works to recover from a knee injury suffered last fall.
FRESHMEN OF INFLUENCE
Although just two games into the 1998 season, the Wake Forest freshman class has already made its presence felt. The five players - F Emily Taggart, MF Sarah Kate Noftsinger, MF Stacy Roeck, F Rachel Parri and GK Erin Regan - have accounted for all three of the Demon Deacons' goals this year as well as for one of two assists. In the 2-0 season opening win over College of Charleston, goals were scored by Taggart and Noftsinger with one assist coming from Parri. In Wake's 1-1 tie with South Carolina, the Deacs' only goal came from Roeck. Regan, too, has made her mark in goal for the Deacons. After sitting out the opener with a strained quad, she started against the Gamecocks and allowed just one goal in 120 minutes.
'98 SCHEDULE AMONG NATION'S BEST
Wake Forest will certainly not be accused of taking on a soft schedule this fall, as head coach Tony da Luz has issued a personal challenge to his players with one of the toughest schedules in the country.
In addition to the always challenging ACC schedule (which currently boasts five teams ranked among the nation's top 20), the Demon Deacons have non-conference matchups with tournaments at No. 6 Portland and No. 2 Notre Dame. Wake Forest also takes on UNC Greensboro, a NCAA Tournament team from a year ago, UNC Charlotte, Kentucky, South Carolina, and LSU.
DEACS DOWN CHARLESTON IN SEASON OPENER
Freshmen Emily Taggart and Sarah Kate Noftsinger each scored goals to lead Wake Forest (1-0) to a 2-0 victory over host College of Charleston (0-1) on Tuesday, Sept. 2, at Remley Field in the season opener for both schools.
Taggart got the Demon Deacons on the scoreboard first as she scored from 10 yards out just 13:24 into the match. She was assisted by sophomore Anne Shropshire. Noftsinger added the insurance goal at the 68:34 mark off a pass from fellow freshman Rachel Parri to give the Deacs a 2-0 lead.
The Demon Deacons dominated play throughout the game, outshooting the Cougars 24-2. Wake Forest goalkeeper Sari Rose recorded the shutout while Charleston goalkeeper Seana Patrick made four saves on the evening.
DEACS, GAMECOCKS PLAY TO 1-1 TIE
Wake Forest and South Carolina played to a 1-1 draw on Friday, Sept. 4 at Eugene Stone Stadium, giving the Demon Deacons and the Gamecocks identical 1-0-1 records on the season.
Wake Forest took a 1-0 lead in the second half at the 67:43 mark when freshman Stacy Roeck scored off a deep shot, but South Carolina tied the match with under a minute remaining when freshman Lydia Bienias scored off a rebound at the 89:26 mark. The two teams then played 30 minutes of overtime with no scoring.
DEACS PICKED SIXTH IN ACC PRESEASON POLL
The Demon Deacons were predicted to finish sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference race this fall, according to the league's eight head coaches. Head coach Tony da Luz's squad earned 19 points in the poll, picking up four sixth place votes and one vote each for fifth, seventh and eighth place.
Defending national champion North Carolina was a unanimous selection as the top pick, amassing 56 points. The Tar Hells were followed by Virginia second (43), Duke third (42), Clemson fourth (37) and Maryland fifth (30). NC State (13) and Florida State (11) rounded out the list.
MATHEWS EARNS ALL-ACC HONORS
Junior midfielder Stefanie Mathews became the first player in Wake Forest history to earn all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in women's soccer when she was selected to the second team all-ACC squad by the league's eight head coaches last fall. Mathews led the Deacons in goals (8) and points (22) while ranking second in assists (6) despite playing the second half of the season with an ankle injury that limited her playing time and mobility.
HEAD COACH TONY da LUZ
Now in his second season at Wake Forest, Tony da Luz owns a 12-8-3 record as the leader of the Demon Deacons. In seven seasons overall as a head coach, da Luz has compiled a 58-50-6 record. He came to Wake Forest after a successful five-year stint at the University of 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.
