Men's Soccer Compete in the Husky Classic
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
September 25, 1998
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's soccer team, coming off a 1-0-1 week which saw the Deacs topple Radford 3-1 and battle to a 2-2 tie with fourth-ranked Virginia, travels to Seattle this weekend to compete in the 1998 Nike-Husky Classic. The Demon Deacons will face Portland on Friday at 4:00 pm Eastern (1:00 Pacific), then face tournament host and No. 1-ranked Washington on Sunday at 4:00 pm ET.
LAST WEEK'S WRAP-UP
On Tuesday, junior forward Greg Krauss (Clearwater, FL) scored a pair of goals to lead Wake Forest to a 3-1 victory at Radford. Krauss scored off a centering pass from sophomore forward Ben Stafford (Signal Mountain, TN) to give the Deacons a 1-0 lead 17:55 into the match. The Highlanders answered with a goal five minutes later, and the teams went into halftime knotted at one. Stafford gave the Deacs the lead for good with an 18-yard blast in the 70th minute, and Kruass iced the win on an unassisted score with 2:34 left. Wake outshot Radford 13-8 and held a 6-4 edge in corner kicks. Sean Conner (Georgetown, TX) made four saves in net for the Deacs. On Saturday, freshman midfielder Chris Lonteen (Rolling Meadows, IL) scored the first two goals of his career to lead the Deacs to a 2-2 tie with fourth-ranked Virginia before a Spry Stadium record crowd of 2,917. The Cavaliers jumped on the scoreboard first at 11:14, but Lonteen tied the score at 20:36, scoring from five yards out off of passes from defenders Brock Hilpert (Durham, NC) and Chad Evans LaPlata, MD). The Deacs took a 2-1 lead at 49:37 when a Kyle Bachmeier (Winston-Salem, NC) shot hit the post and Lonteen put the rebound in the net. Virginia provided the equalizer with just 3:24 left in regulation, and the teams played 30 minutes of overtime before the game was declared a draw. Wake outshot UVa, 22-17, and Conner made five saves in net.
DEACONS START WITH "D"
The Deacs return almost all of an impressive defensive unit which posted eight shutouts and held opponents to just over a goal per game last year. The backfield looks to be even stronger this fall, turning in some outstanding performances in the Deacs' first six games. The defense particularly shone at the Nike-Wake Forest Classic, with all three starting defenders - junior marking backs Chad Evans and David Kaweesi-Mukooza (Williamsville, NY), and sophomore sweeper Brock Hilpert - earning all-tournament honors. Through six games and 577 minutes of play, WFU's defense has allowed just 56 shots (9.3 per game) and six goals (0.94 GAA), posting two shutouts. A second-team All-ACC and third-team All-South Region pick last year, Evans has taken his game to a new level and boasts the ability to shut down some of the nation's top strikers. Kaweesi-Mukooza, who started on the right midfield flank last season, has made a remarkably smooth transition to marking back and has contributed three saves off the line in six games. And Hilpert, known as "the rock" to his teammates for his smart, consistent play, has continued to blossom into one of the conference's top sweepers in just his sophomore year.
CONNER ALREADY RANKS AMONG TOP ALL-TIME KEEPERS AT WFU
Should a ball actually get past the Deacs' impressive backfield, Wake has the luxury of one of the top goalkeepers in the region in junior Sean Conner. In his first year as a starter last fall, Conner was outstanding, leading the ACC in solo shutouts (7) and ranking second in the league in save percentage (.805). He has continued his strong play in the early '98 season, posting two solo shutouts and a 0.94 GAA in his first six outings. In fact, Conner now ranks among the top three netminders all-time at WFU, tying for first on the all-time GAA list with a career average of 1.04 (with Matt Olson 1989-90) and ranking third in career save percentage at .806. A former field player, Conner excels in reading the game quickly and preventing problems before they arise.
Wake in the Polls Date CP SN SA Preseason -- -- -- 9/7/98 20 -- -- 9/14/98 -- -- -- 9/21/98 -- -- --(CP-NSCAA Coaches' Poll; SN-Soccer News; SA-Soccer America)
South Region Rankings 9/21 1. Duke 7-0-0 2. Clemson 5-1-0 3. UNC Charlotte 5-0-0 4. South Carolina 5-1-0 5. Furman 7-0-1 6. Wake Forest 4-1-1 7. UAB 6-1-0 8. Central Florida 4-2-0 9. UNC Greensboro 5-2-1 10. Jacksonville 6-2-0
Probable Starting Lineup F 4 Ben Stafford (2g, 2a) F 18 Greg Krauss (2g, 1a) M 3 Trent Lind (1g, 0a) M 5 Jeff Burkett (1g, 0a) M 6 Kyle Bachmeier (0g, 0a) M 11 Chris Lonteen (2g, 1a) M 13 Jamal Seale (4g, 2a) D 2 Brock Hilpert (0g, 2a) D 14 David Kaweesi-Mukooza (0g, 2a) D 15 Chad Evans (1g, 1a) GK 1 Sean Conner (21 sv, 0.94 GAA)
Statistical Leaders Goals 4 Jamal Seale Assists 2 four players tied Points 10 Jamal Seale Shots 24 Greg Krauss Back Saves 3 David Kaweesi-Mukooza Saves 21 Sean Conner GAA 0.94 Sean Conner
ACC Standings as of 9/21 ACC Overall School W L T W L T Duke 1 0 0 7 0 0 Virginia 1 0 1 4 0 2 Clemson 1 1 0 5 1 0 Maryland 1 1 0 4 2 0 Wake Forest 0 0 1 4 1 1 North Carolina 0 1 0 4 2 0 NC State 0 1 0 1 5 0
ACC Player of the Week (9/21): Jay Heaps, Duke
BACHMEIER ANCHORS THE MIDFIELD
The Deacs continue to rely on senior Kyle Bachmeier as their anchor in the midfield and their top offensive playmaker. A four-year starter, Bachmeier led the team in assists last season with nine, and with 17 career set-ups, he's closing in on the school's all-time record of 24 (set by Mark Erwin 1980-83). A smart player with exceptional distribution skills, Bachmeier spent the offseason playing with the nation's top collegiate players in the adidas summer league.
DEACS WELCOME DANIV AND LIND BACK TO THE LINEUP IN '98
The Deacons have benefitted from the return of two talented veterans to the lineup after a year's absence. Senior midfielder Serge Daniv (Lviv, Ukraine), an All-ACC and third-team All-America pick in 1996, is back after a knee injury sidelined him for over a year. While he cannot yet play a full 90 minutes, Daniv has seen significant action in the Deacs' first six games and netted a goal vs. St. Bonnie's. Also returning is the versatile Trent Lind (Ormond Beach, FL), who led the Deacs in scoring as a freshman in 1995 and played marking back in 1996. Lind has played extensively at both midfield and forward, starting four matches, and he also tallied a goal vs. St. Bonaventure.
ROOKIES MAKE THEIR MARK
Freshmen Jamal Seale (Overland Park, KS) and Chris Lonteen, who both earned starting jobs in the midfield this fall, have stepped up with some impressive outings in the early season. Seale, who starts on the left flank, has exhibited explosive speed and a nice scoring touch. In his first week as a collegian, he tallied three goals and two assists in two games of the Nike-Wake Forest Classic, leading WFU to the title and earning Tournament MVP, ACC Co-Player of the Week, and Soccer America Team of the Week honors. He currently leads the team in scoring with 10 points. Lonteen has started all six games on the right midfield flank and shown good game sense and solid ball skills. He tallied his first career point in the San Francisco game, assisting on Chad Evans' goal, then scored both goals in Wake's 2-2 tie with fourth-ranked Virginia last week.
TRANSFER KRAUSS MAKES TRANSITION FROM FOOTBALL TO SOCCER
Another newcomer who has had an impact for the Deacons is junior transfer Greg Krauss, who is in just his first season of collegiate soccer after playing two years as a placekicker for the football team at Ohio University. An outstanding youth soccer player, Krauss continued to play club soccer over the past two years while at OU, leading his Clearwater (FL) team to the Under-19 National title in 1997 and earning tournament MVP honors. Krauss has started all six games as forward for the Deacs and provided a needed offensive spark, leading the team in shots with 24 and scoring his first two career goals in the win over Radford. Krauss has three years of soccer eligibility.
DEACS FACE A CHALLENGING SCHEDULE IN '98
As always, Wake Forest faces a challenging slate of opponents this fall. Eight of the Deacons' 18 opponents were ranked in the national top 25 in the three major preseason polls, while seven appeared in last year's NCAA Tournament.
HONORS AND ACCOLADES
Chad Evans (Jr, D) - Nike-WFU Classic All-Tournament Team, 9/6; Brock Hilpert (So, D) - Nike-WFU Classic All-Tournament Team, 9/6; David Kaweesi-Mukooza (Jr, D) - Nike-WFU Classic, All-Tournament Team, 9/6; Jamal Seale (Fr, M) - Nike-WFU Classic Tournament MVP, 9/6; ACC Co-Player of the Week, 9/7; Soccer America Team of the Week, 9/8.
WAKE FOREST TO HOST 1998 ACC MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS
Wake Forest University will serve as the host of the 1998 ACC Men's Soccer Championships, held November 12, 13, and 15 at W. Dennie Spry Stadium. Three quarterfinals will be played on Thursday, two semifinals Friday, and the title game Sunday afternoon. Game times are to be announced. Sunday's title game will be televised live to the ACC six-state region on Home Team Sports, Fox Sports South, and Sunshine Networks. For ticket information, call 1-888-758-DEAC.