Men's Soccer on Four-Game Win Streak
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
October 13, 1998
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Hot on a four-game winning streak, the 16th-ranked Wake Forest men's soccer team faces another big ACC test this week as they travel to Durham to face No. 3 Duke on Wednesday night at 7 pm. The Deacs then return home for a nonconference tilt vs. High Point on Saturday night at 7 pm at Spry Stadium.
LAST WEEK'S WRAP-UP Wake rolled on with two more wins last week, as the Deacons outscored their opponents by a whopping 11-1 margin. On Tuesday night, junior forward Greg Krauss (Clearwater, FL) netted his first career hat-trick as Wake Forest rolled past UNC Asheville, 6-1. Krauss scored all three of his goals in the second half as the Deacs blew open a 1-0 game. Junior forward Viktor Litovka (Maplewood, NJ) got Wake on the board at 29:06 with his first goal of the year, and sophomore forward Ben Stafford (Signal Mountain, TN) also added a score in the second half. Wake outshot the Bulldogs 20-6. On Sunday, the Deacs scored four second-half goals en route to a 5-0 win over NC State in Raleigh. Wake took a 1-0 lead when junior defender Chad Evans (LaPlata, MD) headed in a corner kick by senior midfielder Kyle Bachmeier (Winston-Salem). Senior midfielder Serge Daniv (Lviv, Ukraine), sophomore forward Jaron Barbee (Hinckley, OH), Litovka, and junior Trent Lind (Ormond Beach, FL) all scored in the second half to put the 'Pack away.
NEXT UP FOR THE DEACS No. 3 Duke's (11-1-0) only loss of the year came in ACC play at the hands of Maryland (a 3-2 decision on Sept. 27). The Blue Devils have since won three straight, including a 2-0 win over Davidson last Friday. Duke is led in scoring by senior All-America midfielder Jay Heaps (8g, 5a). Senior Atli Knutsson is the ACC's top goalkeeper wityh a 0.49 GAA and seven shutouts to his credit. High Point stood at 7-6 heading into Tuesday's game with Coastal Carolina. The Panthers have won four of their last five, including a 2-0 defeat of Catawba on Oct. 10th.
IN THE RANKINGS Wake received its highest rankings of the season in all three major polls: No. 16 in the NSCAA Coaches' Poll, 15th in Soccer News, and 18th in Soccer America. Duke is ranked No. 3 in all three polls.
KRAUSS KICKS OFFENSE INTO HIGH GEAR It didn't take long for junior transfer Greg Krauss (Clearwater, FL) to make the switch from field goals to soccer goals. Krauss, in his first season of collegiate soccer after two years as a placekicker for the football team at Ohio University, has emerged as the Deacons' leading scorer this season after a three-goal performance vs. UNC Asheville last week. Krauss has started all 11 games and provided a needed offensive spark for the Deacons, contributing seven goals and one assist through 11 games. An outstanding youth soccer player, Krauss continued to play club soccer while at OU, leading his Clearwater, FL, team to the Under-19 National title in 1997 and earning national tournament MVP honors.
BACHMEIER CLOSING IN ON ALL-TIME ASSIST RECORD The heart and soul of the Deacon team this year is undoubtedly senior Kyle Bachmeier (Winston-Salem, NC), one of the top middies in the ACC and the Deacs' primary offensive playmaker. An unselfish player with outstanding field vision and ball distribution skills, Bachmeier has tallied a goal and four assists thus far in 1998. His two assists last week (one in each game) put him at 21 for his career, moving him into second place on the Wake Forest all-time assist list. He needs just four more to break the career assist record of 24, set by Mark Erwin from 1980-83. A four-year starter, Bachmeier spent the offseason playing with the nation's top collegiate players in the adidas summer league.
EVANS PUTTING TOGETHER AN ALL-AMERICA CAMPAIGN The Deacons have relied on a stifling defensive unit as their anchor in 1998 - a group that is led by junior All-America candidate Chad Evans. A second-team All-ACC and third-team All-South Region pick last year, Evans has taken his game to a new level this fall, cementing his spot as one of the nation's top marking backs. Routinely assigned to cover the opponent's top striker, he has shut down some of the most explosive players in collegiate soccer, including Virginia's Chris Albright and Washington's Wes Hart. He has earned All-Tournament honors twice this year while also tallying two goals and three assists. Evans was a member of the 1997 U.S. Under-20 national team and spent last summer playing in the prestigious addidas summer league.
DANIV'S RETURN SPARKS THE DEACON MIDFIELD Not coincidentally, the Deacs' winning streak has coincided with the increased playing time of senior midfielder Serge Daniv (Lviv, Ukraine). An explosive playmaker who earned All-ACC and third-team All-America honors in 1996, Daniv suffered a serious knee injury which sidelined him for a year and a half. He eased his way back into the lineup this fall, playing less than a half in each of the first few games. Daniv earned his first start in Wake's 2-1 upset of No. 1 Washington, assisting on the game's opening goal. He has started two of the three games since then and has two goals and an assist on the year. With 41 career points (14g, 13a) in just over two seasons of play, Daniv ranks 10th all-time at WFU in career points and assists and 11th in goals.
DEACONS BEGIN WITH "D" Joining the aforementioned Evans in the Deacon backfield are two equally impressive defenders in junior marking back David Kaweesi-Mukooza (Williamsville, NY) and sophomore sweeper Brock Hilpert (Durham, NC). Kaweesi-Mukooza, who started in the midfield last season, has made a remarkably smooth transition to marking back. He has contributed a goal and three assists plus three critical saves off the line this fall. And Hilpert, known as "the rock" to his teammates for his smart, consistent play, has blossomed into one of the ACC's top sweepers and contributed three assists this year.
CONNER RANKS AMONG TOP ALL-TIME KEEPERS AT WFU Wake also has the luxury of one of the top goalkeepers in the region in junior Sean Conner (Georgetown, TX), who led the ACC in solo shutouts (7) and ranked second in save percentage (.805) last year. Conner has continued his strong play in '98, posting three solo shutouts and a 1.09 GAA. In fact, Conner already ranks among the top three netminders all-time at WFU, ranking second on the all-time GAA list with a career average of 1.07 and third in career save percentage at .791. A former field player, Conner excels in reading the game quickly and preventing problems before they arise.
FRESHMAN MIDDIES STEPPING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT Freshmen midfielders Jamal Seale (Overland Park, KS) and Chris Lonteen (Rolling Meadows, IL) have been impressive in the early season and rank as two of the Deacs' top four scorers through 11 games. In his first week as a collegian, Seale tallied three goals and two assists, leading WFU to the Nike-Wake Forest Classic title and earning Tournament MVP, ACC Co-Player of the Week, and Soccer America Team of the Week honors. He also scored a goal in the Deacs' 2-1 upset of No. 1 Washington. Seale has started all 11 games on the left flank and has tallied 13 points on the year (5g, 3a). Lonteen, who has started eight games on the right flank, has netted some big goals in big games. He scored both goals in Wake's 2-2 tie with No. 4 Virginia, then netted the game-winner in the win over No. 1 Washington. Lonteen has nine points on the year (4g, 1a).
IN THE ACC RANKINGS Sean Conner - 4th in GAA (1.09); 5th in saves (2.91 spg); Greg Krauss - 9th in points (1.36 ppg); 6th in goals (0.64 gpg); Jamal Seale - 10th in points (1.18 ppg); TEAM - 2nd in scoring offense (2.82 gpg); 4th in scoring defense (1.05 GAA); 4th in shutouts (0.27 spg).
HONORS AND ACCOLADES Kyle Bachmeier - Nike-Husky Classic All-Tournament Team, 9/27; Serge Daniv - Nike-Husky Classic All-Tournament Team, 9/27; Chad Evans - Nike-WFU Classic All-Tournament Team, 9/6; Nike-Husky Classic All-Tournament Team, 9/27; Brock Hilpert - Nike-WFU Classic All-Tournament Team, 9/6; David Kaweesi-Mukooza - Nike-WFU Classic, All-Tournament Team, 9/6; Jamal Seale - Nike-WFU Classic Tournament MVP, 9/6; ACC Co-Player of the Week, 9/7; Soccer America Team of the Week, 9/8.
FREE KICKS WFU is ranked ninth in the nation in scoring offense (2.82 gpg)...first-place Virginia (3-0-1) and second-place Wake (1-0-1) are the only two ACC teams still undefeated in conference play...the Deacs have outshot opponents 192-94 on the season (+8.9) and outscored them 31-12 (+1.7)...in the last four games, they have outscored opponents 17-3 (+3.5)...WFU is 4-0 on the road and 5-0 when ahead at the half...sophomore Todd Zolcinski (Randolph, NJ) made his first career appearance in goal in the final 18 minutes of the UNCA game...junior GK Patrick O'Keefe (Stow, MA) appeared in the final minutes of the last two games as a forward, tallying one shot.
WAKE FOREST TO HOST 1998 ACC MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS Wake Forest will play host to the 1998 ACC Men's Soccer Championships, to be held November 12, 13, and 15 at the W. Dennie Spry Soccer Stadium. For ticket information, call 1-888-758-DEAC.
DEACON DETAILS
1998 Record: 8-2-1, 0-0-1 ACC
Win/Lose Streak: Won 4
National Rank: 16 (CP)/15 (SN)/18 (SA)
1997 Record: 10-10, 2-4 ACC (6th)
Head Coach: Jay Vidovich (Ohio Wesleyan '82)
Record at WFU: 51-35-4 (5th yr)
Career Record: 51-35-4 (5th yr)
Assistant Coach: Paul McDonough
Assistant Coach: James Eley
WAKE IN THE POLLS Date CP SN SA Preseason -- -- -- 9/7/98 20 -- -- 9/14/98 -- -- -- 9/21/98 -- -- -- 9/28/98 -- 18 -- 10/5/98 RV 16 -- 10/12/98 16 15 18 CP-NSCAA Coaches' Poll; SN-Soccer News; SA-Soccer America; RV-received votesSOUTH REGION RANKINGS (10/12) 1. Duke 11-1-0 2. Clemson 11-1-0 3. Wake Forest 8-2-1 4. South Carolina 8-3-1 5. UNC Greensboro 11-2-1 6. Furman 10-2-2 7. North Carolina 7-4-0 8. UNC Charlotte 7-3-1 9. Jacksonville 10-2-0 10. UAB 8-3-0
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP F 4 Ben Stafford (3g, 4a) F 18 Greg Krauss (7g, 1a) M 5 Jeff Burkett (1g, 0a) M 6 Kyle Bachmeier (1g, 4a) M 10 Serge Daniv (2g, 1a) or 3 Trent Lind (2g, 0a) M 11 Chris Lonteen (4g, 1a) M 13 Jamal Seale (5g, 3a) D 2 Brock Hilpert (0g, 3a) D 14 David Kaweesi-Mukooza (1g, 3a) D 15 Chad Evans (2g, 3a) GK 1 Sean Conner (32 sv, 1.09 GAA)
STATISTICAL LEADERS Goals 7 Greg Krauss Assists 4 Kyle Bachmeier Points 15 Greg Krauss Shots 45 Greg Krauss GWG 2 Jamal Seale/Chris Lonteen Back Sv 3 David Kaweesi-Mukooza Saves 32 Sean Conner Sv % .727 Sean Conner GAA 1.09 Sean Conner
ACC STANDINGS (10/12) ACC Overall School W L T W L T Virginia 3 0 1 9 1 2 WFU 1 0 1 8 2 1 Duke 2 1 0 11 1 0 Clemson 2 1 0 11 1 0 Maryland 2 2 0 8 4 0 N. Carolina 1 3 0 7 4 0 NC State 0 4 0 3 8 0