Wake Forest Athletics
Demon Deacons Host Wake Forest/Nike Invitational
9/7/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 7, 1999
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After taking their first road trip of the 1999 season, the Wake Forest women's soccer team returns to the friendly confines of Spry Stadium this weekend for the Wake Forest/Nike Invitational. Opening round matchups on Friday, Sept. 10 feature UCLA vs. UNC Charlotte at 5 p.m. and Wake Forest vs. Oregon at 7:30 p.m. The tournament continues on Sunday, Sept. 12 with Oregon vs. UNC Charlotte at 12:30 p.m. and Wake Forest vs. UCLA at 3 p.m.
The Demon Deacons, who are ranked 25th nationally this week by the NSCAA, are 3-0 after picking up a pair of wins last weekend at the Falcon Invitational. Wake Forest defeated Denver (3-0) and Air Force (2-1) to capture the tournament championship.
The Deacs are under the guidance of head coach Tony da Luz, the 1998 ACC Coach of the Year.
DEACS CAPTURE TITLE AT FALCON INVITATIONAL
Wake Forest defeated Denver (3-0) and Air Force (2-1) to capture
the tournament title at the Falcon Invitational last weekend in Colorado
Springs, Colo.
The Demon Deacons got goals from sophomore Sarah Kate Noftsinger, junior Christie Melby and senior Anne Shropshire in the win over Denver while sophomore defender Stacy Roeck and goalkeepers Erin Regan and Beth Klein combined to post the Deacs' second shutout of the season.
In the Air Force match, the Deacs took a 1-0 lead with a goal from Melby, but the Falcons evened the score at 1-1 just before halftime. The game remained tied throughout much of the second half before freshman Liz McDowell found the back of the net with just 4:21 remaining in regulation to give the Demon Deacons the 2-1 victory.
Shropshire was named the tournament's MVP.
MELBY RETURNS WITH A VENGEANCE
Wake Forest junior midfielder Christie Melby made her return to the
Demon Deacon lineup last weekend in highly dramatic fashion. Melby suffered
a torn ACL during 1999 spring practice drills, just two years after
battling back from the same injury prior to the 1997 season.
Team officials originally thought she would not return to game action until early October, but Melby proved she is one of the hardest workers on the team by returning to active duty in the first weekend of September. She immediately made her presence felt by scoring two goals off the bench in the Deacs' two victories in the Falcon Invitational.
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. Through the first three games of the season, Shropshire now has 24 goals, 25 assists and 73 points in her WFU career, all school records.
FRESHMEN OF INFLUENCE
Although we're just three games into the 1999 season, the talented
Wake Forest freshman class has already asserted itself as a key ingredient
during the upcoming season. Five different freshmen have cracked the
starting lineup this season, while combining to tally three goals and five
assists.
Forward Joline Charlton made the biggest impact of the rookie class as she scored two goals in the first game of the season. Also making the starting 11 this season are defender Liz McDowell, who score the game-winner at Air Force with under five minutes remaining in regulation, midfielder Lindsey Griffin, a playmaker who has three assists in three games, midfielder Katie Johnson and defender Gabi Lieb.
ROECK ANCHORS THE DEFENSE
With last year's sweeper Jessen Snyder lost to graduation, head
coach Tony da Luz has turned to sophomore Stacy Roeck as the Deacs' new
anchor in the backfield.
Last fall Roeck started 20 of 21 games in the backfield, scoring seven goals and adding one assist. .She was moved to the sweeper position for the 1999 season fall and immediately made her presence felt as she has helped the Deacs' hold opponents to just one goal in three games.
Although her name may not show up among the team's statistical leaders this season, Roeck may well be the most valuable player on the squad.
DEMON DEACON FACTS
1999 Record: 3-0, 0-0 ACC
National Rank: #25 (NSCAA)
Head Coach: Tony da Luz
Record at WF: 27-15-3 (3rd yr)
Career Record: 73-57-6 (8th yr)
Assistant: Kelly Walbert
1999 SCOREBOARD
Aug. 27 SOUTH CAROLINA W, 5-0Sep. 3 vs Denver* W, 3-0 Sep. 5 at Air Force* W, 2-1 Sep. 10 OREGON# 7:30 p.m. Sep. 12 UCLA# 3 p.m. Sep. 17 CLEMSON 7 p.m. Sep. 19 FLORIDA STATE 1 p.m. Sep. 26 at NC State 1 p.m.
Oct. 1 at Florida 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at UNCG 7 p.m. Oct. 12 UNC CHARLOTTE 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at Duke 7 p.m. Oct. 17 BROWN 1 p.m. Oct. 22 at Maryland 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at Virginia 7 p.m. Oct. 27 EAST CAROLINA 7 p.m. Oct. 29 LOUISVILLE 7 p.m. Oct. 31 at N. Carolina 1 p.m.
Nov. 3-7 ACC Tournament TBA (Chapel Hill, NC)
* Falcon Invitational, Colorado Springs, CO
# WAKE FOREST/NIKE INVITATIONAL, SPRY STADIUM
