Wake Men's Soccer to Entertain Clemson
10/19/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 19, 2000
#15 Wake Forest demon deacons (9-3-1)
vs.
#11 CLEMSON tigers (9-3-1)
Date: October 21, 2000
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Stadium: Spry Stadium (3,000)
Coaches: Wake Forest coach Jay Vidovich is in his seventh season at the helm of the Deacs. He has an overall record of 76-46-10. Trevor Adair has an all-time record of 77-33-9 in his six seasons at Clemson.
Series: The Tigers lead the series 13-8.
Wake Returns to ACC Play vs. Clemson
After a three-game hiatus, Wake Forest (9-3-1, 2-1) resumes its ACC schedule against Clemson on Saturday at Spry. The Deacons enter the game with a six-game winning streak and an unbeaten run of eight games. Clemson visits Winston-Salem with an identical 9-3-1 record but at 1-3 in the ACC, the Tigers are looking to gain some ground in the conference.
Vidovich On The Verge
Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich can tie his friend and mentor, Walt Chyzowych, as the Deacons' all-time winningest coach Saturday with a win over Clemson. Entering the Clemson game, Vidovich has 76 career victories. He is just two wins away from passing Chyzowych. Vidovich, the third coach in the program's 21 years, already holds the school's record for highest winning percentage at .614 (76-46-10). Vidovich, an eight year assistant under Chyzowych, became head coach just days before the 1994 season when Chyzowych passed away at the age of 57. Chyzowych coached WFU to the 1989 ACC title and four NCAA tourneys.
Stafford Up For ACC, National Awards
There's no question that Ben Stafford has been the most consistent player for the Deacons this season. The senior forward leads the team with 30 points and 13 goals. Stafford has scored goals in nine of Wake's 13 games this season. Stafford has been named to Soccer America's Team of the Week three times this year, one of only three players in the country to do so. Earlier this season, Stafford had a streak of five straight games with a goal and seven straight with a point. On October 1, he became the second leading scorer in Wake Forest history passing Raimo deVries. The Signal Mountain, Tenn., native has had some incredible individual performances with four two-goal games, including multiple goals against Maryland and at Connecticut. Wake Performs in Close Games
With a record of 6-1 in games decided by one goal, Wake Forest has shown the ability to hold it together in tight games. The Deacs are also 3-1-1 in overtime games with the team's only loss coming way back on September 2 to St. John's.
Tossed Into the Fire
Plenty of new faces dotted the Wake Forest roster at the beginning of the season and through 13 games, eight newcomers have accounted for 40% of the starting assignments. Of the 23 players who have seen time this year, 13 had never worn the Wake Forest jersey before. The newcomers have played critical roles, especially transfer goalkeeper Rob Vartughian (13 starts), freshmen defenders Wiggy Saunders (10) and Kelvin Jones (8), midfielder Brian Carroll (13) and forward Jeremiah White (7).
Streaks and Trends
* The Demon Deacons have won their last six games.
* Wake has not suffered a loss in its last eight games.
* The Deacs are 7-0 when scoring the game's first goal.
* Wake is 6-0 when leading at halftime.
* The Deacons are 8-0 when leading after 75 minutes.
* Wake is 7-2-1 when outshooting its opponent.
Starting Lineups
Jay Vidovich has used 12 different starting lineups in 13 games and hasn't used the same starting lineup twice since the UNC Greensboro and Liberty games. Seventeen different players have started for the Deacs. Six players have drawn every starting assignment this season including goalkeeper Rob Vartughian, defenders Brock Hilpert and Matt Thompson, midfielders Aaron Thomas and Brian Carroll and forward Ben Stafford.
State of Confusion
The college pollsters are not in agreement. Not by a long shot. This week, the four major polls have each chosen a different #1 team. San Jose State, SMU, North Carolina and Indiana can all claim themselves to be the nation's top team. In Wake Forest's case, the Deacons have also been a topic of debate among voters. The Deacs are ranked 15th in the media poll, 17th by Soccer America, 22nd by Soccer Times but not ranked at all by the coaches. While Wake Forest has not fallen out of either the Soccer America or the media polls, the coaches poll has not listed the Deacs on the top 25 in any of its last five rankings. For the record, Clemson is ranked as highly as 11th (Soccer America) and as low as 24th (coaches). The Tigers are 18th in the two other major polls.
Last Time Out
The Demon Deacons took a 1-0 win over George Mason on Wednesday in a defensive struggle. Kelvin Jones' header following a Matt Thompson corner kick in the 47th minute was only goal. Rob Vartughian recorded his fourth shutout of the season. Wake Forest, who was averaging nearly 16 shots per game, managed only 11 while yielding only five.
Gold Streak
The Deacons on fire as of late. The ACC's hottest team enters the Clemson contest with a eight-game unbeaten streak and winners of their last six. With just four games remaining on the regular season schedule including critical in-conference matchups with Clemson, North Carolina and Duke, the Deacs are getting hot at the right time.
Barbee Cracks Record Charts
Senior forward Jaron Barbee has crept into the record books and is now tied for 8th all-time in scoring with 48 points. Barbee found net against Charlotte and last Tuesday, scored twice against UNC Asheville, his first tallies of the season. Barbee also has four assists for a total of 10 points, second on the team.
The Graduate
Senior goalkeeper Rob Vartughian has already been an all-conference performer and he's looking to do it again. Vartughian, who came to Wake Forest after completing his undergraduate requirements at St. Bonaventure, was an All-Atlantic 10 keeper for the Bonnies. Vartughian missed one season with a back injury at St. Bonaventure, giving him one last season of eligibility. The graduate student ranks among the conference's best keepers, second in saves (4.46 per game) and second in save percentage (.753). The New Jersey native has posted four shutouts.
Mr. October
He's not quite on the level of Don Larsen or Mike Hampton, but Ben Stafford has shown the ability to step it up in the month of October. Of Stafford's 33 career goals, 17 have come in October. That includes the forward's two-goal performances against Maryland on Oct. 1., NC State on Oct. 8 and UNC-Asheville on Oct. 10 and his goal against Charlotte last Sunday.
Death, Taxes, Hilpert
Brock Hilpert has started all 73 games in his four-year career at Wake Forest. The Durham native hasn't missed a game at sweeper. The Wake Forest record for most games played in a career is 82, held by Neil Covone. Head Coach Jay Vidovich calls the All-ACC candidate one of the country's best passers. Hilpert will celebrate a belated birthday (11/3) in his hometown when the Deacons take on Duke on Nov. 4.
Thomas Named Preseason All-American
Sophomore midfielder Aaron Thomas was named to College Soccer Online's preseason All-American team. Thomas has proved to be a dangerous threat in the penalty area. He scored a gametying goal against St. John's on a diving header during a scramble in the box.
Stafford Among Nation's Scoring Leaders
Through October 15, Ben Stafford ranked 7th nationally in goals per game (1.08) and 7th in the NCAA in points per game (2.50). Stafford, who has been named to Soccer America's Team of the Week three times this season, is a strong candidate for ACC and national honors. Here's a look at how Stafford stacks up in the nation's strongest conference.
ACC Goal Leaders (thru Oct. 16)
Player GP Goals
1. Chris Carrieri, UNC 14 17
2. Ben Stafford, WF 12 13
3. Fabio Tambosi, CU 12 12
4. Alecko Eskandarian, VA 13 11
5. Ali Curtis, Duke 12 10
ACC Points Leaders (thru Oct. 16)
Player GP Points
1. Chris Carrieri, UNC 14 43
2. Ben Stafford, WF 12 30
3. Fabio Tambosi, CU 12 28
t4.Caleb Norkus, UNC 14 26
t4.Ali Curtis, Duke 12 26
First Half Recap
Through the first nine games, the Deacs certainly experienced their ups and downs. Injuries have limited players at all positions as the season has progressed. With the team getting healthier, the Deacs are gearing up for another run at the NCAA tournament. Here's a look back at the first half of the 2000 campaign: Wake started the year in grand fashion with an upset win at Connecticut. The team played well the next night but took an overtime loss against St. John's. The Deacs won their home opener against UNC Greensboro and rose to #5 in the national rankings before slipping at Liberty and at home against Virginia. After sliding out of the polls entirely, Wake rebounded with its most lopsided win of the season, shooting down the Seahawks of UNC Wilmington, 4-0. The Deacons followed up that effort with a 2-2 tie of seventh-ranked South Carolina and a 2-0 shutout of Davidson.
Trivial Note of the Game: Cats Don't Travel Well
In the Vidovich era, the Deacs are 8-1 at home against teams with variations of cats as mascots (2-4 on the road).