Men's Soccer Takes On No. 1 North Carolina
10/27/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 27, 2000
Wake Forest (10-4-1) takes on in-state rival North Carolina on Saturday night in Chapel Hill. The Deacs come into the game as winners of eight of their last 10 and ranked as high as #18 in the polls. The Tar Heels have won their last nine en route to claiming the top spot in the Soccer Times poll. UNC hasn't lost since Sept. 24 to Virginia.
#18 WAKE FOREST demon deacons (9-4-1) vs.
#1 NORTH CAROLINA tar heels (15-2-0)
Date: October 28, 2000
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Stadium: Fetzer Field (5,700)
Coaches: Wake Forest coach Jay Vidovich is in his seventh season at the helm of the Deacs. He has an overall record of 77-47-10. Elmar Bolowich has an all-time record of 135-87-13 in his 12 seasons at North Carolina.
Series: The Heels lead the series 17-3-4.
Last Meeting: 10/30/99 - (1-1 Tie at Spry Stadium)
Demon Deacons Travel To Chapel Hill To Face #1 North Carolina
Vidovich Could Become Winningest Coach In Wake Forest History With Win over UNC
Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich can pass his friend and mentor, Walt Chyzowych, as the Deacons' all-time winningest coach Saturday with a win over North Carolina. Entering the UNC game, Vidovich has 77 career victories.
Vidovich, the third coach in the program's 21 years, holds the school's record for winning percentage at .612 (77-47-10). Vidovich, an assistant under Chyzowych from 1986-94, 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.
Deacs Have History of Major Road Upsets
Over the last three season, Wake Forest is 3-1-1 on the road against ranked teams, including a win earlier this year at #2 Connecticut.
The last time Wake Forest played the nation's top ranked team on their home field, the Deacs toppled Washington 2-1 in 1998.
Last year, the Deacons pulled out an overtime win against sixth-ranked Maryland in College Park.
The team's last road loss to a ranked team came in 1998 when third-ranked Duke beat Wake 3-1 in Durham.
Stafford Up For ACC, National Awards
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The senior forward leads the team with 35 points and 15 goals. Stafford has scored goals in 10 of Wake's 15 games this season. He ranks third in the conference in scoring and ties for second in goals.
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 five two-goal games, including multiple goals against Maryland and at Connecticut.
Wake Performs in Close Games
With a record of 6-3 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 extra time loss coming way back on September 2 to St. John's.
Deacons, Heels Had Wild Contest in '99
In last year's game at Spry Stadium, Wake Forest held a one-goal lead for 84 minutes of the game but came away with a tie.
Ben Stafford's goal in the sixth minute was neutralized when Chris Carrieri found the back of the net with just seven seconds left in the game.
The tie broke an eight-game winning streak for the Deacons.
Kings of the Road
Wake Forest has won its last five road games, a school record. The Deacs are 6-1 on the road this season including the season-opening win at Connecticut's Morrone Stadium.
The Demon Deacons have also posted wins at UNC Wilmington, Davidson, NC State, Charlotte and High Point.
The team's only road loss this year came in a 4-2 upset at Liberty.
Tossed Into the Fire
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Of the 24 players who have seen time this year, 14 had never worn the Wake Forest jersey before.
The newcomers have played critical roles, especially transfer goalkeeper Rob Vartughian (15 starts), freshmen defenders Wiggy Saunders (11) and Kelvin Jones (10), midfielder Brian Carroll (15) and forward Jeremiah White (8).
Streaks and Trends
- The Demon Deacons have won their eight of their last ten games.
- The Deacs are 8-0 when scoring the game's first goal.
- Wake is 7-0 when leading at halftime.
- The Deacons are 9-0 when leading after 75 minutes.
- Wake is 8-2-1 when outshooting its opponent.
Starting Lineups
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Eighteen different players have started for the Deacs. Five players have drawn every starting assignment this season including goalkeeper Rob Vartughian, defender Brock Hilpert, midfielders Aaron Thomas and Brian Carroll and forward Ben Stafford.
The Pollsters
The Deacs are ranked 19th in the media poll, 18th by Soccer America, 25th 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 six rankings.
For the record, UNC is ranked as highly as #1 (Soccer Times) and as low as 4th (NSCAA coaches, NSCAA media). The Heels are 3rd in the Soccer Times poll.
Last Time Out
The Demon Deacons put the clamps on High Point on Wednesday with a 3-0 shutout, holding the Panthers to just five shots on the night.
Stafford scored a pair of goals and Jeremiah White also found the back of the net. Rob Vartughian made three saves as the Deacons posted their fifth shutout of the year.
Gold Streak
Since the middle of September, Wake Forest has lost just one game. The Deacs has since put together a strong running toward the postseason.
After the Virginia loss on Sept. 16, the Demon Deacons won eight of their next ten with a six-game winning streak in the middle of that run.
Barbee Cracks Record Charts
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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 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
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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 (4.4 per game) and second in save percentage (.759). The New Jersey native has posted five shutouts.
Thomas Named Preseason All-American
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Thomas has started in all 15 games and played every minute of every game this season for the Demon Deacons.
Clean Sweep
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Stafford Among Nation's Scoring Leaders
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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.
